Montreal promotes road safety with new ad campaign

Mayor Denis Coderrehas unveiled a new advertising campaign aimed at encouragingimproved awareness amongstdrivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The $100,000 campaign includes radio advertisements, billboards in bus shelters and a video designed to be shared on social media.

"The more you raise awareness, the more you understand that you're not alone on the street," Coderresaid at a news conference Monday.

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The campaign plays off the city's "Vision Zero" policy which aims to reduce the number of deadly road accidents through a series of measures announced last fall.

It is expected to roll out in densely populated boroughs, such asRosemontLa Petite-Patrie, Plateau-Mont-RoyalandVille-Mariein mid-September.

The plan borrows fromproposals put forward earlier bythe oppositionProjet Montral, which has been pushing for the Coderre administration to make cycling safer.

A spokesperson for theMontreal Bike Coalition said the organizationtook issue with the word "accident" in the advertisements.

"We maintain there are no accidents," Geoffrey Bush said. "It's really collisions. And because there's normally someone at fault, either faulty infrastructure that would be on the shoulders of the city."

But groups that tend to disagree on howto share the road are all on board with the campaign.

"We're all there to share the solutions and the reality of sharing the streets of Montreal," saidMarcCadieuxof the Quebec Trucking Association.

The City of Montrealhas yet to say howit will deal with big trucks on the island.

DenisCoderresaidthat would happen at the next council meeting.

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