During a meet-the-councillors evening held on Wednesday by the NDG Community Council at Wesley United Church, McQueen, the sole member of the Projet Montréal opposition on the borough council, responded to a woman who has been trying unsuccessfully to have an additional crosswalk put in on Somerled Avenue near Royal Vale School.
McQueen suggested that the borough council should consider taking drastic action with some of its employees who deal with traffic management in a way that clearly favours the flow of cars over the safety of pedestrians. Applebaum reacted strongly against the idea.
“This issue of traffic calming in NDG, in my district, is one issue where unfortunately I cannot report that there has been any progress,” said McQueen, adding that he was “not optimistic” there would soon be any improvement under the current administration.
“One of the problems I feel I’m facing is not just that I think my party attributes a greater importance to this, and that’s one ongoing discussion in negotiation. I also feel that the fonctionnaires, the borough civil servants who unfortunately are in charge of traffic, are reticent to change anything. Their idea, you know, of the signalisation on our streets is how quickly it moves cars.
“When they look at their numbers or their charts or their systems or their norms and other technical data which is at the very core of what they do, it’s all geared to volumes of traffic flow per hour for different kinds of roads. And I think that one of the problems in NDG, my part of NDG, eastern NDG, is that there’s a great demand politically from the residents.”
McQueen said, the borough’s bureaucrats “are behind and it’s going to take pushing, I mean to the point of possibly a change in who the fonctionnaires are.” He said that in the Borough of Plateau-Mont Royal, where Projet Montréal has all the borough council seats, “there has been some talk of actually letting go of some traffic planning fonctionnaires. I don’t know if they finally did, but that’s how far they had to go to get the changes they were looking for.”
While insisting he respected McQueen’s viewpoint, Applebaum criticized him and dismissed the notion that some residents might take matters into their hands by implementing their own traffic control measures. “It would be ridiculous for an individual to go paint a sign or go put up a stop sign themselves, or that a councillor proposes to remove the expertise that we have,” Applebaum said.
“It’s like saying we’re going to build a building, but we’re not going to have engineers and architects do it.” Although Applebaum promised to get an opinion from the traffic planning experts, he told the woman, “I’m not sure you’re going to be happy with the response … We’re not going to put (a new crosswalk) in just because citizens say ‘I want it.’ We’re going to make sure that it’s done properly and safely and secure and signed by an engineer who says that, yes, it respects the codes.”
CDN-NDG should ‘change’ unwilling traffic planners: McQueen
CDN-NDG should ‘change’ unwilling traffic planners: McQueen
-
Published on
January 22, 2010
- Published on February 6, 2010
-
Martin C.
Côte des Neiges-NDG Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum lashed out at NDG councillor Peter McQueen at a public meeting earlier this week, over the correct way to deal with borough bureaucrats who don’t live up to the expectations of residents seeking traffic calming measures in their neighbourhood.
