A ’60s street arrives in 2016

Streets without sidewalks, without streetlights, where it’s dangerous to walk: the suburbs developed in the 60s were designed with cars in mind. Pedestrians risk their lives, as demonstrated by the death of a little girl caught by a car last month in Laval. Little Maeva Duré was killed on her way home from a party at around 9:30 p.m., on a dark street with no sidewalk and snow banks spilling over onto the pavement.

Fortunately, the suburbs are changing. The South Shore town of Sainte-Julie, for example, has begun to transform itself to facilitate walking and cycling, while slowing traffic on its residential streets.

Take for example rue Borduas. Between June and September, a 795-meter stretch of the street will be redeveloped. Students travelling to the Aux quatre vents school and Yves-Saint-Arneault park next door will now be able to walk on a sidewalk or ride in a bicycle path separated from the roadway. There will even be street lamps to make travel safer at dusk.

In short, a typical ’60s street will arrive in 2016. Borduas Street will even become an example of well-thought-out urban planning.

“When we redo arteries that date back to the 60s, we always add sidewalks and streetlights. We create a healthy living environment for families”, says Pierre Bernardin, general manager of Sainte-Julie.

Just about every school zone in the city has been“made safe”. Sidewalk projections, added at street corners, make crossing safer. A plan to encourage active transport has been put in place: there are 42 kilometers of bicycle paths separated from the roadway, explains Pierre Bernardin.