Traffic calming maybe necessary outside CSL Shopping Centre, says local resident

“Why are there so many accidents in this area?” asks Lori Bellerdine, who sent The Monitor a photo of a car accident that took place around noon on Thurs. Sept. 3 on Côte St. Luc Rd. facing the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre between St. Ignatius and Belmore avenues. “Something should be done to make this area safer for both motorists and pedestrians alike,” she maintains. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident. “I’ve seen quite a few accidents over the years,” says Bellerdine. “Over the years, I’ve found it quite dangerous around here. It’s not the first time that I see a car on the median in that area.” She says she doubts speed was a factor in the accidents, although she suggests that traffic entering and exiting the shopping centre — especially at Belmore Avenue where there is no traffic light — might be causing problems.

Although there already are traffic lights a block east at Coronation and a block west at St. Ignatius, she says, “Maybe they should put a light there,” referring to the Côte St. Luc/Belmore intersection. “Even in the parking lot of the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre it’s very dangerous. Sometimes people don’t respect the signs. “The parking lot is bad, and the entrances and exits.” A painted pedestrian crosswalk at Côte St. Luc and Belmore might also help, she adds. A call placed last week by The Monitor to the Montreal Police Department’s Station 9 in Côte St. Luc for information on the number of road accidents in the area was not answered by deadline.