The city of Montreal vows that by the end of the year, the surroundings of 50 establishments frequented by children, including schools and daycare centres as well as two parks, will be safer.
The Safety Program Around Schools (PSAÉ) will ensure that more than 15,000 students will be safer when travelling around their school, according to Mayor Valérie Plante.
The City of Montreal specifies that 42 projects have been selected in 13 boroughs.
In Tuesday’s announcement, the executive committee member responsible for mobility and transportation, Sophie Mauzerolle, points out that the city has doubled the budget dedicated to securing travel.
The PSAÉ calls for sidewalk overhangs, speed bumps, and raised intersections, as well as the addition of speed displays and traffic lights.
A second initiative will be announced later in the year, this time to secure the surroundings of places frequented by seniors.
The city’s announcement comes about a month after a seven-year-old girl was fatally struck by a vehicle on Parthenais Street in the Sainte-Marie district.
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In a march along the same route Tuesday morning, a group of parents, students and pedestrian rights advocates demanded improved safety measures in school zones.
“We want action to take place. We are here to signify this is extremely important for residents of the borough and were not giving up on our request,” said Carl St-Denis, spokesperson for Apaisement Pour Sainte-Marie.
One of the biggest issues, St-Denis said, is drivers who speed down side streets to avoid traffic on major arteries.
In the wake of the tragic death, new signs have been set up that stop right-hand turns during school hours. An increased police presence has also been added.
Yet advocates say it’s not enough.
“Most of the cars, or at least half of them, are not respecting the signs. So it doesn’t work. What needs to be done is physical measures,” St-Denis said.
Mauzerolle said parents and school officials will meet with city representatives to discuss proposed solutions for the Ville Marie borough later this week.
Organizers of the march are calling on teachers, parents and students to participate in a province-wide demonstration outside schools on Jan. 24.
— with files from Canadian Presse
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