Residents with mobility issues living on a street in Pointe St-Charles are virtually trapped in their own homes due to construction on the sidewalk.
Wooden ramps installed on Ste-Madeleine St. are narrow, precarious and unsafe, a stressful situation for Margaret Nuara.
"I want to go out," said Nuara, who has lived on the street for 55 years. She has multiple sclerosis. "I'm scared to walk down the boards because they're too narrow and my balance is not so great."
The borough is widening the sidewalk in an effort to slow traffic.
"This is the third year for the place to get ripped up," said Nuara, explaining that last year, workers replaced electric lines – and the year before that, it was for plumbing.
It's difficult for seniors who congregate at the local Canadian Legion post, many of whom have known mobility issues.
"It's not teenagers who go to the legion to play darts," said Nuara.
It's difficult for young parents too, like Catherine Archambault, who uses a stroller, and says the ramps are too narrow.
"It's a bit hard to go to my place," she said, adding that the borough should "just make sure that everyone has a safe access to their residences."
A spokesperson for the City of Montreal wrote CTV News an email saying that some of the wooden ramps are being improved and expanded, and that the issue of accessibility on the street should be resolved sometime on Friday.
As for Nuara: A work crew arrived on Thursday to fill in the earth in front of the stairs to make it easier for her to leave her home.
