Big savings on abrasives this weekend in Montreal. Not a shadow of a pebble, a grain of sand or salt on the sidewalks of many boroughs, including downtown. Result: slippery sidewalks in several places. To get around on foot without risking falling, the best option remained the cycle path when there was one.
However, the snowfall had been announced for several days, early enough to plan an “abrasive operation” during the weekend. But Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is one of the rare boroughs to have taken the trouble to secure its sidewalks overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
Of course, we cannot intervene in every corner of the city. But it is expected that the busiest streets where there are shops as well as the sloping streets will be passable.
More and more people who are aging or have reduced mobility are giving up going out for fear of hurting themselves and jeopardizing their winter. Are they doomed to stay at home for the next three months? Or should they pack their bags for Florida?
When you ask the City of Montreal the question, it sends the ball back to the boroughs. Seriously, Montrealers don’t really care who does what. They want safe sidewalks.
Montreal wants to promote active transportation? To be an inclusive city that allows the elderly and people with reduced mobility to move around safely? That we spread abrasives, that’s all.