Exactly one year to the day after the death of little Mariia Legenkovska under the wheels of a driver, traffic is still busy in the center-south region, the Plante administration admits. The city of Montreal is also promising to do even more to “calm down” neighborhoods starting next year once spring returns.
Published at 1:33 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
“Our measures are working, but we must be aware that we are still in a neighborhood that remains under pressure, particularly due to the work on the La Fontaine bridge-tunnel and the nearby Jacques Cartier Bridge. We will not stop here,” explains the city’s mobility manager, Sophie Mauzerolle, to La Presse.
Little Mariia Legenkovska was hit by a driver who never stopped while she was walking to her school in the Center-Sud district on December 13, 2022. This sad story sparked a major citizen mobilization demanding more road safety measures on the local road network.
Since April last year, the Ville-Marie district has announced several traffic calming measures. In addition to the hundred permanent speed bumps installed, certain streets such as Rue Larivière were closed to traffic. Streets were also “redesigned,” with sidewalk projections added while others had their direction reversed.
According to Sophie Mauzerolle, Mariia's death was certainly an “electric shock”, but “general observation remains difficult even a year later”.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Sophie Mauzerolle, elected head of mobility in the Executive Committee
It remains annoying and frustrating to see that despite everything we do, there is still so much crime on our streets.
Sophie Mauzerolle, elected head of mobility in the Executive Committee
The elected official attributes this “crime” primarily to the ever-increasing number of vehicles. “People find it very difficult to accept this, but it is not the construction sites and our calming measures that are causing more traffic. Rather, the number of vehicles is increasing. And crime comes from people getting stuck and becoming impatient. And the more the car fleet grows, the longer people will be stuck in traffic jams,” emphasizes Ms. Mauzerolle.
A new plan for 2024
Montreal will present its 2024 security plan by next spring, which includes several new measures to be gradually implemented in the territory.
“It will include measures that we are already implementing, so we will continue to use speed bumps and projections, but we are also looking at new things,” explains the city manager. Among other things, she cites mid-block intersections or head-to-head intersections, which amounts to placing furniture or even a median in the middle of the street and designating two different directions on either side to reduce transit traffic.
The concept of a pedestrian and community street is something that we are also looking at intensively in certain sectors.
Sophie Mauzerolle, elected head of mobility in the Executive Committee
In general, the city has seen an increase in requests for road safety measures since last year. Montreal's latest budget, passed on Monday, calls for, among other things, the hiring of nine people to speed up the implementation of calming measures across the island.
“Ultimately, the entire city has to be secured. And with the number of roads we have, we are not there yet,” says Ms. Mauzerolle. After that, there is no universal formula and we don't want to move the problems elsewhere. But if we believe that an intervention is possible, for example changing the direction of the street, we will do it systematically. »
No more monitoring, but…
Over the last year, Montreal police have significantly increased surveillance in Centre-Sud and surrounding areas. Police reported 3,847 moving offenses from January to September, a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
The toll at the head of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, on the other hand, is mixed. Since the accident, the district has recorded a slight decrease in the number of accidents (-3%), although there have been more deaths and serious injuries.
In fact, police recorded two fatal accidents and four serious injuries from January to September last year, compared to one death and two serious injuries during the same period in 2022.
For its part, the Ministry of Transport has set the maximum speed in school zones at 30 km/h. In her National Road Safety Strategy, Minister Geneviève Guilbault also committed to increasing penalties for violations against pedestrians and cyclists and increasing the number of photo radars on the roads.
On the municipal side, the opening times of certain reserved lanes have been revised. Sections have also been expanded, such as on Rue Sherbrooke, while others are under construction, such as on Avenue De Lorimier.
The story so far
December 13, 2022: Mariia Legenkovska is caught on the corner of Rue de Rouen and Rue Parthenais.
April 14, 2023: Montreal announces a series of measures in Ville-Marie, including the installation of around a hundred speed bumps and the closure or change of direction of around ten streets.
May 6, 2023: A citizen films 44 drivers making a forbidden left turn at the intersection of Rouen and Parthenais streets within an hour.
August 22, 2023: Geneviève Guilbault presents her national road safety strategy, with increased fines for pedestrian and cyclist violations and a speed reduction in school zones.