W. K. Lis
Superstar
Meanwhile in Montréal, from this link:
Plateau to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists
Pedestrians and cyclists aren’t dying on Montreal streets because they’re “careless delinquents.†Nor are drivers “criminals†because they sometimes speed.
The problem: “The number of interactions between cars, cyclist and pedestrians is growing because more and more people on the road are on foot or on bikes,†the mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough said Thursday.
And it’s up to the city and boroughs to keep up with the times by making streets safer for “the most vulnerableâ€â€” pedestrians and cyclists, he said.
“It’s time (for the city and the borough) to take action, street corner by street corner — systematically, massively, quickly.â€
Luc Ferrandez made the comments while unveiling the borough’s ambitious plan to make streets safer for people on foot and bikes by lowering speed limits, securing pedestrian crossings and creating new bike paths.
Densely built and criss-crossed by through traffic, the Plateau has a high proportion of residents for whom walking and cycling is the main mode of transport.
Every year, about 300 pedestrians and cyclists are killed or seriously injured in the borough — five times more than the average for Montreal boroughs, Ferrandez said.
The recent death of cyclist Mathilde Blais in a St-Denis St. underpass after being struck by a tractor-trailer was the final straw, he said. Blais was following the rules of road, he noted.
He said the borough will spend most of the $1 million it saved on snow-clearing this year on the first phase of its road-safety plan. Next year, more will be needed but they will include bigger projects that will require funding from the Montreal agglomeration and the central city.
Ferrandez announced five measures to be implemented over the next two years:
Add more than 20 new kilometres of bike paths
This will double the size of the network in the borough. The new stretches will be a mixture of protected paths and simpler ones involving painted lane markings.
Normally, the central city builds bike paths. But Ferrandez said that slows down the process because the city’s active-transport department outsources the work, causing delays. Under the plan announced Thursday, the borough will do much of the work internally.
The borough said it is still working out details and did not have a complete list of new paths. However, a borough official said paths will go on Hutchison and St-Dominique Sts., as well as on Hôtel-de-ville, Coloniale and Laval Aves. The Laurier Ave. path will be extended.
The borough may also create two “vélorues†(cycle streets). Under the proposal, through car traffic would be completely barred from Mentana and St-André Sts.
The 20 new kilometres are in addition to paths the city plans to build in the borough, including an extension to the Rachel St. path and a new path on des Pins Ave.
Reduce speed limit to 30 km/h on residential streets
The Plateau says it will cut the limit to 30 km/h (from 40 km/h) on all residential streets, as well as on small commercial ones.
How do you get drivers to slow down? Ferrandez said streets will be “redesigned.†The borough will install speed bumps, narrow streets by adding bike lanes and synchronize lights.â€
Reduce speed limit to 40 km/h on arteries
Collisions are more likely to occur on major streets and excessive speed is often the cause, Ferrandez said.
In addition to lowering the speed limit on arteries from 50 km/h, the Plateau will also reduce the width of traffic lanes on some arteries.
On St-Denis St., which will go down to 40 km/h, the borough will widen the space devoted to parked cars. Lanes used by moving traffic will be narrowed.
The configuration will cut the risk that cyclists will be “doored†by drivers emerging from parked cars, Ferrandez said. In addition, he said, narrower lanes will make drivers think twice about contravening the lower speed limit.
For a pedestrian, getting hit by a car moving at 50 km/h is the equivalent of a fall from a four-storey building, he noted.
Make 22 intersections safer for pedestrians
The borough will improve safety at intersections by, for example, making sidewalks wider at some corners, creating pedestrian islands in streets, eliminating driving lanes and barring turns.
Install safety guards on the borough’s heavy trucks
Following the lead of Westmount and the St-Laurent borough, the Plateau will install steel side guards on the sides of its heavy trucks. The guards reduce the risk of pedestrians and cyclists falling under trucks during a crash.
Ferrandez said the borough will also be working with Montreal police to ensure the Plateau’s truck-route regulations are strictly applied.