From the first week back to school, crossing guard Susan Begon almost got hit by a car
“I felt the air between my legs and this car,” she says. I backed up very quickly and that’s where I hit. You took the wrong step to save my life. “
Mrs. Begon is now on sick leave.
Brigadier General Susan Begon is out of business. She was injured after dodging a car that threatened to hit her during the first week of school.
Photo: Radio Canada/Martin Chabot
Susan Pelletier, president of the guild and transit union in the city of Ville-de-Trois-Rivieres, often witnesses dangerous behavior among motorists. “There is a lot of traffic and people are not very respectful when it comes to speed,” she laments.
People regularly drive between 50 and 55 km/h in the 30 km/h area.
No more police surveillance
34 tickets have been delivered to the school district since the start of the school year at the end of August.
Trois-Rivieres public relations sergeant, Luc Mongrain, ensures that patrols patrol school districts all year round.
“We are very advocating for awareness because we have to understand that we have to deal with the existing police force,” he explains. The police officer must decide whether to go there by raising awareness or issuing a report. “
However, for Suzanne Pelletier, the police presence is not enough. They come to raise awareness, and then we no longer see them the police. We could be two or three months without seeing a cop in our corner. “
Difficult recruitment
Brigade recruitment is also a problem in Trois-Rivieres, where there are 52 centers in the brigade. Police officers must accompany children to cross when there are no crossing guards available.
But Radio Canada noted that the patrol stationed at the corner of Côte Richelieu and Belleville Street, a particularly busy artery, did not arrive until after classes ended on Tuesday. So the kids had to venture out there on their own.
Trois-Rivieres police have admitted that their patrols sometimes arrive late. “When this assignment is given, the patrol guard must surrender [sur place] quickly. However, it just so happens that we got to know it at the last minute, says its spokesperson, Luc Mongrain.
The CNESS It states that cities are responsible for regularly conducting risk analysis in school districts and making necessary adjustments.
With information from Marie-Yves Trudel