By the end of this year, as part of a pilot project, dogs will be adopted at Leash on the Montreal Metro. On the other hand, due to financial problems caused by the epidemic, the Society de Transport de Montreal (STM) abandoned its plan to install screen doors called “anti-suicide” on Metro’s sites.
Released at 4:26 p.m.
The Montreal City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion to “evaluate the potential coexistence of dogs on the metro network in the metro by the end of the year, in line with guidelines aimed at testing a pilot project and good cooperation with its customers.”
Public communication and awareness campaign should be carried out with this project.
The first proposal to allow dogs on public transportation was the protest at City Hall. Consultants from the Ensemble Montréal party held a press conference a few weeks ago to announce their plan.
The Blondie administration agreed to the proposal and suggested starting with a pilot project.
“We have to move forward in a cautious and measured way,” said Eric Allen Caldwell, municipal councilor, who chairs STM’s board of directors. “It simply came to our notice then. We want people to come back on public transport. ⁇
He said following the pilot plan would make it possible to make decisions for the future. Caldwell mentions.
Press On April 12 it asked the opinion of its readers on this question. Conclusion: Nearly three-quarters of the approximately 300 respondents did not like dogs on buses and in the metro. Many have cited animal allergies or fears of bites to illustrate their opposition.
According to Aref Salem, leader of the Ensemble Montréal party that submitted the proposal, STM will have time to address these issues.
He noted that nearly 17,000 Montreals had signed the petition “wanting to take Fido Metro” and that many families had adopted animals during the epidemic.
Lack of budget for “suicide suicide” doors
In another file, STM dropped its plan, which had been under scrutiny for nearly four years, to install platform screen doors on metro platforms along the Orange Line.
The 13 stations located on the section between Crémazie and Bonaventure are planned to be set up with glass doors that open automatically when parked at the metro station and to enable physical isolation of the tracks from the platforms.
The cost of the project is estimated at 200 million.
We have decided to withdraw the plan from our investment plan for the next 10 years as the epidemic has brought about major changes in transportation needs, which apparently put pressure on our finances. , So we have reviewed the priority of our major projects. , And the screen door project is currently excluded from our investment plan.
Philip Terry, STM Spokesman
He added that studies and analyzes carried out in connection with the installation of this equipment may be used in the future.
Future stations for the blue line extension will be designed so that these doors will eventually receive at their sites, Mr. Terry mentions.
Platform screen doors are often referred to as “suicide resistant” because they prevent intrusion in front of metro trains. They also prevent objects from moving on the rails. Their installation in underground transport networks is becoming more and more widespread almost everywhere in the world.
They are mandatory on all automated, driverless transport systems. All stations of the future Réseau express mitropolitain (REM) of Caisse de depot et placement du Québec are under construction and will be fitted with platform doors.
Opposition leader Araf Salem condemned the abandonment of the screen-door project at a city council meeting in Montreal, citing a study by the University of Quebec, which found that 16 people commit suicide by throwing themselves in front of the metro in Montreal each year. (UQAM) conducted in 2016. Service interruptions caused by items dropped on the track occur more and more frequently, he lamented.
“We had to make a choice, but it’s not a plan that will fall, it’s a plan that will be extended over time,” Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante replied. He pointed out that his management has decided to maintain the same level of public transport service during epidemics and continue to serve users who need to travel, but there is a cost to this choice.
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