As part of the 45-day campaign, around 130 signs have been erected in front of 25 elementary schools all over the borough. Their purpose is to remind drivers to slow down in school zones where the speed limit drops to 30 kilometres an hour.

"Traffic safety in our borough is a constant concern," Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum said during an official unveiling last week in front of École Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in NDG.

He said the borough has taken a variety of steps in recent years to make the streets safer. "Now we are continuing with the campaign." The borough may be extending the safety campaign in the future to better protect its parks and playgrounds.

The campaign makes use mostly of posters, but also of a smaller number of 4' by 8' signs erected on strategic arteries where there are elementary schools. At the same time, the borough has launched an art contest to have elementary school students design a slogan and a visual for next year's campaign. The borough is also counting on support from the police department.

From now until Sept. 25, traffic officers from neighbourhood stations 11 and 26 will be posted near local schools to ensure that drivers respect the speed limit. Socio-community officers from the two stations are also taking an awareness and education campaign to students at the schools, to provide information on safety issues, such as the safe way to cross the street and safety on school buses.

André Lavallée, the Montreal executive committee member responsible for transportation, and mayor of the Borough of Rosemont-La Petite Patrie where the safety campaign originated, noted that a car travelling at 50 km/h needs 45 more feet stopping distance than a car doing 30 km/h. After launching their campaign last year, Rosemont-La Petite Patrie officials reported a significant increase in traffic safety and a decline in accidents.

"People often have the wrong impression that doing 50 km/h in a 30km/h zone isn't serious, that it's just a minor infraction," he said. However, the probability of a pedestrian being killed after being struck at 30 km/h is 10 per cent. The percentage rises to 80 per cent at 50 km/h.

"More than ever, we have to act together to improve drivers' behaviour on our streets, in our neighbourhoods, and improve day-to-day safety for all our fellow citizens," he added. "I am very happy that the CDN-NDG borough is launching its own traffic safety campaign and that we were able to inspire them with ours."

Despite all this, some observers in the community are critical of the borough's traffic safety efforts. Melrose Avenue resident Peter McQueen, whose daughter is in grade 3 at École Notre Dame de Grâce, notes that the speed limit on Girouard Avenue just outside the school remains 50 km/h, although it is 30 km/h on NDG Avenue. However, even on NDG Avenue, the school zone speed limit soon reverts to 50 km/h, even though a large children's daycare centre is located just beyond the zone's limit.