Snow removal operations | Montreal is considering cutting the whistle to its tow trucks

With the return of the snow, it is also the start of snow removal operations and the familiar noise that accompanies them, that of tow truck horns calling to order motorists who have forgotten to move their vehicle.

But the City of Montreal plans to eliminate these sound signals, which bother many people, or at least to reduce their use.

A pilot project will be carried out during the winter, to enable those responsible for snow removal to “understand the impact of reducing or stopping fluting on operational delays”, indicates the City, in a written response received at the following our questions.

Municipal elected officials are often questioned about these noise pollution.

“It’s true that it’s extremely frustrating, especially for those who don’t have a car and who live in dense neighborhoods, to be woken up by snow removal sirens,” admitted the case manager to the committee. executive, Maja Vodanovic, responding to this citizen.

These sirens are prohibited at night, but the time at which they stop in the evening may vary from one borough to another, she pointed out.

“Many people are waiting for the ‘pimpon'”

Vehicles that are always parked along the street when a snow removal operation is planned must be towed, which can delay snow removal operations.

“There are still a lot of vehicles on site when we arrive to clear snow, because many people are waiting for the “pimpon” to move their vehicle,” noted the director of the borough consultation service, Martin Savard, during the meeting. his appearance before the Committee on Finance and Administration last week.

As part of the pilot project, snow removal teams could observe the number of vehicles to be towed on a street where the tow truck siren is used, compared to another street where there would be no audible signal, a- he explained.

We could also increase the number of no-parking signs, to ensure that motorists know that they have to move their vehicle.

Mr. Savard pointed out, however, that even if there are no sirens used by the tow trucks, “people will still wake up because of the noise of the machinery”.