A year since the kerfuffle of highway 13

QMI agency

Tuesday, 13 march, 2018 21:11

UPDATE
Tuesday, 13 march 2018 21:14

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It has been almost a year, a snow storm had held hundreds of motorists captive for hours on highway 13 in Montreal. The government had promised significant changes in the emergency procedures.

Sylvain Denis/QMI AGENCY

The ex-deputy minister Florent Gagné has produced a report in which he blamed the ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ), as well as the Surêté du Québec (SQ) for the lack of communication and of management on the kerfuffle.

In the report Won, the first recommendation was addressed to the Sûreté du Québec, who were asked to put in place a command centre which would be in operation seven days a week, 24 hours on 24, to monitor the whole network.

Sylvain Denis/QMI AGENCY

The centre has been created and is in the business and has served, particularly when many of the caroms that occurred a few weeks ago. Those who work to ensure that the coordination has improved.

“We have access to here maps, and it has access to the live traffic. It allows us to detect if the line is red on one kilometre, two kilometres, three kilometres. It allows us to detect if there is a major problem,” said the captain Martin Pichette, chief, operations watch center of the SQ, VAT New.

Photo Agence QMI, Sylvain Denis

The report also recommended that the Sûreté du Québec acquires vehicles four-wheel drive. The SQ is in the process of renewing its fleet.

Our sources indicate that patrol the highway of the ministry of Transport and the police officers of the SQ still have a lot of difficulty to directly communicate among themselves.

The system RÉSEAU, a new radio system, which, however, cost millions of dollars to the quebec taxpayers, is experiencing enormous difficulties.

FD-

Photo agence QMI, Sylvain Denis

As for the hundreds of motorists who were left stranded here a year ago on highway 13, they will make the point tomorrow with their lawyer in charge of the class action. They got an apology from the prime minister. Now they want monetary compensation.