The majority of Montreal’s intersections and streets expose children to a high risk of collision, especially when they go to school, reports a new study. Researchers’ observation: for a century, urban developments, by giving priority to automobile trips, were made to the detriment of pedestrians – even the most vulnerable.
Posted at 7:40 p.m.
Motorists before pedestrians
Since the 1920s, cities have invested billions to unroll the red carpet in motorists: almost all arteries and intersections have been developed or refurbished in order to promote the circulation of motor vehicles. This has resulted in the complete asphalt of the network, the expansion of the tracks and intersections, and the use and maintenance of public space to park private vehicles. These choices have a cost: in Montreal, the majority of facilities have a high risk of collision for pedestrians, especially for children, reports a new study by researchers from Polytechnique Montréal, in collaboration with INRS and Laval University.
“Would I let my child cross here?” »»
To raise their data, the researchers took into account the opinion of experts in civil engineering, town planning and public health, as well as comments from children and their parents. More than 60 variables have been analyzed, such as the width of a street or an intersection, the maximum speed allowed, the level of visibility of the drivers, the volume of road traffic and the presence of heavy vehicles. “People sometimes wonder what means that an intersection presents a high risk or not,” explains Shabnam Abdollahi, a postdoctoral researcher in civil engineering in Polytechnique Montréal and the co -author of the study. A good approach is to ask the question: “Would I let my child cross here?” When you see things from this angle, everything becomes clear enough. »»
Montreal, “best student in the worst class”
The researchers have noticed that the less favored districts are those where travel on foot are the most hazardous. “For example, children have access to safer trips on foot in Outremont than in Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension,” says Mme Abdollahi. Some districts have more arteries and fewer measures to calm traffic. However, with the development of cycle paths on certain axes, projections of verdie and donkey backgrounds, Montreal gradually decreases the dangers inherited from the all-in-the-auto, points out Owen D. Waygood, full professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Geological and Mines of Polytechnic Montreal and co-author of the study. “Montreal is the best student in the worst class. In North America, most cities would have an F. Montreal has something like a D- … “
Volume and speed
The existing road network was built at a time when security was not one of the concerns of decision -makers, says Owen D. Waygood. “For an engineer – and we are engineers – the measurement of success, what traffic volume you manage to move, and how speed. No more volume, and more speed, it was positive. People often believe that engineers have thought of the security of citizens. “But this is not the case at all. At best, they will put a protected left turn at an intersection, he said. What our tool comes to say is: “This street, or this intersection, presents a deadly risk for pedestrians, especially children who go to school.” »»
Not safe
Sometimes the danger of a road section is poorly assessed, says Waygood. “Citizens who complain about the speed of motorists can be answered by the district that there is no speeding at this location. The problem is that the speed limit is often too high to ensure comfortable and safe trips on foot. So far, decision -makers could trust the number of collisions to determine the dangerousness of a road section or an intersection. An imperfect measure, notes Mr. Waygood. “Perhaps an intersection does not display a large number of collisions between motorists and pedestrians because the layout is so dangerous that no parent would let their child cross there. But this intersection is not safe. »»
Less speed, less risk of death
Researchers work with the City of Montreal to allow engineers to have access to data and better secure intersections and problematic sections. Even if this is a complex problem, Mr. Waygood notes that a huge step forward could be carried out to secure children’s movements if there was a way to reduce the speed of motorists. “The dead are linked to a high speed. Essentially, if you reduce speed, you reduce the risk of death. If I had a magic wand, I would eliminate this mentality wanting that we must quickly circulate at an intersection. We have to slow down. It is possible to draw intersections that allow fluidity while reducing speed and risks. »»Consult the Interactive Card on Risks at Montreal Intersections (in English*)
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