Accident prone avenue leaves Laval, Que. residents calling for more safety measures

A video of a car crashing into a trailer along Eliot Avenue is just the most recent accidents recorded on the residential street in Laval, Que.

Resident Voula Kollias says near misses and speeding are a common occurrence that she and her neighbours constantly live with.

“We can’t even back out of our driveways safely,” Kollias said.

Speaking about the video, she claims the car was careening down the street before slamming into the parked trailer around the corner.

No one was hurt in the incident but Kollias says it’s ironic it happened right after a newly installed speed bump.

“How can you be going that fast in a 30 zone and you’re between a stop sign and a speed bump. So you can just imagine how fast they were going,” Kollias said.

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Speed along the wide stretch of road has been an issue for years, residents say.

“It’s not over night. I’ve been saying this for 20 years. It’s too fast,” Kollias said. “We’ve been lucky for so long that nobody has gotten killed.”

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Last year security footage captured the shocking incident of red SUV jumping an empty sidewalk after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Lisa Di Ioia, who has been living on the avenue for 20 years, said speeding has always been a problem and is the root of many accidents.

“I’m scared actually walking the dog. Crossing the street is ridiculous,” Di Ioia said.

Father of two Fady Akache said he still walks his daughters to school despite the city installing the new speed bump because he says the street is still problematic.

“I still don’t feel comfortable letting them walk to the bus stop or to the school which is in walking distance,” Akache said.

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Residents claim the section of Eliot Avenue between du Souvenir and Henri Duplessis street is the most dangerous.

Some reporting seeing drivers going double the speed limit in a 40 km/h zone.

The width of the avenue and the blind curve are just some of the dangers mentioned in multiple complaints residents say they have lodged with the city –complaints they claim, have been ignored.

“This is a huge issue. We have shown video. Were not just saying it – were showing it. We live here and we see it every single day,” Kollias said.

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A group of concerned residents is calling for additional speed bumps along the stretch of road.

“I don’t know what the city is waiting for. I understand there are pandemic delays but we really need to get these speed bumps as soon as possible,” Di Ioia said.

“The traffic has to slow down.”

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Only a few meters up Eliot Avenue, lane dividers have been installed to reduce the width and speed along the busy thoroughfare.

While only in place for half of the year, residents like Akache say the benefits would be noticeable.

“This could help make the street saver,” Akache said.

In response the city says it takes traffic safety seriously.

“We have the safety of our citizens at heart,” Alexandre Banville, Laval spokesperson, said. “In recent years, we a have made efforts to reduce speed within the city. The work is not finished, but Eliot Avenue has not been forgotten.”

A 2018 traffic study conducted by the city over a two-week period showed the majority of drivers, 85 per cent, drove below 53 kilometers per hour on the street, just under the 15-kilometer threshold at which the city would add traffic calming measures.