While the Réseau express vélo (REV) project near the Center hospitalier universitaire de Montréal (CHUM) causes fear of accidents and congestion among several paramedics, other emergency services in Montreal note that cohabitation with cyclists does not cause any major problem.
Busy bike paths pass in front of fire stations 16 and 30, located on Rachel Street and Laurier Avenue West, in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. The firefighters met on site speak of cordial relations, despite the occasional “recklessness” of some cyclists.
” Everything is fine. I think it’s almost better that there are bike lanes, so you know where the bikes are going to go,” says a firefighter who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. .
To prevent possible accidents, the solution would go, according to them, by a wider sensitization of the cyclist population, the signage being already abundant. The cyclists met on the spot did not report any major incident with the fire trucks either.
“Here, it’s well defined, everyone has their place to ride,” says Goran Tintor on his bicycle, in front of barracks 16.
“Sometimes the trucks come out, but we wait,” says Daniel Tomelleri, who has been commuting between home and work for six years on the Rachel Street bike lane.
If the cyclists of the Plateau agree that coexistence with the emergency services is not a problem, they also think that the arrival of a REV is always good news.
“It protects us from cars, we are calmer,” says Safa Mabrouk. “We feel safer, that’s for sure. When there are bike paths, cars are more likely to look,” adds Sara Desormeaux, resident of the Plateau de Passage near the CHUM, rue Viger.
For their part, CHUM paramedics fear that the REV projected by the City of Montreal at this location, downtown, will hinder access to hospital emergency rooms.
The other reality of the CHUM
A cycle path delimited by a strip of paint already passes in front of the entrance to the ambulances. To improve the safety of cyclists, the City wants to build a lane there protected by a concrete curb, like what is found elsewhere in the city, in particular on Saint-Denis and Bellechasse streets.
Fearing accidents and congestion, the management of the CHUM sent a formal notice to the City to prevent the development of the REV on rue Viger, in front of the hospital.
After bringing a patient to the emergency room, several paramedics say they use the bike path to park while they complete the intervention report, which they must then file inside the CHUM. COVID-19 would not facilitate the situation either, since it would be impossible since the pandemic to carry out this task indoors, according to testimonies collected by The duty.
These health professionals point out that in the event of an overflow in the garage, an ambulance could also have to disembark a patient outside. The paramedics argue that the presence of a concrete cycle lane would complicate their task and put patients at risk.
The paramedics fear losing their right to park in the cycle path. They also denounce the presence of cyclists deemed reckless, disrespectful of emergency vehicles.
Cyclists, like Virginie Crotte, would like to have a protected lane that would prevent them from deviating towards the street or the sidewalk to bypass vehicles immobilized in the bike lane. “It is certain that the landing stage of the hospital is dangerous, because it is on the cycle track at the moment. People have the right to get off there, but when you go by bike, it’s scary,” notes the worker at the research center located opposite the CHUM.
Others, however, are not unduly shocked by the practice of paramedics. “I go every day, Monday to Friday. I work a little further. There is no problem”, indicates Serge Bernier, stopped on his bicycle at the intersection of Viger and Sanguinet streets. “The paramedics are super careful, they pay attention to cyclists. »
Jean-Michel Couleur, a tourist who was passing through the neighborhood, rather considers that “it’s the works all around that are disturbing”, jokes the visitor, accompanied by his two sons.
While avoiding comparing its situation to that of other emergency services in Montreal, the CHUM said Thursday that it was “open to discussing development proposals with the City and to finding safe and viable solutions for all”.