The City of Montreal vows that by the end of the year, around 50 establishments frequented by children will be safe, including schools and daycare centers as well as two parks.
According to Mayor Valérie Plante, the Safety Around Schools Program (PSAÉ) will ensure that more than 15,000 students will be safe while traveling to and from their school.
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In Tuesday’s announcement, Sophie Mouzerol, member of the executive committee responsible for mobility and transportation, explained that the city has doubled the budget dedicated to safe travel.
The PSAÉ calls for the addition of sidewalk overhangs, speed bumps, and raised intersections, as well as speed displays and traffic lights.
A second initiative will be announced at the end of the year, this time to protect the surroundings of places seniors frequent.
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The city’s announcement comes nearly a month after a seven-year-old girl was fatally struck by a vehicle on Parthenis Street in the Sainte-Marie district.
In a march along the same route Tuesday morning, a group of parents, students and pedestrians’ rights advocates called for improvements in safety measures in school zones.
“We want action to happen. We are here to show that this is of utmost importance to the residents of the borough and we are not giving up on our request,” said Karl Saint-Denis, a spokesman for Appartement pour Sainte-Marie.
One of the biggest issues, Saint-Denis said, are drivers who speed on side streets to avoid traffic on major arterials.
In the wake of the tragic death, new signs have been installed that prohibit the right hand turn during school hours. The police force has also been increased.
Yet advocates say this is not enough.
“Most cars, or at least half of them, are not respecting the signals. So it doesn’t work. What needs to be done is physical measures,” said Saint-Denis.
Mouzerol said parents and school officials will meet with city representatives later this week to discuss proposed solutions for the Ville Marie borough.
March organizers are calling on teachers, parents and students to participate in a provincewide demonstration outside schools on January 24.
With files from The Canadian Press
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