Video shows Montreal child hit by cyclist while crossing street to catch school bus
A video of a young girl being hit by a cyclist in Montreal while crossing the street to catch a school bus is being shared widely on social media and serving as a reminder of the province's Highway Safety Code.
The video, which indicates that the incident took place on Thursday, 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.
An adult could be seen assisting the child and bringing her back to her home after the collision. (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.
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 activates its flashing red lights and stop sign, all road users, whether they're trailing the bus or facing it, must come to a stop.
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road users can only meet or pass the school bus once the flashing red lights are turned off, the stop signal has been retracted and the person driving or cycling is certain it is safe to continue.
