The words “slow down” and “danger” often appear in red these days on the two speed cameras located along Route 105 in Chelsea.
According to the citizens of this Outaouais municipality, this reflects an increasingly heavy trend on this section located between Old Chelsea Road and the Alonzo-Wright Bridge. They are now asking the Quebec government to reduce the speed limit at this location to 50 km/h.
Currently, motorists can drive up to 70 km/h without being caught by the police.
At 70 km/h, it really feels like 90 km/h. It’s too dangerous to walk or ride a bike, says Matt McKechnie, who strongly suggests his 17-year-old daughter ride her bike there at night.
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One of the educational radars located along Route 105 in Chelsea.
Photo: Radio-Canada screenshot
He is not the only parent who fears for the safety of his children. According to them, children have to take the bus near this road to get to school.
This is one of the many reasons why Nathalie Perron, a Chelsea resident, launched a petition.
A petition and the support of the mayor
More than 600 names were collected and submitted to the city council at its recent meeting last Tuesday. These residents are asking Chelsea elected officials to intervene with the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
Mayor Pierre Guénard gave them his support. He plans to address the issue at a meeting with Quebec in mid-September.
The Ministry of Transport was unable to provide an interview on the subject on Saturday.
Route 105 has become dangerous. People who use it are increasingly impatient, laments Nathalie Perron, who has lived along this artery for 28 years.
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Nathalie Perron is the instigator of this petition calling for a reduction in speed on a section of Route 105 in Chelsea.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Félix Pilon
Access to three districts is via the 105, she emphasizes.
There is a lot of aggressive driving. Even when we are driving out of our driveway or out of our neighborhood, we get honked at or intimidated because we are not driving fast enough.
Nathalie Perron points out that Chelsea’s population has jumped 30% since 2016. The volume of cars using this road has increased significantly with the new residents, she says.
There is also all the traffic from people from Aylmer who pass through here to avoid Hull in order to go to Gatineau, she adds.
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Cyclists regularly use Route 105 in Chelsea.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Félix Pilon
For her part, Cindy Boucher believes that Route 105 has become too fast for people walking with their dogs.
Nearby, there is Highway 5, which has a speed limit of 100 km/h. If you want to go really fast, there is an alternative, she tells the heavy-footed motorists.
Like the other citizens met on Saturday, Ms. Boucher notes that the speed has been reduced on other sections of Route 105. She does not understand why this is not the case on the problematic portion leading to Gatineau.
At least one Gatineau city councillor is standing behind these Chelsea residents.
Louis Sabourin, who represents the Limbour district located on the other side of the Alonzo-Wright Bridge, points out that speed affects all municipalities in Quebec. We need to have measures to reduce it and force people to slow down, he says.
With information from Félix Pilon
