A citizen complained to the Ombudsman de Montréal about the noise and strong vibrations when heavy vehicles were passing on his street. He believed the poor maintenance of the pavement was the main reason for this problem and that a bump was at fault.
The citizen was also contesting the appropriateness of some parking prohibitions and complaining about the lack of garbage bins near his home as well as the general dirtiness of his street.
We discussed the situation with representatives of Arrondissement de Ville-Marie and personally went on location, to see for ourselves.
Our investigation confirmed that the noise and vibrations generated at the passing of heavy trucks were indeed intensified due to the presence of a bump on the pavement: this bump had been formed following the breach of an underground water-main. Because of the age of this main, the parts to repair it were not available on the market and Ville de Montréal had to order some made-to-measure ones. This explained the long delays encountered before the main could be repaired which, on the other hand, was a necessary requirement before the pavement could be restored. All of this work has now been completed.
As to the parking prohibitions, they were essentially for street cleaning purposes. However, we questioned the appropriateness of the existing five days a week parking prohibitions, whereas the City broom cleans this area only once or twice a week. We discussed this with borough representatives following which, a traffic study was conducted. The Borough Council later adopted a resolution limiting parking prohibitions in this area, for maintenance purposes, to two days per week.
Finally, the borough agreed to install additional garbage bins in close proximity to the citizen’s home, which has since been done.