- Rate
- Top of the page
Comments
-
- Bill Theodore
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
As more and more families drift away from Montreal to suburbs, NDG is one of the few family friendly areas left. Those who are lucky enough to live here see more and more cars using our streets as thoroughfares. We're hemmed in by Montreal West, Hampstead and Westmount, all boroughs that are very careful with their pedestrians' safety and enforce traffic calming measures. We need to step up to the plate and take care of our pedestrians. It's the pedestrian traffic that makes Monkland and Sherbrooke such a lovely area to walk and shop. Traffic flow has to be modified so that NDG stays healthy, vibrant and a good place for families. Good on you Peter McQueen and citizens who realize there's more to pedestrian safety than to "stop, look and listen"
-
- Anonymous
- - February 10, 2010 at 11:46:28
Madame Mastromonaco, I am fully aware that you supported and continue to support Mr. Applebaum. I have never heard you speak out or make demands for speed bumps in our community. I am especially shocked by your inaction when I consider that you live very close to the areas where these accidents occurred in the Loyola district, and that (of all things!) you're a school commissioner looking after the needs of our children. We as pedestrians need to be much better protected than drivers, recalling that they are behind thousands of pounds of potentially deadly metal. I watched in almost slow motion as my son was hit and fell on top of the hood of this man's car---with a look of disbelief on his face that this was happening. In a moment I was able to think "is it going to hit his spine? Please don't let it...please". Only minutes before, a hard and heavy rain started, and a soccer game was letting out from the nearby field. A group of francophone soccer mom's saw what happened and rushed to help me as I laid down my son in the grass, while the rain beat hard. I will never forget their kindness. You speak of everyone respecting each other. We were on our way to the Benny Library madame, not even J-walking or running into traffic! My wife still cries over this, wanting the phone number of that man so that he could be brought before my son and apologize. For months after his accident he refused to go out on rainy days. And now we have to worry about his surgery. These accidents have repercussions that last for years! You have the ear of Mr. Applebaum, Ms. Mastronomaco. Make him stop this madness and introduce speed bumps throughout our neighbourhood, reduce speed limits, whatever it takes! And stop this debacle of allowing drivers to ignore the cross-walk at Somerled and Madison----near the non-enforcing Police station 11 ! I agree with McQueen. Borough employees seem to be looking out for the car drivers----and not our children. There's no excuse. Stop trying to defend Mr. Applebaum below. Now that he has fresh new power, MAKE HIM MOVE!!!
-
- Anonymous
- - February 10, 2010 at 11:46:28
More disregard for our children's safety by Mr. Applebaum. One child died near my house due to a car racing on above the speed limit. My own son had his leg broken in 2008 by a driver at the intersection of Terrebonne and Benny while we crossed calmly and normally. He now has a deformity that will require surgery at a later time. The Driver started at high speed while he was turning west, northbound on Benny and was clearly in such a rush as to not even notice my son as it rained! These people think they own the road and have grown accustomed to driving at dangerous speeds. I no longer assume that cars will stop at the cross walk on Somerled, corner Madison---despite being a police station. And I have seen Mr. Applebaum turn red at the mere mention of traffic calming. I hold him responsible for all accidents involving children in NDG by refusing to take this issue head on.
-
- Marie-José Mastromonaco
- - February 10, 2010 at 11:46:27
If the parent that signs anonymous wants to contact me or any citizens, it will be a pleasure to talk with you. I am not for or against any elected representatives in the borough, I am am for good commun sense. mastromonacomj@csdm.qc.ca 514 596-7541
-
- Marie-José Mastromonaco
- - February 10, 2010 at 11:46:25
To the parent that signs anonymous, my heart goes out to you and I wish your son a complete recovery. For being in contact with children every day and also listening to parents that are worry about the safety of children I take very seriously that matter. For that reason, many measures have been implemented to reduce the speed and control the traffic. Also the PDQ 11 with their agent sociocommunautaire and the community organization Prevention NDG and the teachers do talk to our children in school, so they learn how to act and react while walking or biking in the streets of NDG. Just to name a few measures, where parents, principals of schools and me, have work with the borough and the PDQ 11 to find solution. The marking on Somerled street in front of Marc-Favreau school and Girouard street in front of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce school, reducing the width of the street. The interdiction of turning left on Notre-Dame-de-Grâce coming north on Girouard. The interdiction of turning left on Royal coming on Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The “no parking” zones on the intersections of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Street. The “corridors scolaire” in the borough and many other measures have also been put in place. There is still work to do, to secure our children on the streets of NDG and by working with the elected representatives and professional of the borough we will be able to make the street even safer. But as long as collectively our society does not become more respectful of others and that we do not show more civility to others, the speed limit could be reduce everywhere at 30km, speed bump could be install in between every intersection and polices could gives out more tickets. Accidents could still happen and life will still forever be change. The answer is in every one of us, but we need to all do it and live it!
-
- Anonymous
- - February 10, 2010 at 11:46:24
This guy McQueen is completely out to lunch. I'm totally embarrassed to have him as my councillor. (I have to reply "anonymous" because of my job in media, not because I want to)
