Local cops crack down on speeders

Following two serious accidents in the space of two weeks, local police are teaming up with Dollard des Ormeaux to crack down on speeding in the West Island municipality.

"The objective is to really sensitize and mobilize the local population," explained Pierre Brochet, assistant-director to Montreal Police's west region community services during a press conference near Station 4, which covers Dollard, Wednesday afternoon.

Brochet added he and Station 4 commander Pierre Gauvin have been closely co-ordinating with both the officers at the station as well as the approximately 30 officers in charge of road safety in the west region, which extends from the borough of St. Laurent to Ste. Anne de Bellevue at the tip of Montreal Island.

"It's to reduce the number of accidents that police officers from my station will have a prevention and repression campaign," Gauvin said.

A fatal accident occurred on the corner of Roger Pilon and Sources Boulevard two weeks ago when Roxboro resident Dragica Meleck was hit by a truck whilst crossing the street.

And three days ago, two school buses and three vehicles were involved in an accident on the corner of Sources Boulevard and Belcourt after a car headed north stopped at newly installed, non-functional traffic lights, creating a chain reaction.

"We can't certify that it's because of the traffic lights but it looks like the accident may have been linked to that," Gauvin told The Chronicle on Wednesday.

Brochet added he had met with Dollard Mayor Ed Janiszewski earlier that morning. "He didn’t seem to be too happy that those lights weren't up and running yet," Brochet said.

In November, Janiszewski had told The Chronicle the lights in question should be up and running within six to seven weeks.

"The delay is due to external partners to the city. There was a problem with connecting it to the system with Hydro Quebec," said Gauvin.

Two small signs on each side of Sources Boulevard indicate the traffic lights will only be functional as of June 9th.

Gerald Lauzon, head of municipal patrol in Dollard, also mentioned the lights are turned downward. "That should give an indication that they're not functional," he said.

However, following the accident, Gauvin said the city may decide to wrap the lights in sacks in order to indicate that they are not working.

After the accident Tuesday evening, police media relations would only admit there were two school buses involved in the crash, and maintained the causes were unknown. "One can imagine one of the bus drivers must have been distracted and rammed into the other bus," officer Yannick Ouimet had said.

Twenty-three were hospitalized following the accident, mostly students from Ecole Secondaire Dorval Jean XXIII, as well as one of the bus drivers.

However, all students were let out of the hospital on the next day, according to Brigitte Gauvrau, a spokesperson for the Marguerite Bourgeoys school board. "And about half of them were back in school today," she told The Chronicle on Thursday.

Naissa Watche, a resident of Roxboro who had been one of those sent to St. Justine Hospital on Tuesday, said she returned to school the next day. "I only had a minor bump on the head," she said, but she had been worried immediately after the accident. Watche added most students who had hopped on ambulances Tuesday were already back in school safe and sound by Thursday.

Dollard officials did not return repeated telephone calls for comment for this story.