Several new steps have been taken to make school zones safer
With school starting in just a few days, the Quebec government released its new road safety plan on Tuesday morning. The goal is to cut down on accidents, especially in school zones.
The plan is made up of 27 measures that will be put into place over the next five years. Some of these measures are stricter fines for crimes against pedestrians and cyclists, slower speeds in school zones, and more photo radars.
The $180 million plan was announced by Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and Education Minister Bernard Drainville. The plan’s main goal is to make school zones safer.
In almost all school zones in Quebec, the government wants to lower the speed limit to 30 km/h for more hours of the day and improve the signs. At the moment, the speed limit in most school zones in the province is 30 km/h, but there are a few where drivers can go up to 50 km/h.
It will also invest an extra $68 million, for a total of $140 million, so that cities and towns can do their own projects to make walking and biking safer.
More photo radars will also be put in place, especially near schools and construction sites, to stop dangerous behavior.
Fines and demerit points will also go up for some offenses, especially those that hurt “vulnerable road users,” like pedestrians and road workers.
Guilbault said in a statement, “We’re going to make it safer for our kids to get to school and for our workers to get to work sites.”
“We’re going to give cities and towns more tools to fix their road networks, especially around schools.”
The government’s plan also includes setting up training on how to be a good driver. This includes launching a major road safety campaign and reviewing the content of driving courses on an ongoing basis.