Julie Durand has a five-year-old daughter who attends École Saint-Gérard.
The elementary school, located on Pierrefonds Boulevard, sits on one of the busiest roads in the West Island.
The nearest intersections are St-Jean Boulevard and Harry-Worth Street, which are a few minutes walk away, and that proved to be an issue on Monday.
Durand said her daughter came home after school and told her two children were hit by a car as they crossed the boulevard, after lunch.
But the news, unfortunately, didn’t come as a shock.
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“I wouldn’t be surprised that a lot of them are jaywalking here to save some time,” said Durant. “And I’m concerned because it’s very busy here.”
Montreal Police confirmed to Global News that a nine- and 12-year-old girl were hit while crossing the boulevard on Monday at lunch time.
Police say some cars slowed down as the girls crossed, but a 77-year-old woman didn’t see them and they were struck.
The children were brought to the hospital with minor injuries, but parents say, something needs to be done to make the area is safer.
“I’ve lived in the area for nine years, so even before I had kids in school, I was always surprised that there was no pedestrian crossing,” said Durand. “It’s an elementary school.”
A spokesperson for the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board told Global News most of the students eat their lunch at the school, but if some do go home, it’s the parents’ responsibility to make sure they get there safely.
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As for any increased safety measures around the school, they say, that’s up to the city.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough Mayor, Jim Beis, says he will look into different options.
“I’m gonna ask the traffic committee to look into the situation and see what we can do in this area,” he said. “At a glance, it’s very difficult because it is a main artery that at 50 km/h, four lanes, with a dividing lane in the middle as well, so we’re looking at all this and we’re going to act accordingly.”
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