Montreal East mayor takes steps to protect pedestrians waiting in bus shelters

Concrete blocks have been popping up in front of bus shelters in Montreal East over the last few weeks — a move that was inspired by a young woman's brush with death last year.

She was standing in a bus shelter when a car slammed into it, shattering the glass. She escaped with minor leg injuries.

That young woman happened to be the daughter of Robert Coutu, the mayor of Montreal East. After what happened, he decided to take action.

"I know that happened to my my daughter, but if it would happen to anybody else, I would do the same," Coutu told CBC Montreal's Daybreak Tuesday.

A committee was formed to look for proactive ways to protect citizens, he said, rather than submitting a request and waiting for Montreal's public transit agency to address the issue.

"The bus shelters are very nice, but they are not well protected," Coutu said. 

A total of eight blocks, which cost about $400 a piece, were installed along Notre-Dame East and Sherbrooke East streets as part of a pilot project. He said citizens are happy with the blocks and they feel more secure.

It's a project, he said, that should be implemented at other bus shelters on busy roads where there are a lot of collisions.

"We really hope that many cities will try the same," he said. "It doesn't really cost a lot."

After her experience, Coutu said his daughter wants people to be aware that bus shelters aren't as safe as they seem.

There have been reports of vehicles slamming into bus shelters across the country, including one in British Columbia where a mother of four was killed in March.

Given the level of protection the cement blocks provide, Coutu said, "It's really worth it."