His lunch box in hand, a young boy walks down the pedestrian crossing on rue Lajoie to reach his elementary school. At the same time, the driver of an SUV is making a left turn towards it. The child freezes in place.
A policeman, who replaces the school crossing guard this morning, intervenes, and the driver brakes suddenly.
These interactions that endanger children on the way to school occur “every morning” in front of the Guy-Drummond elementary school, in the borough of Outremont, in Montreal, according to parents.
With my children, we almost got our toes rolled over several times. It’s chaos here. Drivers do not seem to understand or respect pedestrian priority, even when it comes to children who are in front of their school.
Tanya Giannelia, mother of three children who attend school
Mme Giannelia took part on Wednesday morning in the national mobilization “Let’s put an end to road safety on the school route”, which brought together parents and children from around fifty schools in Quebec, and citizens. Parents are calling on the government of François Legault for better funding so that security arrangements are made around schools, in particular.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
At Guy-Drummond school, children were happily banging pots in front of dozens of cars and SUVs to ask for better safety. Nearby, Stanislas College, with nearly 3,000 students, also generates a lot of car travel, with motorists leaving Avenue Van Horne to enter residential streets and causing traffic jams near the scene. arrival of students on foot or by bicycle.
Parents had invited elected officials to come and see the risks of collision. Laurent Desbois, mayor of the borough of Outremont, came to support the parents.
“We want to put in place facilities that separate pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, facilities that enhance safety,” he says. We want our children and our citizens to feel safe on their way to school. »
The mayor and his team are studying the possibility of making rue Lajoie one-way, possibly with a bike path. “We are working with our engineers and Vélo-Quebec on this project. We hope to carry out a pilot project this summer,” says Mr. Desbois.
Valérie Patreau, borough councilor in Outremont, said she hoped that rue Lajoie would become a one-way street in order to reduce potential conflicts with motorists at the source. “Also, I would like to make a human-friendly place on Dollard Street” between Guy-Drummond School and Stanislas College, she said.
The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, went to the Anne-Hébert school in Quebec, where she was able to speak with parents.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COLLECTIVE NOT ONE DEAD MORE
A co-organizer of the movement, Ann-Julie Rhéaume, and the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault
“I felt a great openness on her part, explains Ann-Julie Rhéaume, a mother from the school and co-organizer of the movement. That said, the minister placed great emphasis on police presence and photo radar. What we are asking is to go to the source and develop our school zones to naturally reduce the speed and dangerous maneuvers of motorists. »
Parents take the lead
Yves Plourde, from the Mobility and Safety Committee at École Guy-Drummond, notes that parents must get involved to reduce the dangerous behavior of motorists in school zones and make active travel more attractive for families.
Every morning, he and other parents take turns to provide security around the school. They put on their fluorescent jackets bought online and install cones and bollards provided by the borough in places where motorists are not allowed to stop around the school.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Every Tuesday morning, Tanya Giannelia stands in front of the school attended by her children with her sign asking motorists to pay attention to the lives of schoolchildren.
“If we don’t do this, these prohibited areas are automatically occupied by drivers. It’s dangerous, but what will be the consequence? There are five police officers assigned to road safety for the Outremont–Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce territory,” he said.
It was after a motorist who missed a mandatory stop braked at the last second to avoid hitting two of his children in the neighborhood one evening last fall that Mr. Plourde decided to form a committee to secure travel. active around the school.
We have only one brigadier and that is not enough. We must encourage elected officials and civil servants to make better arrangements. We are all busy parents, we have jobs and families, but if we don’t, it will never happen.
Yves Plourde, from the Mobility and Safety Committee of Guy-Drummond School
Tanya Giannelia notes that alternatives to the car are available in the neighborhood. “We have a metro station, we have buses, we have bike paths. But it seems that people in cars all want to get as close as possible to the school gate so they have to walk as few steps as possible, even if that increases the danger for everyone. »
The death of little Mariia Legenkovska, a 7-year-old student killed by a driver in a school zone on December 13 in Montreal, particularly affected her.
Every Tuesday morning, Mr.me Giannelia stands in front of the school attended by her children with her sign asking motorists to pay attention to the lives of schoolchildren.
“I do this in memory of Mariia,” she says.