“It’s dangerous”: Montrealers fear safety near Jacques-Cartier bridge

Despite measures taken after a young woman died last year, Montrealers living near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge fear pedestrians will once again bear the brunt of the traffic.

• Read more: Motorists should be prepared for pre-pandemic rush hour traffic jams

“I am afraid. People cross in the opposite direction, and they try to get through intersections quickly, even though there are speed bumps. It’s dangerous,” says Josien Drouin, whose 12-year-old daughter will enter secondary school this year.

She worries about increased traffic on local streets near Champlain School, where her daughter attended, and on De Lorimier Avenue near Jean-Mans High School.

Last December, 7-year-old Maria Lejenkiewicz was killed by a motorist while walking to Jean-Baptiste-Meyleur school.

Since then, the city has implemented one-way streets south of Sherbrooke Street, installing more than 110 additional speed bumps.

Other molds to protect

“It makes a big difference, especially around this school,” acknowledges Chris McRae, co-founder of the Peace Coalition for St. Mary’s.

The pressure exerted on the Jacques-Cartier bridge with the work of the Louis-Hyppolite-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel continues to be felt elsewhere in the residential district.

“We want to do the exercise that was done for the Jean-Baptiste-Meilleur school in other local streets near the other six schools. We also absolutely need measures for the main axes,” he says.

He pointed out that the Réseau Express vélo and pedestrian crossings have proven themselves on rue Saint-Denis and could be set up on avenues De Lorimier and Papineau, for example.

More cars

“These are the most accident-prone axles. Interventions must be made to allow pedestrians to cross safely,” says Sandrine Cabana-Degani, director general of Piétons Québec.

“There are always more cars on our roads, that’s why there is more traffic. Motorists should take their problems with patience and not indulge in dangerous behaviors,” he adds.

He is calling on people who have gotten into the habit of taking their car during the pandemic to return to public transport.