The emergency protocol for people with disabilities is “aberrant” in the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), denounces a user suffering from cerebral palsy who noticed this to his cost on Saturday during a service interruption .
What there is to know
A user with a disability denounces the weakness of emergency plans in the REM.
The exo operator admits that an error was detected in the application of the succession plan.
CDPQ Infra says it is open to making corrections in the coming weeks.
“In reality, there is no emergency plan for disabled people in the REM. No way. None. It’s absurd how the service for people with reduced mobility is almost non-existent. However, it is a large transport system. There should be clear measures in place,” says Christophe Rudyj in an interview with The Press.
Last Saturday, while he was trying to get back to Brossard station, from where he takes an adapted transport service to his home in Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, a prolonged breakdown occurred around 8 p.m. due to a release of smoke near the Île-des-Sœurs station.
Bus shuttles were then deployed, as required by protocol, between Brossard and Central Station. The problem: these buses “are not at all universally accessible despite what they claim,” laments Mr. Rudyj.
“It was 9:30 p.m., I had been waiting for a while when a REM agent confirmed to me that the shuttles were not accessible for me, telling me that it was crowded anyway. They told me to order paratransit. But it must be reserved 24 hours in advance! », Relates the main person concerned.
Ultimately, the exo carrier, which manages paratransit services, “went out of its way to find me a driver,” says Christophe. “I thank them for that, but it’s not normal and it’s unacceptable that we’re at this point. It would be entirely possible and even necessary to have taxis on standby around the REM, in times of breakdown, for people in wheelchairs like me. »
“There are lives at stake”
This is not the first time that this issue has been raised on the light rail route. Since its inauguration in July, multiple elevator breakdowns have raised concerns, particularly from the Regroupement des activists pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ).
“We asked the REM what their emergency protocols were in the event of a major problem and each time, they refused to reveal it to us for strategic reasons, ensuring that everything was in place. To be honest, on our side, we never believed it,” says the general director of RAPLIQ, Steven Laperrière.
At the moment, “the wagons are accessible, of course, but everything else around them, not really,” he says.
We are at the mercy of a faulty elevator or any other technical glitch that causes a breakdown. And when there are lives at stake, it’s a big deal.
Steven Laperriere
The key, according to him, “would be to give more information and be ready to react to any situation.” “As long as this is not truly the case, we cannot say that the REM is truly accessible for everyone,” insists the CEO, who calls on CDPQ Infra to carry out simulations more regularly. “Otherwise, the plan is simply messy. »
Christophe Rudyj agrees. “It’s a matter of first necessity for us. If there is a fire on the REM, what happens? We should be able to know,” says the father of two, who also owns a store on Sainte-Catherine Street, in downtown Montreal.
“An error in the application of the succession plan”
At exo, spokesperson Jean-Maxime St-Hilaire concedes that “there seems to have been an error in the application of the succession plan” last Saturday.
“In this exceptional case, exo paratransit vehicles are authorized to cross the bridge to pick up users at one of the REM stations in Montreal. We have made corrections with our teams and our partners so that a similar situation does not happen again,” he maintains.
“All exo employees involved in the situation sought in good faith to help the user get to their destination,” he assures. “Real-time modification of paratransit vehicle circuits presents several challenges. Our employees do their best to accommodate last-minute requests while minimizing the consequences on other users,” explains Mr. St-Hilaire.
CDPQ Infra, for its part, says it is “aware that a service interruption can be particularly complex for a person with reduced mobility”.
” Saturday night […], the shuttles available were adapted for people with reduced mobility, as planned in the relief plan. On the other hand, we know that access to the city center terminus, where the recovery plan shuttles were located, is the subject of discussions between partners associated with public transport, to improve signage and accessibility. , says the deputy director for media relations, Francis Labbé, who says he is open to “identifying possible solutions and improvements”.