By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal Police (SPVM) and the Quebec Provincial Police (SQ) forces are calling for vigilance on the road in school zones as we enter the back to school period this fall.

The 2023 “back to school” operation, led by the SPVM, which ran from August 28 to September 22 last year, resulted in 6,246 tickets issued to road users in and around school zones while photo radar surveillance operations, also in school zones, recorded 1,675 infractions.

Lyne, a crosswalk volunteer in the off-island community of Ile-Perrot told The Suburban that despite the heavy police presence at the start of each school year, along with an abundance of speed signs, many drivers and pedestrians ignore traffic regulations. “It’s very disappointing and difficult for me to comprehend why people don’t understand the importance of these regulations,” she explained while speaking in French. “Many of those I see rushing or disregarding the signage are parents who are dropping their kids off at school or daycare.”

SPVM spokesperson Antony Dorelas confirmed to The Suburban that this year’s operations have already begun. “We don’t have the exact statistics at this time as the operation is currently underway. Our hope is that previous operations have sensitized the community and we will see a drop in last year’s numbers of traffic violations.”

In a public statement issued on August 22, the SQ wrote “The presence of school buses, pedestrians, cyclists and crossing guards will inevitably increase (the amount of) traffic on the road network. For prevention purposes, from August 26 to September 6, SQ police officers will intensify their interventions around schools. Road users are urged to be extra careful to ensure a safe return to school for all.”

The Suburban observed over twenty-five speeding infractions in less than fifteen-minutes last Monday morning on a city-installed roadside speedometer across the road from a daycare located between two schools in Ile-Perrot. n