Risk of accident and traffic congestion: in a formal notice sent to the City of Montreal, the CHUM opposes the establishment of the new Réseau express vélo (REV) in the immediate vicinity of the hospital. A public outing that disappoints the authorities of the City.
Posted at 3:51 p.m.
Updated at 5:08 p.m.
“The problem is that our patients don’t come by bike,” summarizes Danielle Fleury, deputy CEO of the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) in an interview. On June 29, she sent a formal notice to the mayor of Montreal Valérie Plante to oppose the Réseau express vélo (REV) project. This aims to make the bike path on rue Viger Est, which already existed before the arrival of the CHUM, safer.
A new section of the REV will see the light of day to connect downtown Montreal from east to west. In the borough of Ville-Marie, where the CHUM is located, one-way bike paths will run along Avenue Viger Est and Rue Saint-Antoine Est, on either side of the Ville-Marie highway, on a distance of 1.5 kilometers. Work is due to start in July.
To do this, a car traffic lane will be removed on Viger Avenue while the bike path that has already been running alongside the CHUM for 12 years will be widened and made safer. “We come to better share public space,” says Robert Beaudry, head of urban planning on the executive committee of the City of Montreal.
The Regional Public Health Department (DRSP) is in favor of the REV, but maintains that solutions must be found so as not to interfere with the hospital’s activities. “The arrival of the REV will make it possible to reduce the flow of vehicular traffic and improve the safety of all users in this sector”, maintains Jean Nicolas Aubé, public relations officer for the DRSP.
The Official Opposition in Montreal affirms that the plant administration shows a “cavalier attitude” towards the CHUM. “We invite him to be more open, to discuss with them again and to put himself in solutions mode so that a secure cycling project sees the light of day in the sector without compromising priority access to emergency services,” says Aref. Salem, Leader of the Official Opposition at City Hall.
The CHUM against this bike path
“For several years, we have transmitted and communicated with the City of Montreal to tell it that we were worried and disagreed with the cycle path on Viger, which passes in front of the entrance to the ambulances of the CHUM”, supports Danielle Fleury.
At this intersection, parked ambulances regularly encroach on the bike lane, while the paramedics finish their files and inform their central that they are available again, says Ms.me Fleury. About fifty ambulances come to the CHUM every day.
The City of Montreal has met with the CHUM on numerous occasions, according to Mr. Beaudry, to propose developments at this location, such as hinged entrances, signage, a different materiality on the ground, an audible signal when the garage doors of ambulances open, and spaces dedicated to ambulances on rue Sanguinet, next door. “We never compromise on security, he assures us, but we feel a lot of closure on the part of [du CHUM] on that subject. »
For Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, the CHUM’s argument does not hold water, because the arrival of REV will improve safety for all users in the sector.
Traffic problems?
The reduction of traffic lanes on Avenue Viger also concerns Mme Fleury. In the formal notice sent to the City of Montreal, she explains that more than 5,500 people travel to the CHUM every day to work or do volunteer work. The CHUM also welcomes more than 4,500 patients daily in its outpatient clinics, often accompanied, and up to 220 patients in the emergency room.
If some patients come by public transport, many travel by adapted transport, by car or by taxi, underlines Mme Fleury. “It’s true that active transportation is there to reduce the number of vehicles, she acknowledges, but we want to protect access to the CHUM for patients. »
After several attempts to communicate with the authorities of the City of Montreal, described as “dialogue of the deaf” by Mme Fleury, the CHUM has decided to send a formal notice to be heard.
However, the CHUM denies the idea of being against active transportation. “We don’t want to make it a bike versus motorist debate,” says Danielle Fleury. What is questioned is the place that was chosen [pour le REV]. »
And where would it be more appropriate? According to the formal notice, the answer is: “not in the immediate vicinity of the CHUM”.