Rigaud resident Marie-Lyne Hébert is calling on the MNA for Soulanges, Marilyne Picard, and the Transport Minister, Geneviève Guilbault, to intervene and implement the necessary measures to ensure road safety on rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste Est. 

Last Sunday, while cycling with her son Noam, 7, on the road through downtown Rigaud, Ms. Hébert had the fright of her life when two vehicles almost collided with the young boy.

"The first was a Home Hardware delivery truck. I couldn't tell exactly how fast it was going. I'd like to think it was going at the 50 km/h speed limit. What happened was that we had to go around a parked car. That's when the truck came up beside Noam, without slowing down. With the 'suction' effect created by this type of truck, all it would have taken was a little tug from my son's handlebars and he'd have been hit," explains the mother.

"I went to see the shopkeeper to explain the situation and he was super nice and understanding. Just before I left, he came back to tell us that he'd had a chat with the driver and that he felt really bad about scaring us".

It was a few dozen metres further on that the situation could have had serious consequences.

"Once again, we had to go around a parked car. I reminded Noam to stay on his white line, but as he was close to the car he jerked his handlebars and went off course. At the same time, an SUV passed within two inches of Noam. The woman jerked to a stop, but when she saw that my son was OK, she drove on as if nothing had happened. I was scared to death. I was sure my son would be beaten before my very eyes," adds a still shaken Ms. Hébert.

Marie-Lyne Hébert, who has been involved with the Eco-citizen Squad for several years, says she wants to put the Squad's proposals into practice, but not at the risk of her life. 

"It's certain that by being involved, I want to put into practice what I promote, such as using a bicycle instead of a car whenever possible. I understand that, in a way, I'm putting myself in a bit of danger, but I was really scared."

MTQ called to task

In the wake of the incidents, Marie-Lyne Hébert took to social networking sites to send a cry from the heart to the MTQ and Soulanges MP Marilyne Picard.

"I wanted to call out our MP and the Transport Minister, Geneviève Guilbault, because they're the ones who can make things change, and the name of her ministry says it all, Mobilté durable." 

What you need to know is that rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, like nearly a dozen other roads in the City of Rigaud, belongs to the MTQ. 

"The town wants to make the roads safer, but the MTQ puts a lot of obstacles in the way of the municipal council. Many of the city's initiatives and proposals have been refused by the ministry. It's really frustrating," adds Ms. Hébert.

For several years now, the Town has been making numerous representations to the MTQ for the creation of a crosswalk in front of the CPE Les Tourterelles, but to no avail. Yet every day, parents and CPE employees put themselves in danger by trying to cross rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste. 

"There's a crosswalk at the intersection of rue Jacqueline and rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, but pedestrian priority is almost never respected. It's a recurring and often-reported problem, but the City's hands are tied, as it's a street that belongs to the MTQ," deplores Ms. Hébert. 

It should also be remembered that recently, a bicycle path project on Chemin Saint-François, a road belonging to the MTQ, was refused by the government body because of its dimensions and configuration.

"By refusing projects like this one, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable is putting the brakes on everything that would be beneficial for our community, and especially on the possibility of putting more sustainable mobility actions into practice," concludes the mother.

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