An “awareness-raising notice” delivered by Mirabel police officers on July 13 and posted on Twitter on Sunday sparked strong reactions.
The photo showing a ticket was shared by Marc-Olivier Neveu, former mayoral candidate of Saint-Jérôme and urban planning student at UQAM.
“I wonder (still) what the rationale is for banning children from playing in the street on a suburban residential street. “The road should belong to everyone, not just cars,” he wrote in his message along with the photo.
I wonder (still) what the rationale is for banning children from street play on a suburban residential street. 🤔
The road should belong to everyone, not just cars. pic.twitter.com/3QzinuX9Oo
— Marc-Olivier Neveu (@MO_Neveu) July 16, 2023
In fact, the regulations of the city of Mirabel state that “it is forbidden to play in a public place, except in places set up for this purpose”, according to the document consulted by TVANouvelles.ca
Since it is a traffic ticket, no fine appears to have been imposed.
After the post by Marc-Olivier Neveu, numerous comments were made on Twitter.
“Accidents!! Well done champion! You did great brain research!” writes user @d1laroche.
“Well then. A residential street is not an urban boulevard. Let’s come back to the safety argument. In addition, free play is allowed on the streets right next to Saint-Colomban,” replies Mr. Neveu.
Many Internet users criticize what they consider to be far too strict a regulation.
“Sad sad sad. […] Ridiculous. […] How sad. I played in the streets my whole childhood. Is it too much to ask drivers to drive passively and safely in residential areas?” commented several people on Twitter.
However, several other municipalities have enacted statutes that allow children and families to play in the streets safely.
In particular, the city of Beloeil has a special program that allows children and families to play in a safe environment in 65 streets of the community.