Snow removal in Montreal continues each year to offer very unpleasant surprises to owners of vehicles lacerated by machinery. Although hundreds of such accidents occur each winter, their numbers are on the decline. The accidental destruction of bicycles, on the contrary, is increasing.
Despite his position as president of the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal, Luc Bisson “often returns to [ses] worker’s boots” and clear snow in the borough of Ahuntsic. His years of experience behind the wheel allow him to avoid the rustling of sheet metal, so frustrating for Montreal motorists. “I know the weaknesses, where to be careful, where to pick up my shovel. I avoid the pitfalls of the field, because I know them”, he explains.
The snow removal experience would explain, according to him, part of the slightly downward trend in the number of accidents recorded by The duty.
It is “the human behind the machine” who is responsible for these accidents, underlines Luc Bisson, who pleads for the City to continue to increase the share of “internal expertise” in its snow removal operations. “In a collective agreement like that of Montreal, we are on board for five years in the service of the citizen. The private does not sign any contract other than the one-time contract, even if they repeat the experience. […] Do we, as City employees, have to limit our hours to 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. off? Yes. Does the private sector want to ask a driver to do 24 hours of continuous work, with substances to keep him awake, and make money? To ask the question, is to answer it. »
The duration of the contracts indeed plays on the reduction of accidents, confirms the communications of the City of Montreal. “The City has always awarded snow removal contracts that last a few years, which can allow employees of these companies to get to know their sector better,” says spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin. The number of claims can also be influenced by the number of snow loading operations carried out from one year to the next, the duration of each of them, but also by weather conditions, such as episodes of ice. »
The black ice weighs in the reduction of accidents this year, adds Luc Bisson. “Ice is more dangerous than snow. For machinery, even if it is larger, ice is a formidable opponent. […] So far, we haven’t had any serious, dangerous ice storms this year yet. »
If the number of damaged cars decreases, the number of bicycles screwed up by snowplow tracks increases. The amount of bicycles broken in this way is on track to exceed the amount destroyed last year.
There is an increase in the popularity of winter biking, says a snow plow in the private sector who did not want to be named because his employer forbids him to speak to the media. “On the sidewalks in my area, it’s been far from easier lately, there are more and more charging stations, bike racks and street furniture,” explains this experienced worker. There are many more bikes on my route. »
To avoid any unpleasant surprises, he invites cyclists to attach their machine away from the sidewalk to allow the machines to circulate properly.
The City would like to remind you that it is best to park cars 30 cm from the sidewalk during the winter season to prevent any unfortunate collisions.