Increase in falls forces Montreal to redirect operations toward slippery sidewalks

The City of Montreal has had to slow down on snow removal operations in recent days to focus on slippery sidewalks after an increased number of people taking falls.

It's also been busy for the city's ERs, which are dealing with a higher-than-normal volume of weather-related falls due to the mix of snow, ice and rain in the last few days.

Seniors are especially at risk, explains emergency medicine specialist Dr. Mitch Shulman.

"These are accidents, and you can have them in young people or old people. The only reason why we disproportionately see older people is because of balance, strength and bone fragility," he said.

The city has also been inundated with 311 calls.

Last Thursday alone, there were 551 calls reporting icy sidewalks, prompting the city to increase its salting operations.
 

"The number of falls is always a big preoccupation, because no one should fall. Since the beginning, we’ve said that sidewalks are a priority, but it’s boroughs that take care of the different sidewalks in their borough. There’s more of a constant communication with them," said Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante.

"Last weekend, we did call and contact all the boroughs and told them if you have to slow down all the snow removal to make sure sidewalks are clean and safe, do it. So, we will continue to accompany the different boroughs. For sure, there’s always room for improvement."

While the city is responsible for clearing 6,000 kilometres of sidewalks, Shulman said many falls happen a lot closer to home.

"I ask people this: How well do you protect your own staircase, your own sidewalk, your own parking area? If you look at the statistics, a significant number of these falls aren’t on city property sidewalks and streets, a significant number are in parking lots and private driveways and walkways and stairs," he said.

Shulman said the best defence is to take your time and stay home when the weather gets bad.