Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
Transports (MTQ) is raising awareness among road users about the dangers of snowplow operations, specifically focusing on the limited visibility experienced by snowplow drivers.
Driver behaviour is being targeted as visibility is significantly reduced around these heavy trucks that maintain the road network. The SPEC recently spoke with two ministry employees to better understand the challenges of clearing snow from the road network in a region like the Gaspé.
As soon as snow is forecast, the teams get to work. “We make sure that the vehicles are available, and that the required abrasives and salt are available, depending on the type and amount of precipitation. Depending on the winds, the temperature, the traffic, whether it’s night or day, if it’s sunny, we make sure of the number of vehicles we’ll need. As soon as the precipitation starts, the trucks go out,” says Conrad Boulay, team leader at the MTQ Gaspé service centre. The centre is responsible for internally clearing snow from Route 198 between York and downtown Gaspé, Highway 132 between downtown and Saint-Majorique and Route 197 to Rivière-au-Renard. Up to four snowplows may be required during heavy precipitation to clear snow or ice from these sections of the road. The rest is contracted out to private companies.
Contrary to popular belief, the teams react quickly. “The criteria are quite low. As soon as the precipitation starts, a truck starts on the road network and we add trucks as the situation evolves. We always have operators ready to act,” he says.
The materials used for snow clearing depend on the weather conditions, but also on the experience of the snowplow drivers. “It’s really teamwork,” says Mr. Boulay.
Once the team leader gives the order to take out the machinery, the driver gets to work by first starting a safety round. “I register on my electronic log (which compiles driving hours) and then my team leader gives me the recipe for the material to spread on the road,” says Patrick Langlais, a snowplow driver with several years of experience.
During a storm, the challenges are numerous. “For less experienced drivers, it’s keeping their plow on the yellow line and organizing themselves to see where they’re going. The other challenge is negotiating with other motorists. This year is tough because people are becoming more impatient and reckless. Motorists are impatient and are making dangerous maneuvers,” says Mr. Langlais.
“We see people passing too often in a cavalier and dangerous manner. I don’t want it, but I was talking about it with my team leader, but I feel an accident coming. Recently, a driver passed me with two cars coming in the opposite direction that had to move over to let him pass,” explains Mr. Langlais.
In addition, people are not aware that snowplow drivers have very limited visibility because of the equipment on their vehicles. “People don’t know this and they take risks. Recently, a driver passed me on the right. Given that my visibility is reduced and that I might have to move over to the shoulder to do my job, there are significant risks. I find that people are making strange decisions. You must not like the paint on your car very much to do that,” says Mr. Langlais.
Mr. Langlais suggests motorists “Stay at an angle where the driver can see you.” He explains that when the plow is raised on the right side he has practically no visibility.
Pedestrians walking at night or during precipitation are also at high risk, particularly when they are not wearing reflectors. “The bane of a plow driver is the pedestrian seen too late on the side of the road… You can imagine the disaster,” says the driver.
Another element that Mr. Langlais emphasizes is the need to travel on the yellow line to clear snow and spread abrasives effectively. “This is something I have to consider when I meet another motorist,” he says.
The photo that illustrates the article shows the truck’s blind spots, meaning that the driver cannot see what is happening inside the perimeter defined by the orange cones, hence the need to be careful when a driver passes a snow removal vehicle.
Some figures
The Lower Saint Lawrence-Gaspé Peninsula-Magdalen Islands Regional Directorate is responsible for more than 3,600 weighted kilometres of road maintenance.
The weighted kilometre refers to the unit of measurement for circuit lengths in winter maintenance. It is the physical length of the segment multiplied by an adjustment factor that takes into account the number of lanes and the complexity of maintenance.
The department sets the requirements based on the type of road (highway, national, regional, resource access road) and traffic flow.
For the region, this represents approximately 42% cleared roadways, approximately 39% partially cleared roadways and approximately 19% roadways on hardened snow.
The department itself performs 28% of winter maintenance, with the rest being maintained under contract or agreement.
The budget for winter maintenance is $56 million this year. More than 230 trucks use more than 76,500 tons of de-icing salts and more than 82,000 tons of abrasives.
