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    1. Management

    INRS team studies quality of pedestrian network around stations in Greater Montreal area

    Jan. 22, 2024
    The study shows the lack of universal accessibility and unsafe road crossings in the Greater Montreal area can have a serious impact on older people and families with young children.
    INRS
    From left to right: Marie-Soleil Cloutier, full professor and director of the INRS Urbanisation Culture Société Research Center, with urban studies master’s candidate Philippe Brodeur-Ouimet in the LAPS Laboratory in Montreal.
    From left to right: Marie-Soleil Cloutier, full professor and director of the INRS Urbanisation Culture Société Research Center, with urban studies master’s candidate Philippe Brodeur-Ouimet in the LAPS Laboratory in Montreal.

    According to a recent study published by Marie-Soleil Cloutier, full professor and director of the Institut National de la recherche scientifique (INRS) Urbanisation Culture Société Research Center, and urban studies master's candidate Philippe Brodeur-Ouimet, the lack of universal accessibility and unsafe road crossings in the Greater Montreal area can have a serious impact on older people and families with young children. 

    "It's a fine endorsement of our research into the real conditions on the ground. Our work highlights the vulnerabilities of certain populations when it comes to public transit access. If we want users to switch from cars to sustainable modes of transport, it's essential to make the pedestrian routes leading to bus, train and Metro stations safe and accessible to all," Cloutier said.    

    The study shows the lack of adequate pedestrian infrastructure also makes the road less safe for vulnerable pedestrians. Furthermore, weather conditions can sometimes pose insurmountable obstacles for those who use rolling mobility aids or strollers and those who are at risk of falling due to functional limitations or physiological limitations such as balance problems. The situations directly affect the user experience, causing stress, frustration and danger to health and safety.  As a result, many people prefer to keep using a personal vehicle instead of switching to public transit. The accessibility limitations can restrict travel for vulnerable groups, who are sometimes dependent on public transit. This, in turn, can end up forcing them into isolation.  

    "If we want to diminish the role of cars in the city and improve quality of life for certain groups, we need to consider the issue from the moment pedestrians leave their homes or workplaces. It's a question of equity,” Brodeur-Ouimet said.