Press releases published by Projet Montréal

Montreal, Wednesday December 16 2009 -  In the presence of media representatives and the borough’s administrative directors, the councilors of Plateau-Mont-Royal welcomed members of the public to the first-ever forum on snow-clearing.  The borough’s mayor,  Luc Ferrandez, pointed out that this exchange of views represents an opportunity to open up lines of   communication with citizens, one of the goals of his administration. “We have many objectives.  On the one hand we wish to inform the public about the process of snow-clearing, the priorities that need to be set and the consequences of the choices made.  From there we will go on to discuss possibilities for improvement. This forum, webcast live, is an example of what the borough intends to accomplish, namely optimize services and minimize negative consequences”, he stated.

Dr. Patrick Morency of the Direction de la santé publique, provided an overview of the pattern of injuries incurred on slippery city streets and sidewalks requiring emergency medical assistance, based on statistics obtained through Urgence santé.  He explained that over the winter of 2008-2009, the highest number of serious falls, 186 cases, occurred in December.  This highlights the fact that the accident rate does not rise with snowfall accumulation but rather as ice forms during temperature fluctuations, underlining the need for rapid intervention in certain climatic conditions.

Using last week’s snowfall as an illustration, Gilbert Bédard, the borough’s head of public works, gave a presentation on snow-clearing on the Plateau, with special attention to its specific challenges : narrow streets under 7.2 metres across but with parking available on both sides, the high cost of carting snow to distant sites and the elevated rate of vehicle towing required before clearing can begin. “In a single winter we tow over 5000 vehicles; our borough does the most towing.  Despite such difficulties, we do the utmost to leave nothing to chance in our snow-clearing operation, while respecting our priorities”, he explained.

Approaches to problem-solving

The second part of the forum consisted of a discussion of proposals intended to improve the quality of services.  For each possible solution, gains were weighed against consequences.  These proposals will be subject to further public debate.  Here are some examples of modifications considered in terms of safety, accessibility and mobility.

1) Improving quality

• Setting up sidewalk brigades to increase the safety of pedestrian access at all times and to reduce the number of falls;

• Clearing street corners to improve drainage at intersections and crossings and reduce pooling of water and formation of ice;
• Speeding up reaction time by storing abrasives in strategic locations.

2)  Creating more parking options

• Implementing a permit-sticker system to give parking priority to holders during snow-removal;
• Vehicle storage;
• Allowing parking up to midnight on commercial streets during snow-removal.

3) Protecting the environment

• Reducing the amount of road salt used;
• Reducing the level of noise pollution.

4) Reducing costs

• No snow-removal under 15 cm of accumulation or on week-ends:
• No equipment rental under 10 cm of accumulation;
• Snow-blowing onto unused lots.

Mr. Ferrandez considers this forum on snow-removal to be a success. “It enabled citizens to have a say in the changes that we must all bring about together.  The sidewalk brigade is a crucial proposal and its gradual implementation can begin at once.  It’s true that if new equipment could be acquired, its implementation would be even swifter.  But now we have to think about a 40% reduction in our Plan trimestriel d’immobilisations”, he concluded.