The CHUM plans to go to court to prevent the construction of an Express Bike Network (REV) in front of the ambulance entrance on rue Viger. The hospital center, which sent a formal notice to the City of Montreal, believes that the latter is turning a deaf ear to its concerns.
In a letter sent to Mayor Valérie Plante on June 29, which TVA revealed on Tuesday, the management of the University of Montreal Hospital Center said it was in favor of cycling and the development of bike paths, but she feels that the location chosen for the future REV — the north side of Rue Viger — is not appropriate. Every day, about fifty ambulances reach the emergency room of the hospital by the entrance located on this street. Ambulances also sometimes park at the curb after dropping off patients when the garage is full; police cars also park there on occasion.
“Traffic is extremely dense around the CHUM quadrilateral (Sanguinet, René-Lévesque, Saint-Denis and Viger). For optimal fluidity, it is important to keep all these avenues open,” said CHUM Deputy CEO Danielle Fleury in her letter to Mayor Plante last month.
Having received no response from the City, the CHUM sent a formal notice to the City in the following days. A meeting between representatives of the CHUM and the City took place on Monday, but according to Mme Fleury, the City did not want to deviate from its position: the REV will pass on rue Viger. “It was a bit of a dialogue of the deaf. In our opinion, it is not safe for patients or for cyclists, ”she argued in a telephone interview.
A bicycle lane was already present when the CHUM moved into its new building in 2017, but it is little used, according to Ms.me Fleury. The City of Montreal has announced its intention to build a REV there in 2019.
A busy area
Several meetings with the City have taken place in recent months, but without satisfactory results for the CHUM. “We were not offered any solutions. The only solutions we had [de la Ville], it’s marking and landing stages. It was suggested to us that the paramedics and police cars park on Sanguinet, which is not viable with the activities, ”says Ms.me Fleury.
Every day, the CHUM welcomes 4,500 patients in outpatient clinics and outpatient consultations, as well as 700 others in radiology. For its part, the emergency department receives between 170 and 220 patients daily.
Traffic is heavy in the area. From 300 to 500 vehicles stop every day on rue Sanguinet to drop off specimens for the CHUM laboratories, specifies Ms.me Fleury. “We don’t want to make it a war between bikes and cars. What we want is to be able to discuss with the City, to find solutions and for the City to become aware of the type of activities we have at the CHUM. We have few patients who come by bike; there are very few who are fit. »
Danielle Fleury affirms that the CHUM does not favor the legal route to reach an agreement, but maintains that the institution has no other choice. It thus plans to file an application for an injunction to block the project. The City must install its REV elsewhere, believes the CHUM.
The City responds
At the City, we are surprised by the attitude of the CHUM and its public release. “We are far from having turned a deaf ear because we have met with them many times to open discussions with them and find ways to develop the space,” says Councilor Robert Beaudry, head of the town planning to the executive committee. “We have always been super open, but here we are being answered with a formal notice. It’s a bit special. »
According to him, building an REV at this location is not incompatible with ambulance access to the emergency room, especially since a bike path has already existed on rue Viger for 12 years and no collision has been reported so far. In addition, he assures, the Regional Public Health Department (DRSP) of Montreal would be in favor of this project.
Signage, sound alarms (like at the entrances to fire stations) and floor coverings are different options that can be considered, explains Councilor Beaudry.
At present, after dropping off patients, ambulances park in the existing cycle path “to fill out paperwork”. “It’s not a matter of urgency,” said the chosen one. “We proposed to the CHUM to dedicate parking spaces to them on rue Sanguinet. It would be more fluid for everyone, both for cyclists and ambulances. But each time we made proposals, there was a categorical refusal to analyze them. We’re dealing with hospital property managers who don’t want to work with us. »
Robert Beaudry specifies that the work on this section will not be carried out until 2025. “We are asking the CHUM to show openness. […] This release is a bit disappointing. »
The leader of the opposition at City Hall, Aref Salem, believes that the Plante administration should be more attentive to the concerns of the CHUM. “Right now, she is showing a cavalier attitude. We invite them to be more open, to re-discuss with them and to put themselves in solution mode so that a safe cycling project sees the light of day in the sector without compromising priority access to emergency services. »
Favorable to REVs, the DRSP of Montreal recalls that planned for rue Viger is a three-year pilot project managed by the City. Removing a lane of traffic will reduce traffic flow, it is pointed out. “Whether there is ultimately a REV or not, this sector must be made safe for all users without harming hospital operations,” said Jean Nicolas Aubé, media relations advisor for the Montreal DRSP, by email. “We are ready to support the pilot project and evaluate it to find the best possible solutions. »