More Truthiness from Montreal West

Oct 29, 2010 - Letter to the Editor, Montreal Gazette

Nothing to do with class and elitism

Re: “ Lachine residents hope to sing down barrier” (Gazette, Oct. 25).

That’s a catchy headline. How about this one? “ Montreal West families rest easy on safer streets”. Not so catchy, eh? But true enough. Pat Schmidt and her followers can sing about being wronged and wrap themselves a warm, fuzzy blanket of protest with singing children. But none of that changes the truth here. And it has nothing to do with class, or emergency-vehicle safety, or elitism. It does have to do with the Montreal West residents who live on streets near Devil’s Hill area being able to live safely without having trucks and commuters cutting through their neighbourhood. This issue has been examined carefully over the years and it’s clear there was way too much truck traffic on these small streets and way too many cars using them as a shortcut to Highway 20.

As a Montreal Wester who lives north of the train tracks, I admit that for many years I used to cut through that neighbourhood to get to the 20, but since the road was closed, I have found other ways of reaching the highway, and as far as I can tell, they’re not more than a few seconds longer.

Montreal West did a consultation with all of the emergency services and it was deemed acceptable to create the raised sidewalk arrangement that we have now to deter casual traffic through this area.

Randi Weitzner

Our response...

Letter to the Editor, Montreal Gazette (pending publication)

Dear Sir,

A letter to the editor published by your newspaper on Oct. 29 contained completely untrue information. That letter suggested that "Montreal West did a consultation with all of the emergency services and it was deemed acceptable to create the raised sidewalk arrangement that we have now to deter casual traffic through this area.” In reality, Montreal West submitted plans for this structure to the police department (SVPM), fire department (SIM) and Urgences Santé. Both the fire department and the police department recommended AGAINST Montreal West’s proposal. Fire department division chief Sylvain Arteau spoke at the October 18 Lachine borough council meeting and listed four reasons why the fire department is opposed to the traffic barricade, including:

1) the increased response time attending to emergencies 
     in the Hillcrest/Mount Vernon and Rosewood area;

2) potential damage to emergency vehicles;

3) potential injuries to fire fighters driving over the sidewalk / barricade; and

4) security concerns for Hillcrest/Mont Vernon/Rosewood residents whose neighbourhood is now enclosed in an area having only one exit, which may be closed for any reason (ice, traffic accident, evacuation).

Arteau also explained that, unfortunately, his department has no power of enforcement over municipalities concerning such recommendations. Montreal West recently won in court the “right to do what it wants with its own streets.” Sadly, this right seems to extend to creating an unnecessary traffic barrier completely against the recommendations of Montreal’s emergency services. Lives are now at risk because of Montreal West’s actions and we submit that this is an abuse of power.

That same letter related how there was “there was way too much truck traffic on these small streets and way too many cars using them,” but it should be noted that the CIMA traffic study commissioned by Montreal West in 2002 instead found “somewhat low” volumes of traffic in this area. Subsequent traffic counts corroborated that study’s findings and the notion that there was “too much traffic” on Broughton is simply a perception, not a reality. The 2002 study also recommended against a traffic barrier such as Montreal West has now built.

We also note that the so-called ‘raised sidewalk’ was not designed for people to walk on, has four bollards (poles) sticking out of it and it does not come close to any definition we have ever seen for a sidewalk. A ‘traffic barricade’ is the proper name for such a structure and calling it a ‘sidewalk’ is an attempt to hide the truth.

The author of that letter to the editor, according to the Montreal West website, is a member of that town's Traffic and Safety Committee. It is very surprising--or perhaps very revealing-- that somebody like that has such a poor grasp of the essential facts in this controversial dossier. Her letter certainly does not reflect well on the level of discussion within the Traffic and Safety Committee as a whole, nor on the wisdom here of actions of the Montreal West Town Council. From all appearances, the erection of the traffic barricade was a befuddled and grotesque decision that should be reversed immediately.

Leandra Hallis

Nimalan Yoganathan

Joanne Davidson

Pat Schmidt

Matthew Schmidt

Megan Schmidt

William Schmidt

Judith Hand

Graeme Tennant

Brandon Tennant

Colleen Parish

Liam Parish-Cusson

Scott Leroux

Patricia Matchett

Michel Forest

Peter Fedun

Marylene Audet

Jane Hackett

Ron Morissette

Annie Larocque

Gerry Thompson

Jessica Thompson

Mathieu Thompson

Nina Matthews

Richard Matthews

Dr. Marlene Kalin - Mtl. West

Lisa Kalin

Fiona Wilde

Eduardo Lara

Tara Durley

Darrin Sabourin

Guy Walker

Jennifer Walker

Margot Faessler

Pierre Blais

Danny Delage

Maureen Marovitch

David Finch

John Symon