Crime Cyclist fined after hitting child crossing street to catch school bus - All road users are required to respect school bus stop sign

Antoni Nerestant · CBC News
Posted: May 10, 2024 10:50 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 11


Montreal's mayor says the incident, and the video footage circulating, serve as a reminder that cyclists, like cars, need to follow the rules of the road.

A 31-year-old cyclist was fined after running into a young girl who was crossing the street to catch her school bus. The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) opened an investigation a day after video of the incident, which took place Thursday, began circulating widely online.

The woman turned herself in to police Friday afternoon and was ticketed $131 for failing to stop for a school bus, according to SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.

Advocacy groups as well as the mayor of Montreal have commented on the incident saying it serves as a reminder that all road users need to obey the school bus stop sign.

The video shows the child leaving her home, walking up to the sidewalk and stopping as a school bus approaches on Jeanne-Mance Street in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

There's a bike lane between the car lane and the sidewalk where the little girl is standing.

Once the school bus stops, the child begins to skip into the street to catch the bus. When she starts to cross the bike lane, a cyclist runs into her.

The child was not seriously injured. The video shows an adult assisting the child after the collision and bringing her back home.

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This screengrab from a video shared on social media by Mayer Feig shows the moment the young girl crosses the street as the cyclist is approaching. (X/Mayer Feig)

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante described the collision as "shocking" and said it underlines the need for all road users to obey the Highway Safety Code.

In a post of its own, the advocacy group Vélo Québec said "the Highway Safety Code is clear."

"A cyclist has to come to a stop in front of the flashing red lights or the school bus's stop sign: End of story," the post reads.

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This illustration on the Quebec government website shows how all road users, including cyclists, must stay at least five metres away from a school bus once it has activated its flashing lights and stop sign. That rule does not apply when there's a median strip separating a road user from the school bus. (The Quebec government)

When a school bus activates its flashing red lights and stop sign, all road users, whether they're trailing the bus or facing it, must stay at least five metres away from it.

According to the Quebec government, road users can only meet or pass the school bus once the flashing red lights are turned off, the stop signal has been retracted and the person driving or cycling is certain it is safe to continue.

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As someone who greatly enjoys both driving and walking, I just want to say that cyclists are a menace on both ends. I didn't even think twice about them as a group until moving to a ~bike friendly~ town and going to a college with a ~bike friendly~ campus. Did lots of walking, would nearly get hit by cyclists on a regular basis. They don't really follow any rules, except ones that are extremely convenient for them at the time, and they act like total fart sniffers. Fucking hate them.
 
As someone who greatly enjoys both driving and walking, I just want to say that cyclists are a menace on both ends. I didn't even think twice about them as a group until moving to a ~bike friendly~ town and going to a college with a ~bike friendly~ campus. Did lots of walking, would nearly get hit by cyclists on a regular basis. They don't really follow any rules, except ones that are extremely convenient for them at the time, and they act like total fart sniffers. Fucking hate them.
Stay out of San Francisco, the bike riders there are insufferable assholes.
They never obey traffic laws. There have been several people killed by cyclists.
 
I have my head on a swivel when driving; and that's being strapped into a metal box. I'd be super fucking careful on a bike; but last time I rode my bike in a city, I got ticketed for being on the sidewalk and not the bike lane (which often required you to be well in the traffic road). I'll eat the ticket thanks, not getting in the fucking road on a bicycle.
 
That footage was so perfect. The kid wasn't just walking, she was doing a care-free, cutesy skip. Then BAM, bike-zilla plows her over, looks to make sure the bike is okay, then hops back on and rides off.

As someone who greatly enjoys both driving and walking, I just want to say that cyclists are a menace on both ends. I didn't even think twice about them as a group until moving to a ~bike friendly~ town and going to a college with a ~bike friendly~ campus. Did lots of walking, would nearly get hit by cyclists on a regular basis. They don't really follow any rules, except ones that are extremely convenient for them at the time, and they act like total fart sniffers. Fucking hate them.
It's worse than that. They'll actively antagonize drivers. They'll intentionally go as slow as possible when they know you can't pass them and act indignant when the honking starts.

They'll cut you off and nearly cause accidents while screaming "I have the right of way! This is legal!"

They'll run people off of sidewalks, cut through parking lots, basically anything they can get by with.

It's hilarious watching them have to deal with their obnoxious successors, Electric Scooters, though. I watched a scooter run a bike off the sidewalk a while ago, yelling "Out of the way, slow-ass!" as he did so. And all the biker did was yell "That's illegal! You can't do that!"
 
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