We all agree. Better sharing of roads and streets inevitably requires greater respect between different users. And greater respect for the rules. All this has to be taught, and the sooner the better! That's the principle that several European countries have been applying for a long time: teach road safety principles at school and in real-life situations, so that children are well prepared, whether they're on foot, on a bike or, later, behind the wheel of a Communauto!
Tested three years ago and launched in earnest last year, the Cycliste averti is offered by Vélo Québec and its partners to children in grades 5 and 6. It enables budding cyclists to familiarize themselves with the rules of the road and learn how to behave on the road. The program is developed with the essential and invaluable support of class teachers and physical education specialists, and includes learning the rules of the road in the classroom, six hours' practice on a closed circuit bike, an outing on the local streets and then a practical test on the bike, also on the streets. A total of fifteen hours' training.
This year, Cycliste averti is being rolled out on the island of Montreal, in Mauricie, in Lanaudière, in Quebec City and in Montérégie, in some 50 classes, reaching some 1,000 students. The program is a mega-success, and demand is greater than our financial capacity to distribute it. Thanks to the contribution of partners who believe in this approach*, Cycliste averti has gone from pilot project to full-fledged program. It is recognized by municipalities, a growing number of school boards and road safety stakeholders, but its deployment remains modest. In fact, from a perspective of healthy lifestyle education, health prevention and promotion of physical activity in daily life, Cycliste averti deserves much more: it should be targeted at all Quebec elementary school.
At a time when the Quebec government is investing to increase physical activity among young people, this program is, in our opinion, perfectly in tune with the objectives of the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport and all the issues surrounding safety on Quebec roads. Few programs address so many issues related to children's well-being - and, by the same token, tomorrow's society - and that's why we hope that the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport will encourage its wider implementation.
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
