At the start of the year, when Transport Minister Laurent Lessard launched a major consultation on road safety, he knew what he was getting into: a process he believed in, but fraught with pitfalls due to the unfinished work of his predecessors, Ministers Poëti and Daoust. Just before his departure, in June 2016, Minister Daoust at least succeeded in putting forward two of the most glaring measures: the introduction of passing distances (1 m and 1.5 m) and increased fines for motorists in cases of impeding traffic.
With last winter's major consultation, the Minister of Transport wanted to go beyond Code reform and open up the discussion to a wider audience, and this prompted an extraordinary level of participation: sessions were held in 11 cities, opinions were received from 150 organizations and 250 citizens, and 7,700 questionnaires were completed online. Of course, a consultation of this kind can generate all kinds of reactions, such as that of the Trucking Association, much of which focused on individual responsibility (particularly that of cyclists) rather than on the importance of creating systemic conditions to ensure safety for all, which is what Vision Zero advocates. Overall, however, it can be said that this consultation mobilized people and demonstrated the extent to which road safety must be seen as a social issue and a priority not only for the Minister of Transport, but for the government as a whole. It also showed the extent to which the safety of cyclists is a matter of concern for many citizens: after distracted driving and drink-driving, it ranks third among the concerns expressed on a list of some twenty themes.
The parliamentary session has just ended, we're a year away from the next election and rumours of a cabinet reshuffle are circulating in Quebec City. In short, conditions that once again place the reform of the Highway Safety Code in a precarious situation. We'll be updating you on this subject in September, but if you see your MP this summer, perhaps on Route verte, tell him or her that road safety and the safety of cyclists and pedestrians should be a government priority, regardless of election cycles!
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
