Some people are trying to call attention to what they say is a very dangerous stretch of Hochelaga Street – and they did it by blocking traffic in the area at the height of the rush hour.
The group, which was organized on Facebook, narrowed then blocked a lane of d'Iberville Street at Hochelaga Street on Friday afternoon.
Their main complaint is that d'Iberville has become a de facto on-ramp for drivers and even truckers heading onto Notre-Dame Street, a major artery connecting eastern Montreal traffic to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Ville-Marie tunnel.
The protesters say that people drive down d'Iberville at virtually any speed, and that the situation is unsafe.
"Pedestrians barely have time to cross. More often than not they have to run just to not get killed," said Jean Poulin.
A pedestrian died in July when he was struck by a car at the intersection; the group dedicated the event to him.
Another pedestrian was struck at the same intersection in March of last year and survived to talk about it.
"It all happened very quickly, really. It was a green light for me. I did not see the car, I just felt the impact from behind, and it put me on the ground, in the snow, and it was incredibly scary," said Ben Abdallah-Bernstein
On the island of Montreal, there have been 15 pedestrians killed in vehicle accidents so far this year. In all of last year there were 18, according to Montreal police.
The group is calling to lower the speed limit to 30 kilomtres per hour, down from 50, two-way traffic on the street and the installation of speed bumps to fix the situation.
