Slow Down! Allion Elementary Unites With LaSalle Schools for Student Safety
by Julie Liebman
Three LaSalle elementary schools have come together for a joint initiative in asking the city to reduce the speed limit to 30km/hour in the school zone.
Michel-André Vallières-Nollet, Chair of the École Grand Héron Governing Board, Valerie Chartrand, Chair of the École Sainte-Geneviève-Sud Governing Board, and Anouk Petit, Chair of the Allion Governing Board came together to try to reduce the speed limit in the zones around their schools.
Their goal is to have the speed limit officially reduced to 30 km/hour.
School zones are extremely busy areas, especially during drop-off and pick-up times with many children going in and out of cars, getting on their bike, crossing the street, and looking for their parents.
Last September, the three school passed a joint resolution asking the City of Lasalle to reduce the speed limit to 30 km. The resolution was presented to mayor, Julie Drolet. Although the change has not come into effect yet, she says that administrative teams are hard at work to put together a deployment strategy that will accommodate drivers, students, and their families.
“Although the limit is currently 40 km/hour,” says Anouk “most people see it as a suggestion and will often go as fast as 50/km hour, and that is just too fast,” she explains.
“This project isn’t finalized yet, but the collaboration it has already inspired among schools, families, the community, and our political partners is truly remarkable. I’m proud to see our neighborhood coming together with such commitment to improve safety and quality of life for everyone,” says Anouk.
Allion Principal, Josie D’adamo, is extremely proud of the progress Anouk and her partners ha\ve made in such a short amount of time.
“On behalf of our Allion school community, heartfelt thanks to Governing Board Chair Anouk Petit for her leadership and dedication in working with the City of LaSalle and neighboring schools to enhance the safety of our students, staff, and families,” she says.
“Student safety comes first in everything we do, and your efforts to lower the speed limit in our school zone show a strong commitment to protecting our children and supporting the community. By putting students and the community first, this change helps create a safer environment where everyone can learn and thrive.”
