I went to the intersection with several other members of the Association of Pedestrians and Cyclists of NDG to observe pedestrian and cyclist safety at the intersection. Just before our arrival about 7:00 am a collision had occurred between a car and a cyclist.
The cyclists is a doctor and experienced cyclist - he cycles every day to work at a downtown hospital. He was crossing from the 2-way bike path at the north-west corner of the Decarie/de Maisonneuve intersection to the 1-way east-bound bike path on the south-east corner during the traffic light for vehicles turning left from Decarie onto de Maisonneuve.
The Association of Pedestrians and Cyclists of NDG has been asking for some time for the borough to install a 20-second 4-way light to allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross this intersection. The association feels that at this complex and busy intersection, the necessary infrastructure should be in place so pedestrians and cyclists can get through the intersection without risk of personal injury. This means limiting possible collisions between motor vehicles and the vulnerable road users since in all such collisions, the risk to the drivers is at most a dent in their vehicle while the risk to pedestrians and cyclists is personal injury.
Dan Lambert
