Pedestrians and seniors at the heart of Quebec’s next road safety strategy

More crossing times, wider sidewalks, changes to pedestrian cycles at traffic lights and photo radars, everything is on the table in view of the next 2025-2029 Road Safety Strategy of the City of Quebec. Alongside the announcement of the addition of a traffic light with a pedestrian crossing in front of a seniors’ residence in Charlesbourg, the elected officials of the City of Quebec wanted to emphasize their intentions to provide greater security pedestrians and seniors on the road network.

The announcement comes a few weeks after the City was criticized by the organization Piétons Québec for its slow-moving pedestrian crossings.

The City of Quebec says it is particularly concerned about the safety of seniors, as they are over-represented in collision statistics, both in cars and as pedestrians. Between 2019 and 2023, we have 15 people aged 65 and over who died on our roads. This represents three deaths in five, while the demographic point is one in five residents.relates Pierre-Luc Lachance, municipal councilor responsible for mobility and road safety.

Representatives of seniors also occupy two seats on the advisory committee for the 2025-2029 Road Safety Strategy. A preliminary version of the next road safety strategy will be presented for public consultation in the fall.

Municipal councilor Marie-Pierre Boucher mentions some changes that have been made to increase security. The duration of the crossing of pedestrian lights has been extended at the 70 intersections most frequented by elderly people and over the coming weeks, the duration of the pedestrian lights on Boulevard Hamel at the 15 intersections between rue De Meulles and rue A.-R .-Décary, will be extended up to 40 secondsshe lists.

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The City is now thinking about what can be improved in the coming years.

It could be the width of the sidewalks, because we know that a senior who gets around with a walker or in a wheelchair takes up a little more space. It can also be swelling of the sidewalk to make intersections less time-consuming to cross.gives Pierre-Luc Lachance as an example.

It opens the door to concurrent pedestrian crossings, where pedestrians cross at the same time as automobiles traveling in the same direction. These are common in other cities, such as Montreal, but in Quebec it is especially the exclusive crossings which are the norm.

Each intersection will be analyzed in this dynamic, it will be part of the 2025-2029 Strategy. It is not every intersection that must become concurrent, it takes certain configurations and we have to consider several factorsunderlines the advisor. For example, we have the elderly, people with disabilities for whom concurrent crossings can present challenges.

Pierre-Luc Lachance does not, however, question the role of the interventions made by the arterial management center on pedestrian light cycles. It is very rare that a pedestrian light is cut off because of an intervention, then the interventions of the arterial manager are carried out piecemeal by traffic professionals. They are fully qualified to succeed in doing the right management at the right time and in the right place.he specifies.

For certain aspects, the parameters do not depend only on the City. This is the case for photo radars since it is the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility which decides where the devices are installed, following requests from municipalities.

Recently, the City of Montreal decried this way of doing things. Pierre-Luc Lachance also says that the City of Quebec would have liked to have more control on this subject to equip yourself with the best tools as a municipality.

Currently, the government of Quebec has refused the requests from the City of Quebec, so we continue to work to see if we cannot have improvements, because for us, it is important as a municipality that we can manage these equipmentshe maintains.

These are issues that are close to the hearts of City residents, according to the two elected officials who often hear about them. The feeling of security often comes up in neighborhood councils and citizen consultations. People ask us about road safetyremarks Marie-Pierre Boucher.

Victory for residents of Charlesbourg

All these elements were discussed during a press conference to, among other things, mark the installation of a light with a pedestrian crossing at the corner of Boulevard Louis-XIV and the entrance to the Chartwell Trait-Carré residence.

Residents have been asking for it for three years now. The traffic is really heavy, it’s a major route. And then the difficulties for the crossing were obviousillustrates Michel Tanguay, the resident who fought the fight. Many times we would pick up people on walkers in the middle of the street and then traffic would pass on either side.

We got it, the crosspiece, you will be able to see it, it is super functional. We are really happy with the resulthe rejoices.

Councilor Marie-Pierre Boucher gives as an example another case where residents won their case with the installation of a traffic light on Boulevard de l’Ormière opposite the residence of the same name.

Insecurity can be a barrier to deciding to take a walk or to access the shops around your home without having to take the car every time.pleads the advisor. From the moment we walk to the grocery store, we know that this mobility has an impact on long-term health.

In total, 20 new pedestrian lights have been installed by the City over the last three years.

Towards the assessment of the 2020-2024 Strategy

Pierre-Luc Lachance took the opportunity to look back on what the City has been able to do since the announcement of the 2020-2024 Strategy.

He reiterated that Quebec had a good position within the province. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of victims involved in collisions occurring in the territory of Quebec City decreased by 19%, while during this same period, it increased by 16% across the province.relates the advisor.

The number of infraction notices issued in school zones is also decreasing in 2024. However, the leader of the opposition Claude Villeneuve cannot help but wonder why and if it is really because people drive slower.

With the collaboration of Flavie Sauvageau