The tow trucks, which sound their blaring horns during snow removal operations to call to order motorists who have forgotten to move their vehicles, will remain silent in two sectors of Montreal this winter, for a pilot project.
The City of Montreal wants to check if the absence of an audible signal has an impact on the number of vehicles that must be towed before the snowplows pass.
“We will see if it is viable for the population, but also if it is viable for our operations. If everyone leaves their vehicle in the street because there is no audible warning, it will be problematic, we will not be able to move forward with snow removal,” explained the director of the borough consultation service, Martin Savard, on the sidelines of his appearance before the Committee on Finance and Administration, Tuesday.
The two sectors targeted by the pilot project are located in the boroughs of Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. Citizens who live there have already been informed that they will not be able to rely on snowplow horns to know when to move their vehicles. They will have to monitor the signage.
Snow removal crews will observe the number of vehicles to be towed on streets where the tow truck siren is used, compared to streets where there will be no sound signal, in order to understand to what extent this signal is necessary.
Municipal elected officials say they are often questioned by citizens who are disturbed by this noise pollution.