Parents in Montreal West are demanding stronger safety measures at an intersection after two Royal Academy West students were struck by a car on their walk to school Monday morning.

The children were hospitalized with what has been described as minor injuries, with parents saying this close call is the latest warning sign.

“It’s terrifying to think that your kid is crossing the street and it’s really badly set up,” said Alana Cymerman, the parent of a child at Royal West Academy.

“There are near misses every hour here.”

Montreal police say a car driving south on Westminster Street stopped at a stop sign, then accelerated and hit two students from the school.

“I panicked first (thinking) it was my kid, then I found her on the tracker, saw she wasn’t here, called the school,” said Cymerman.

RELATED: Parents push for crossing guards near Montreal high school after student struck

Parents of kids at the school say they’ve been lobbying for safety measures for years.

Flashing stop signs were implemented by the city last year. But parents say that doesn’t go far enough, especially during busy morning traffic.

The flashing stop sign at the intersection of Ainslie and Westminster streets on Feb. 17, 2026. (Zachary Cheung, CityNews)

“I don’t think there’s a single mother in the province or in the country who would ever say that enough is enough when it comes to prevention of safety of children,” said Jessica Houde-Woytiuk, the English Montreal School Board’s (EMSB) parent commissioner for high schools.

This isn’t the first time there has been an accident at this intersection.

In 2024, 14-year-old Charlie Shein was struck on his way to class.

“By the time I realized he was about to hit me it was too late,” Charlie told CityNews in December 2024. The teen was uninjured.

Charlie Shein on Dec. 16, 2024, and cars at the intersection of Ainslie Road and Westminster Avenue in Montreal West. (Erin Seize, CityNews)

Residents have been pushing for changes to that section of Westminster, which becomes dangerous during morning rush hour as commuters rush onto Highway 20.

“This is now the fourth incident involving a car hitting a pedestrian at that intersection,” said EMSB chair Joe Ortona.

“This is obviously one intersection that is dangerous.”

Residents want a crossing guard on the corner of Ainslie and Westminster streets.

“You would have visibility on the crossing guard, the cars could see it,” Cymerman said.

“All of these factors, sunlight, the trains, time of day, traffic, a crossing guard can take all of that into consideration,” added Désirée McGraw, the Quebec Liberal Party MNA for NDG.

Under the current rules, crossing guards are only assigned to primary schools.

“Teenagers are actually as much, if not more at risk, because they’re often on their phones, they’re less likely to be accompanied by an adult,” McGraw explained.

Parents have launched a petition calling on the province to change the law to allow crossing guards near high schools. It closes Friday and reached the 3,000 signature milestone by Tuesday.

They hope action comes before another student is hurt.

“We know this has happened in the past, this has happened repeatedly, and it’s going to happen again. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Houde-Woytiuk said.