Why are pedestrian deaths on the rise in Montreal?

Since the beginning of the year, 14 pedestrians have been struck and killed by vehicles in Montreal.

That's three more pedestrian fatalities than this time last year, and it'shigher than any year-to-date statistic of pedestrian fatalitiesin the city in recorded history.

In the last four days alone, five pedestrians have been hit by vehicles. The latest,an 87-year-old woman, died after she was struck by a car Monday evening in the borough of Saint-Laurent.

That fatality came just one day after a55-year-old man died. Hewas struck Sunday eveningatthe corner ofRen-Lvesque Boulevard and Jeanne-ManceStreet.

The numberof pedestrians hit has been trending upward steadily over the past three years. By Sept. 11, 2015, seven people had died. In 2016, that figure was eight.

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Montreal police spokesperson Insp. Andr Durocher speculates that the rise is due tocellphone use. He says the distraction screens have created for drivers and pedestrians alike could wellaccount for the collisions.

However, Durocher did not say whether any of the recent collisions are known to have beenrelated to cellphone use.

Griffin Payne lives in Montreal's NDG neighbourhood and says he's narrowly avoided being hit by a car around a dozen times in the last few years.

In his experience, drivers aren't respecting the traffic lights.

"The amount of construction, the level of frustration and agitationon the part of drivers...leads people to make riskier choices," he said.

A CBCanalysis of cases of pedestrians struck this year in Montreal shows at least five of the 14 fatal cases involved heavy trucks as they were making turns,and many occurred on major arterieseast and north of the downtown core.

It alsofound a majority of the pedestrianswho died were more than 55 years old, echoing a trend seen inprevious years.

CAA-Qubec compiled statistics from 2011 to 2015, and found seniors made up 55.6 per cent of all pedestrian deaths in the province.

People aged 65orolder are "the hardest hit group, contrary to what you might think would be texting-distracted teenagers," said CAA on itswebsite.

Another police spokesperson, Cmdr. Sylvain Dubois, who specializes in road safety, said in past years, the responsibility for the collisions was generally shared between drivers and pedestrians. So far this year, he said, it appears motorists are more often to blame.

Change in attitude needed, researcher says

Nicolas Saunier is an engineer researching mobility at the Universit de Montral'scole Polytechnique.

Sauniersaid the higher number of collisions and deaths could be attributed to an increase in road users vehicles, as well as people walking and biking.

He says there's always more the city can do, but first and foremost, there needs to be a change in drivers' attitudes toward pedestrians.

"Compared to the rest of the country, we know we don't have the same level of respect from motorists," he told Radio-Canada.

The city's Vision Zero policy, adopted two years ago,has a goal of reducingthe number of deadly road accidents. Itincludes measures to decrease the speed of vehicles travelling through the city and to limit where and when heavytrucks are allowed to travel.

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Saulnier said more could be done, such as making streets narrower and creating more streets that prioritize pedestrians.

"We can't just encourage good behaviour without discouraging the purchase of cars," Sauniersaid, noting that bigger vehicles like SUVs are increasing in popularity. He suggestedraising taxes on gas and on the vehiclesthemselves.

He said the increase in construction sites in the city also "creates problems, with detours which aren't always adequate."

Residents in several of the cityboroughs where deadly accidents occurredhave complained of heavy trucks taking detours onto streets where there are fewertraffic lights due to construction work.

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Public consultation to explore solutions

The Montreal police service'sannual fall campaign to raise awareness about road safety started today. As well, the City of Montreal is holding a public consultation on road safety Sept. 24.

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It plans to ask residents how they think pedestrians and cyclists could be better protected. MayorValriePlantehas said she hopes creative solutions will come of the consultation.