About 1,400 pedestrians have been caught in Ville-Marie over 10 years

The hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl on Tuesday is the site of the most pedestrian collisions in the past decade.

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According to data from the City of Montreal, between 2012 and 2021 there were 1,390 collisions involving pedestrians in the borough of Ville-Marie.

Of these, 17 people died and 85 people were seriously injured.

Next on this sad list are Villere-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension (1028 collisions) and Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace (1023), two of Montreal’s most populous boroughs.

“Ville-Marie was a district that filled and emptied every morning and every evening,” recalls Sophie Mouzerol, transportation manager in the Plante administration.

Before her party came to power in 2017, she said, there were few measures to reduce traffic in central Montreal.

“We put in curb assessments, speed bumps, but we listen to people today and we know we have to do more,” said the man, who is a municipal councilor in Ville-Marie.

The borough contains the city center, but also one of the most important gateways to the island, the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Shock treatment

Another pedestrian died in this area last May. A 34-year-old man was hit by a tank truck driver at the corner of Maisonneuve and de Lorimier streets.

“We are in shock treatment [dans ce secteur], assured Mrs. Mouzerol. We’ve put up seven speed bumps in the last few weeks, banning people on the right-hand side to keep them on arterial streets. »

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people were forced to work from home, the number of pedestrian collisions in Ville-Marie almost halved.

After eight years of more than 130 collisions a year, the number dropped to around 75 in 2020 and 2021.

But the year 2022 will be back to normal, sadly.

“It’s a disaster. We’re going back to pre-pandemic statistics,” Ms. Mouzerol said.

She opined that the number of cars is increasing, which will increase the traffic.

“Our streets are saturated, she ruled. The city has a responsibility, but all road users must be alert and attentive. »