Despite a less snowy winter than those of recent years, vulnerable people have more difficulty than ever getting around in Montreal due to poorly cleared sidewalks and docks.
“I had to cancel my chemotherapy treatment last week because I was not able to walk on the sidewalk to get to my paratransit,” laments Linda Gauthier, a woman with a disability who suffers from sclerosis. in plaques and colorectal cancer.
On the morning of January 8, the co-founder of the RAPLIQ organization got stuck on the sidewalk in front of her residence on Saint-Joseph Boulevard in Montreal.
Linda Gauthier poses in front of her entrance the day after a snow removal operation.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Unable to move forward, Mme Gauthier had no choice but to back out and cancel the chemotherapy treatment she was scheduled to have that day.
“There is less snow than usual, but it takes longer before the sidewalks are cleared of snow. I need medical assistance regularly and I can’t even get to the street corner alone,” she adds.
Less snow
According to MétéoMédia, the metropolis has received 61 centimeters of snow since the start of the season, unlike the 90 centimeters which are usually accumulated in mid-January.
Remember that last November, Projet Montréal announced a “significant optimization of snow removal operations at landing stages for people with reduced mobility.”
Despite a mild winter so far, that doesn’t seem to be the case, according to those most concerned.
“This year is worse than ever! Sometimes, I have to ride in bike paths because the sidewalks are so full of snow, I often get things shouted to me like: “Shut up, grandma”,” adds Linda Gauthier.
Huguette Giroux, an 86-year-old senior, developed similar habits while traveling in winter.
“It’s terrible! I no longer dare leave my house, even with a cane or my walker, I’m not comfortable. If necessary, I walk in the bike paths or call a taxi,” adds the Verdun resident who is impatiently waiting for spring.
Problematic access
-The snow removal of parking spaces reserved for the disabled also leaves something to be desired, so much so that several citizens mentioned to the Journal having filed a complaint on this subject.
Photo Marianne Langlois
“I contacted the City of Montreal several times between December 24 and January 8. My 14-year-old grandson has a disability and clearing snow from the reserved parking space is not a priority!” notes Aldo Arcaro, a resident of Villeray.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY Aldo Arcaro
The 69-year-old man was even forced to clear snow from the street parking lot in front of his duplex himself when his grandson had to be urgently hospitalized at the beginning of January.
Due to lack of snow removal, Aldo Arcaro had to take out his snowblower so his daughter could park and take her grandson to the emergency room at the beginning of January.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY Aldo Arcaro
In response, the City of Montreal explains that it has suffered the “torture of the snowflake” since the quantities of snow have not fallen all at once this season, and it considers that “adjustments will have to be made”.
“We want our snow plows to be aware of the conditions of people with reduced mobility, this is important in training,” adds Philippe Sabourin, administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal.
All those concerned are also invited to rephrase complaints on this subject.
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