The Quebec police issued more than 2,900 tickets in three years in front of Anne-Hébert primary school, making it the number one “ticket trap” in the list compiled by our Bureau of Investigation.
Parents and organizations that defend pedestrian rights are concerned that too many motorists are still breaking the law in Quebec school zones.
The intersection of Chemin Sainte-Foy and Avenue Murray, just in front of Anne-Hébert elementary school, is by far the place where the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) has issued the most tickets on its territory.
“I have mixed feelings about this news,” confides Ann-Julie Rhéaume, a mother of two children who attend the establishment. On the one hand, it shows that the police take it seriously and are very present, but on the other, it is worrying to know that there is so much delinquent behavior so close to our children.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Mother of two children who attend the Anne-Hébert school, Ann-Julie Rhéaume said she was very concerned when she learned that school zones in Quebec City are regularly the scene of speeding.
Everywhere in the territory
An in-depth analysis of speed-related findings revealed that a large proportion of offenses of this type were committed in school zones.
According to data collected as part of several access to information requests from the SPVQ, a little less than a quarter (22.6%) of tickets for exceeding the speed limit were issued to nearly 10 establishments. primary and secondary education spread throughout the capital.
Vincent Desbiens
A police officer monitored the speed of motorists in front of the Sentiers secondary school, in Charlesbourg, at the Passage du Journal, on April 25, 2024.
“It’s incomprehensible,” notes Sabrina Francoeur, a mother met near the primary and secondary school that her two children attend, in the Beauport area. The worst thing is that it is often parents in a hurry who are stopped by the police, not workers who pass by!”
THE TEN SCHOOL ZONES WHICH HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO THE GREATEST NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS FOR EXCESSING SPEEDING
Between 2021 and 2023
| Establishment | Fines |
|---|---|
| Anne-Hébert primary school (Montcalm) | 2,816 |
| Saint-Jean-Eudes secondary school (Beauport) | 1,188 |
| Saint-Charles-Garnier College (Sillery) | 925 |
| Saint-Bernard primary school (Neufchâtel) | 880 |
| Saint-François Seminary (Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures) | 858 |
| Sentiers Secondary School (Charlesbourg) | 736 |
| Polyvalente Samuel de Champlain (Beauport) | 507 |
| La Camaradière secondary school (Duberger-Les Saules) | 347 |
| Champigny College (Sainte-Foy) | 251 |
| Saint-Michel School (Beauport) | 240 |
Source: Quebec City Police Department
All places combined, more than 36,000 of the 38,712 offenses punished by the SPVQ for excessive speed were committed during the week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Lack of vigilance
Daniel Thibault, a man who lives very close to Sentiers secondary school in Charlesbourg, believes that motorists have the unfortunate tendency to drive out of habit rather than focusing on what is happening in front of their eyes.
- Listen to the interview with Dominique Cambron-Goulet, investigative journalist at Journal de Montréal on the microphone of Alexandre Dubé via QUB :
“Everyone gets distracted. People are so rushed and stressed about everything now that their minds are elsewhere while driving. There is a bad one gang who don’t necessarily intend to drive faster, but do it anyway.”
Lieutenant Carl Goulet, assigned to the SPVQ Road Safety Office, is of the same opinion.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Carl Goulet, lieutenant of the SPVQ Road Safety Office, emphasizes that the police force has worked hard in recent years to ensure the safety of students.
“In school zones, we have to be even more vigilant because we deal with vulnerable users who can have unpredictable behavior and who are naive when it comes to danger. We must be even more vigilant and completely eliminate distracted driving.”
– with the collaboration of Philippe Langlois
