Saint-Jérôme | “Walking here is impossible”

An accident in which a little girl was hit by a vehicle on the way to school a few days before Christmas in Saint-Jérôme, in the Laurentians, revives the debate on road development in a residential area increasingly popular with families.

“There are no sidewalks here, there’s no real shoulder. However, there are plenty of children. And it sometimes goes very fast, 60 km/h, 70 km/h,” says Cynthia Bourgoin, who lives on Boulevard de La Salette.

On the morning of December 20, her fears became reality when a little girl who was walking along Boulevard de La Salette near Rue Mottram was hit by the driver of a motor vehicle while she was going to her bus stop. ‘school bus. The girl was transported to Saint-Jérôme hospital; her injuries were not life-threatening.

M^me Bourgoin says he has deplored for years that the place is “extremely dangerous” for pedestrians, and even more so for children.

Every morning, picking up children on the bus is risky, says the mother. “Many children have to cross the boulevard to get on the bus, but drivers do not stop, even when the bus has its lights flashing. It has become clear that the bus driver must stop her vehicle in the center of the two lanes so that oncoming motorists can stop. »

When the Ministry says no

Véronique Meunier, communications manager for the City of Saint-Jérôme, notes that snow removal from the street in this sector as well as the maximum speed allowed are the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD).

“The City of Saint-Jérôme takes the safety of citizens in this sector seriously,” she said. Moreover, the City will submit a request to the Ministry for the addition of pedestrian lights at the intersection of Boulevard de La Salette and Rue des Lacs and for the installation of a right turn prohibition sign. at the red light, in order to better secure the pedestrian crossing. »

M^me Meunier affirms that Saint-Jérôme asked the Ministry to reduce the maximum speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h on boulevard de La Salette, from rue des Lacs to 1020, boulevard de La Salette, in July 2022, in addition to having requested the addition of a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of rue de l’Église.

“These two requests were refused by the Ministry in November 2023,” she said.

At MTMD, spokesperson Martin Girard specifies on this subject that the request was refused because “the targeted portion of Boulevard de La Salette, near the school, is not included in the school zone”.

“The definition of school zone is only for the section of road that faces the school, which is not the case here, which is why it is not possible to use this qualification. Thus, there is no reason to lower the speed on Boulevard de La Salette below the current limit of 50 km/h, i.e. the suggested speed on the Ministry’s roads in urban areas, the 30 km/h being reserved school zones or places where a park opens directly onto a road,” explains Mr. Girard.

According to the MTMD, the complete redevelopment of the intersection of Boulevard de La Salette and Rue des Lacs carried out in the summer of 2023 already allows pedestrians “to cross the boulevard safely”.

“Sidewalks along the boulevard to the east have been added, as well as a multifunctional path on rue des Lacs to the north and sidewalks to the south in front of the school. This allows pedestrians to move towards the crossings more safely and offers them refuge on either side of the crossings,” continues Mr. Girard.

Towards a new analysis

When questioned, the office of the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, however, for its part suggested that a new analysis would be carried out.

“Pedestrian safety is a priority for our government. At the request of the Member of Parliament for Saint-Jérôme, Youri Chassin, the Ministry of Transport will evaluate, in collaboration with the City, what can be done to secure this section,” argued the Minister’s communications director, Maxime Roy.

Until La Salette Boulevard is adapted to take into account the presence of children, pedestrians and cyclists, Cynthia Bourgoin will not let her son travel alone.

“My son dreams of going to school by bike. The school is one kilometer away. It would be perfect for developing your autonomy. But I’m sure he would get hit. Walking here is impossible, you get honked constantly. I have a dog and I never walk there. Even the 10 meters I have to walk to get to the little path scares me. »