Montréal, January 11, 2023 - Faced with the absence of a government road safety strategy in Quebec, a dozen representatives of civil society are calling on the government and Premier of Quebec to adopt such a strategy without delay. In the face of public outrage following the pedestrian fatalities that occurred before the holiday season, Quebec can no longer afford to continue ignoring the problem.
«Pedestrian deaths are preventable. They are the result of our inertia and our collective lack of responsibility for road safety», says Sandrine Cabana-Degani, General Manager, Piétons Québec. «Let's not wait for more deaths before taking action. Only the implementation of a government road safety strategy based on the internationally recognized vision of zero serious and fatal collisions will prevent such tragedies in the next 10 to 15 years.
Remember that in its Sustainable Mobility Policy adopted in 2018, the Quebec government committed to implementing such a strategy based on the zero serious or fatal collision vision approach. However, almost 5 years later, the strategy is still not being implemented.
«We know what to do to prevent these violent deaths. We need strong national leadership and concerted action by all public decision-makers at the heart of road safety prevention to reduce risks at source and save lives!», adds Marie-Soleil Cloutier, Professor and Director of the Centre Urbanisation Culture Société at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), as well as Director of the Laboratoire Piétons et Espace urbain and road safety expert..
«The adoption of a government strategy will ensure the coordination of players, funding and effective implementation of actions to make our living environments safer. We've been calling for this for years, and we need to act now. The empirical evidence is clear: it's by reducing the quantity and speed of motorized traffic that we can protect pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planning and sustainable mobility infrastructures are at the heart of the solutions! Christian Savard, General Manager, Vivre en Ville.
Over the past 5 years, more than 1,732 people have lost their lives on our roads.[1]. With the adoption of a Vision Zero road safety strategy, Sweden has succeeded in reducing its road fatality rate to 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. With a similar rate, over the past 5 years, 745 deaths could have been avoided in Quebec, i.e. 149 lives saved per year.[2]. In 2021 alone, 174 deaths could have been avoided, i.e. half the year's total.
Among pedestrians, the most vulnerable road users, there have been 27,000 injuries and 650 deaths in the last 10 years.
More specifically, the organizations are calling for a government strategy to put in place:
- Coordination: a forum for bringing together the various players at the heart of road safety prevention (notably the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable, the Ministère des Affaires municipales, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, police services and municipalities) to implement actions aimed at ensuring safe speeds, safe streets, safe behavior and safe vehicles.
- Development: a review of road network development standards to ensure that they are better adapted to urban environments, and that they promote behaviors and speeds that are compatible with the safe cohabitation of road users, as well as safe, user-friendly active travel.
- Culture: a change of culture that prioritizes the safety of all users, especially vulnerable ones.
- Funding: investments to secure the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable's network within urban perimeters, and to support municipalities in the deployment of infrastructure designed to ease traffic congestion and make active travel safer.
- Framing: a revision of the Highway Safety Code (HSC) and enforcement of the HSC by police forces to promote safe behavior, particularly targeting the most dangerous offenses for vulnerable users, such as speeding in residential areas or failure to respect pedestrian priority, in line with the precautionary principle enshrined in the latest update of the Highway Safety Code.
Partners who support the call for a national road safety strategy:
«At CAA-Quebec, we know that daily mobility is experienced in different ways, and that adopting a national strategy will improve road safety for everyone, whether pedestrians, cyclists or motorists. We believe that building safer roads, evolving our laws and regulations, applying them with discernment and, finally, acting on education and awareness, are the foundations on which to build a global strategy inspired by Vision Zero. We are ready to contribute, because road safety is at the heart of our commitment to society and to the work of the CAA-Quebec Foundation.» - Sophie Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Road Safety, CAA-Quebec
«Making cycling infrastructure safer and investing in it has been a winning strategy for cyclists. Witness the steady decline in the number of cyclists among road fatalities over the past twenty years. Now it's time to apply this strategy to pedestrians, who are paying the price for our road system based on automobile fluidity.» - Jean-François Rheault, President and CEO, Vélo Québec
«Parents are very concerned about road safety around schools. The issues are well known: we need to stop passing the buck and take action. It's a shared responsibility: let's slow down around schools and get inspired by best practices to protect our children!» - Kévin Roy, President of the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec
«Year after year, nearly 50 % of pedestrian fatalities are aged 65 and over, while they make up 19 % of the Quebec population. The over-representation of seniors in this sad toll is worrying, and concrete measures must be put in place to better protect them, including infrastructures adapted to their needs» -. Gisèle Tassé-Goodman, President, Réseau FADOQ
«Making pedestrian travel safer also means offering all public transport users a safer, more user-friendly experience, since they are all pedestrians for part of their journey. Ensuring safe travel to transit stops and stations encourages their use. What's more, increased use of public transit becomes a road safety measure in itself, by reducing the number of vehicles on our roads.» - Sarah V. Doyon, General Manager, Trajectoire Québec
«It's imperative to make walking safer throughout our neighborhoods, with priority given to the vicinity of schools, daycares and other places frequented by more vulnerable pedestrians. In its Politique nationale de l'architecture et de l'aménagement du territoire, the government has also recognized the need to make our streets safer and more user-friendly for active travel. The deaths of the last few weeks demonstrate the enormous amount of work ahead of us to make this vision a reality. We need strong action and mobilization at all levels to transform our living environments; the Quebec government must assume a leadership role and implement a comprehensive strategy.» - Sylvain Gariépy, President, Ordre des urbanistes du Québec
«Whether it's installing wide, comfortable and safe sidewalks, reducing the number and size of cars on our roads, or implementing features like curb extensions, refuge islands and speed bumps, one thing is certain: the solutions to pedestrian safety are known. What we need is strong government leadership, adequate funding and concerted action to put them in place!» - Marie-Soleil Gagné, General Manager, Accès transports viables
«Citizens in communities across Quebec and of all ages are voicing their concerns and demands for action in favour of safe living environments and facilities for pedestrians. Collectively, we need to say ‘enough is enough’. Actions must no longer be piecemeal, and a genuine road safety strategy with consistent and concerted means of implementation must see the light of day now.» - Véronique Fournier, General Manager, Montréal Urban Ecology Centre
«In the context of road safety and climate emergency, the absence of a national road safety strategy to protect the most vulnerable road users is alarming. What kind of future do we have in store for our children when we're afraid to send them to the park or to school alone on foot? Without a major overhaul, without a consistent strategy, we're preparing a future for them marked by sedentary lifestyles, car dependency and climate failure.» - Emmanuel Rondia, General Manager, Conseil régional de l'environnement de Montréal.
Click here to consult the data sheet.
[1] SAAQ road reports 2017-2021
[2] Calculations based on official Swedish data:
