With the addition of a snowblower ans four tractors, the Ahuntsic-Cartierville Borough is set to handle the season's first snowfall. (Photo: Jacques Pharand)
Borough ventures onto icy territory
De-icing equipment for streets and sidewalks added
Pedestrians will be able to circulate freely in Ahuntsic-Cartierville this winter. The borough recently added new equipment to its fleet of sidewalk de-icing vehicles, particularly for when there is freezing rain.
Last Tuesday, Borough Mayor Marie-Andrée Beaudoin, accompanied at a local press conference by Pierre Lapointe, the councillor responsible for Public Works, and the department’s director, Réjean Durocher, announced that new equipment will be rented out this year for snow removal, an issue that preoccupies many citizens in winter as evidenced by the questions elected officials regularly recieve on the subject.
“Our concern is to try to ensure safe sidewalks for all our citizens, especailly during periods of freezing rain,� said Beaudoin, adding that the goal is also to render the streets safer for public transit users and motorists.
At a cost of $136,508, the borough has rented out four small tractors, which will allow abrasives to be applied to icy sidewalks more easily.
“We’re proud of this acquisition because sidewalks are our priority. We don’t want them to be in a state where people can’t walk on them,� said Lapointe, noting that in the past, it has been difficult, notably during the holiday season, to use local sidewalks.
These new trucks also have the advantage of being able to store more salt and gravel because they come equipped with semi-trailers. “In this way, we double our capacity of abrasives,� said Lapointe.
As freezing rain seems to be increasingly more frequent with every year, the sidewalk-clearing vehicles have a harder time getting the work done on ice. Lapointe added that they tended to break down easily, too.
A special team
A special team of city workers will also be put in place to intervene quickly on some of the borough’s busier thoroughfares, such as Papineau. As soon as there is a need for snow clearing, the team will target these particular streets while other city employees will get to work according to a priority list.
“We are quite a busy borough in that people come here from Laval or travel from the east to the west. It is important to ensure that traffic flow is as smooth as possible when there is a storm, freezing rain, or some other reason,� said Beaudoin. This year, a snowblower was also added to the heavy artillery.
The priorities
During snow removal operations, the borough functions according to a list of priorities. Streets around institutional buildings, such as hospitals and schools, will be taken care of first, followed by the bigger arteries and commercial streets, as well as bus routes. The streets near seniors’ residences, childcare centres and daycares are next on the list. The final step will be residential streets, beginning with the narrowest.
As the city of Montreal announced this week, the borough will be paying particular attention to bike paths passing through its territory, as is the case with Christophe Colomb.
“Depending on the weather conditions, we will try to keep the bike paths working as long as possible this winter. We want to make sure that people can use their bikes all year long,� said Beaudoin.
The borough has an annual budget of $8.9 million for snow removal operations. (Translated by Anna Bratulic
The priorities
-Streets near hospitals and schools
-Large commercial arteries, as well as bus routes
-Streets near seniors’ residences, childcare and daycare centres
-Residential streets, starting with the narrowest
“Our concern is to try to ensure safe sidewalks for all our citizens, especially during periods of freezing rain.�
Borough Mayor Marie-Andrée Beaudoin
par Véronique Leduc 
Steven Guilbeault - Chronique environnement
Richard Cléroux - Le fouineur politique
