Côte Saint-Luc, May 8, 2025 – The City of Côte Saint-Luc has released two crosswalk safety videos—one in French and one in English—to help pedestrians, particularly young people, learn how to cross streets safely and communicate clearly with drivers.
The short animated videos explain three simple steps pedestrians can take at a crosswalk: press the flashing beacon (if available), raise a hand to signal intent to cross, and make eye contact with drivers to ensure they’ve been seen. These techniques are well-known in some parts of Canada, but are not commonly used in Quebec.
The videos are available at the City’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@cotesaintluc.
This initiative is part of Côte Saint-Luc’s larger effort to improve safety on residential streets. Each year, the City distributes Please Slow Down lawn signs to residents who request them. These bright yellow signs serve as a visual reminder for motorists to reduce their speed. To request a lawn sign or to view the crosswalk safety videos, visit cotesaintluc.org/roadsafety.
When requesting a lawn sign, requestors must agree to the following conditions:
“I pledge to drive safely in Côte Saint-Luc reducing my speed and watching out for pedestrians. I understand kids are playing in the street, cyclists use the bike paths, and pedestrians or joggers have the right of way at crosswalks.”
QUOTATIONS
“There’s more to crossing the street than looking both ways. We need to teach and encourage clear communication between drivers and pedestrians—something that’s already standard practice in many other places.” — Mayor Mitchell Brownstein
“In my travels, I notice differences in the way people use crosswalks. For instance, in Alberta, it’s very common to see a pedestrian at a crosswalk point towards the other side of the street and make eye contact with the motorists. We hope our initiative will get the ball rolling in Quebec so that every child is taught how to cross the street or crosswalk safety.” — Councillor Oren Sebag, Council member responsible for Public Safety
“Over the past few years, we’ve improved street lighting, added traffic calming measures such as bumped out sidewalks, and distributed the Please Slow Down signs for people’s lawns. The focus on crosswalk education is a part of our goal of reducing risks on our roadways.” — Councillor Mitch Kujavsky, Council member responsible for Urban Development