In Longueuil, a traffic calming project to allow children to play in the street is causing a stir. The police had to intervene on Tuesday after receiving a call about a motorist who allegedly drove dangerously close to children who were riding scooters in rue Saint-Michel.
On Tuesday, two flower boxes were installed on the roadway of rue Saint-Michel as part of the program of the City of Longueuil called “My street to play”. These bins, which narrow the width of the lanes, aim to force motorists to slow down so that children can play in the street in peace.
But the project does not appeal to all street residents. Anne Leblond says she witnessed the aggressiveness of a motorist on Tuesday afternoon when she accompanied her two youngest children who were riding a scooter in the street. “I was the victim of road violence because one of my neighbors accelerated madly next to us. I only had time to tell my children to hunker down because it was dangerous. I was really scared,” explained M.me Leblond at To have to.
Police were called to the scene, but according to François Boucher, public relations officer with the Longueuil agglomeration police department (SPAL), no criminal act was reported to the patrol officers who went there. It would rather be a civil conflict and no complaint has been filed, he said.
A divisive project
Anne Leblond maintains that this is not the first time that certain residents, opposed to the peaceful street project, have expressed their frustration. Last year, she says, a neighbor verbally threatened her five-year-old child.
The mother says she is targeted because it was she who, last year, proposed that rue Saint-Michel be included in the City program “My street to play”. This pilot project made it possible to transform nearly thirty sections of street into free play zones for the practice of activities such as hockey, soccer, volleyball and hopscotch. Neighbors opposed it, however, and outnumbered supporters of the project in a survey of residents conducted over the summer. This result forced the City to abandon the appeasement of rue Saint-Michel.
The councilor and president of the executive committee, Jonathan Tabarah, nevertheless decided, in light of the intimidation gestures reported to him, to secure the street and on Tuesday, flower boxes were installed on the asphalt. Citizens opposed to the project believe, however, that the City should have respected the wishes of the residents surveyed last year.
” I am ashamed “
Arrested Tuesday evening during the meeting of the municipal council of Longueuil, Jonathan Tabarah said he was outraged by the incident which occurred on Tuesday. ” I am ashamed. I am embarrassed about the situation,” he said. “I received calls from parents in tears tonight who were afraid for their children. I never want to go through this again. »
According to him, it is unacceptable for adults to bully children. He indicated that the decision to implement calming measures on rue Saint-Michel came from him. “It’s my decision and I’m going to maintain it until the end of the summer and then we’ll see if we continue. Why ? Because we have to do it for the safety of the families. I’m embarrassed that we’re here, quite honestly. But the decision will stand. »
Anne Leblond is not coming back that two flower boxes cause so much acrimony, especially since originally, it was a simple pilot project of appeasement which could have favored good neighbours. “I don’t understand their motivation. [des opposants]. It does not violate any rights and it does not prevent them from parking. »
According to her, the opponents of the project are in the minority. It would be residents of four out of nineteen houses, she estimates. If the survey of residents was unfavorable, it was because it was conducted during the summer so many families were away at that time, she said.
Shaken, but determined, Mme Leblond does not intend to give up letting his children play in the street. She says other street families will continue to do so as well. “I don’t want to give in to intimidation. It is true that the safety of my children is of great concern to me. […] But they have the right to be there. »