The borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie is moving forward with an ambitious plan to reduce vehicle traffic around schools and improve safety for students.
Mayor François Limoges unveiled the borough’s Quartiers-écoles program on Wednesday, a multi-year initiative that aims to limit car traffic in more than a dozen school zones by 2029.
“Making school areas safer and more enjoyable is one of the top priorities of our mandate. The Neighbourhood Schools program makes this commitment a reality. Our objective is clear: to appease more than a dozen school centres by 2029. ” said Limoges.
The first phase of the project will begin this year, with significant changes planned in three areas of the borough.
Near La Petite-Patrie Elementary School, Drolet Street will be converted into a one-way street heading south. The direction of traffic on Henri-Julien Avenue will also be reversed, with vehicles travelling north between Mozart Avenue and de Bellechasse Street.
Further east, Holt Street and Dandurand Street will become one-way streets between D’Iberville Street and Pie-IX Boulevard. Borough officials say the changes are designed to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety around Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf, Sainte-Bibiane and Saint-François-Solano schools.
“We would like to emphasize the borough’s willingness to listen to the needs expressed by the CSSDM and parents. This joint work will contribute directly to the safety of the students of the two schools who attend this sector on a daily basis. We are committed to continuing this collaboration in the future, for the benefit of our school communities,” said Jean Ouimet, Assistant Director General of the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM).
Additional modifications are planned near Rose-des-Vents and Louis-Hébert schools, where 5th Avenue, 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue will be reconfigured to create safer environments for students and families.
According to Limoges, similar traffic-calming measures will be implemented around every school in the borough within the next three years.
As part of the initiative, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie has also launched an online consultation platform where residents can identify areas they believe should be prioritized for future improvements.
The Quartiers-écoles program is aimed at reducing through traffic, encouraging active transportation and creating safer routes for children travelling to and from school.
