Poorly cleaned sidewalks in Quebec: People with disabilities cannot go to work due to snow

People with disabilities who use wheelchairs were unable to get to work on Thursday morning due to poor cleaning of sidewalks in several areas of the city.

• Read also: Uneven snow removal in Quebec: City asks for patience

This was the case among others for Renald Pelletier and Michel Dube, who had to stay at home on Thursday due to the inaccessibility of the sidewalks in the Vanier and Pointe aux Livres sectors.

Both board members of the Action Committee for Persons with Disabilities (CAPVISH) criticize the lack of “accuracy” and “finishing” in removing snow from sidewalks in Quebec.

As noted Newspaper On Thursday, large piles of snow were found at the end of sidewalks in several places, preventing people in wheelchairs from getting around.

“Special attention”

“We can't take the bus, and often the paratransit is unable to deploy its access ramp because of the snowbanks,” laments Mr. Pelletier.

The man with spina bifida believes sidewalk snowplows should pay “special attention” to intersections, to allow them to go about their business “like everyone else.”

“Preventing myself from doing things, like going to the office this morning, because there is a lot of snow at the end of the sidewalk, is a detail that is not complicated, I think, and could be improved. It is disappointing,” he said.

His colleague Michel Dube, who was also forced to take leave on Thursday for the same reasons, agrees.

Michel Dube was unable to ride the bus on Thursday morning to go to work, due to large piles of snow that formed at the end of the sidewalk, which prevented him from driving.

Elissa Cloutier

“Someone says to me: Stay at home, Michel. But just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I can't have a life! “It's a bit discriminatory,” says the 50-year-old, who suffers from muscular dystrophy.

For his part, Director General of CAPVISH, Dominique Salgado, believes that Quebec City can benefit from community services to remove snow from sidewalks. He criticizes: “They have inspectors who check the quality of snow removal, but they are in cars, so they sometimes cannot clearly see the condition of the sidewalks.”

He says “attention” should also be paid to intersections and pedestrian crossings, which often get stuck in good times, preventing people with limited mobility from pressing a push button to be able to cross the street.

Possible solutions

At city hall, the municipal administration says it has already spoken with the organization, with the aim of “improving the situation.”

Specific scenarios are being considered to help people with limited mobility during snowstorms, including better management of the “sequence” of snow removal work.

“If it's a caterpillar [pour déneiger les trottoirs] The abrasion then passes and forms a pile of snow, which can cause problems. “We are in the process of looking at all of this so that it is implemented in the right order,” said Quebec City Public Relations Director François Moisan.

The budget allocated to clearing snow from streets and sidewalks this year is $92 million.