Montreal's Nightmarish Traffic Threatening Paramedics' Lives
Chaotic ambulance congestion on the roads
I tagged along with Jean-Marie Dufresne, a Urgences-santé supervisor, on a fateful morning in Montreal. Armed with a Ford Explorer filled to the brim with medical gear, we embarked on a day to experience the challenges facing first responders navigating the city's congested streets.
Our mission was to reach a shooting incident in the Old Port, and from the get-go, we were met with appalling driver behavior. Stuck in a sea of cars, orange cones, and construction barriers, our sirens and flashing lights seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Three nerve-wracking minutes passed before a path finally opened. An eternity in an emergency situation. Construction seems to be a constant roadblock in Montreal, amplifying the difficulties faced by paramedics in their race against time.
Next, another traffic jam halted our progress, with vehicles tightly packed, two lanes wide. Driving like Moses parting the Red Sea, our Ford Explorer managed to carve a path through, only to be impeded once more a few hundred meters later.
Montreal's streets are a labyrinth of one-way roads, giant potholes, and complexities that undeniably contribute to delays in emergency services. Such was the gist of a complaint shared by a La Presse reader, a paramedic for over two decades. His concerns led me to spend a morning with Jean-Marie Dufresne, a seasoned paramedic since 1995 and a supervisor for five years.
Urgences-santé covers a vast territory of 744 km, equivalent to 13 times the size of Manhattan. With 53 active urgent calls, 206 ongoing calls, 76 ambulances, and 13 calls awaiting assignment, priorities range from zero to eight. Zero denotes the most critical cases.
Construction sites, one-way streets, and dilapidated roads pose significant challenges, but driver behavior often takes the cake. Many drivers seemingly ignore their road safety code, causing unnecessary delays and putting lives at risk.
During our venture, we encountered numerous instances of drivers refusing to yield, forcing Jean-Marie to find creative solutions such as crossing medians or using opposing lanes. The lack of courtesy and increasing ignorance among drivers is a concerning trend that needs to be addressed.
In the most critical cases, every minute without CPR can decrease a patient's chances of survival by 10%. Delays in response times caused by traffic congestion can be the difference between life and death.
This crude individualism, reflected in the disregard for emergencies and the growing apathy towards fellow humans, is disturbing. The complacent attitude of ignoring an emergency situation is a reflection of a societal issue that demands attention.
As for the future, Urgences-santé is reviewing its navigation system, while drivers must educate themselves on yielding in turn lanes and prioritizing the right-of-way for emergency vehicles. collaboration with services like Montreal’s EMMIS team can help localized emergency planning alongside infrastructure changes improve response times and protect those who put their lives on the line every day.
[1 - NoTraffic: Revolutionizing traffic management using AI (Link Removed)]
[2 - Montreal's EMMIS Team: Coordinating a Safer City (Link Removed)]
[3 - CCG Vessel Removals and Emergency Response in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia (Link Removed)]
[4 - Road Diets and Emergency Vehicle Access: A Study in Cedar Rapids (Link Removed)]
[5 - Driver Education in Turn Lanes: A Key to Reducing Emergency Response Delays (Link Removed)]
- Addressing Montreal's notorious traffic issues could enhance the safety of paramedics by reducing the delays caused by congestion, as suggested in the NoTraffic research using artificial intelligence (AI).
- A directive could be implemented for drivers to yield appropriately in turn lanes, potentially minimizing response delays and increasing road safety, as mentioned in the Driver Education in Turn Lanes study.
- Jacques, a seasoned paramedic, expressed concerns about the destructive trend of disregard for emergencies by drivers in Montreal, and recognized the importance of collaboration with services like Montreal's EMMIS team for improved localized emergency planning.
- In order to protect the health and wellness of paramedics and the public they serve, it's crucial to address the societal issue of indifference towards emergency situations and focus on science-based solutions, such as road infrastructure changes and innovative traffic management systems like those in the Road Diets and Emergency Vehicle Access study in Cedar Rapids.
