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Laval’s streets are turning into ice rinks and residents are concerned

Click to play video: 'Laval mother skates on icy streets'
Laval mother skates on icy streets
WATCH ABOVE: A Laval mother strapped on her skates and glided up and down her neighbourhood streets to prove just how icy the roads are – Feb 12, 2019

A Laval mother strapped on her skates Monday afternoon and glided up and down her neighbourhood streets to prove just how icy the roads are.

She posted a video to social media, arguing the surface is so slick because not much has been done to relieve the situation in weeks.

READ MORE: Travel alerts issued as winter storm expected to bring up to 40 cm of snow to Montreal

“I’m not usually one to complain, but I feel we’re unsafe,” Sidney Tayebi told Global News.

“There’s no salt, nothing on all the streets. It’s an ice-skating rink. It’s getting worse and worse.”

Tayebi, who lives on André-du Bouchet Street, says she’s contacted the City of Laval several times over the last three weeks, but officials have refused to send crews to clear the build-up of ice.

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WATCH BELOW: Montreal snow wars

Click to play video: 'Montreal snow wars'
Montreal snow wars

“We’ve been calling the city almost every day,” Tayebi told Global News.

“Ice came, then snow, then rain. We told them to come clean it because it was getting slippery and they haven’t come.”

READ MORE: Dollard-des-Ormeaux residents feeling trapped by icy streets

Tayebi said she called again recently, after hearing that a major storm was on its way.

“They said, ‘Look, we’re going to get snow now in the next couple of days and that [clearing ice] is not the priority,” she said.
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“I said, ‘What if someone falls? What if a kid is walking to the bus stop and they fall and injure their head? It’s not safe at all. It’s not safe for the kids, it’s not safe for people who walk their animals, it’s not safe for pregnant women. It’s not safe for anybody, really.”

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Sarah Bensadoun, a spokesperson for the City of Laval, points out snow and ice removal over the last few weeks have been difficult.

WATCH BELOW: Wet winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal roads

Click to play video: 'Wet winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal roads'
Wet winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal roads

“The weather conditions that we had in the last few weeks were spectacular,” she told Global News.

“We had snow, ice, cold weather and sometimes, it went warm as well, so the operations that we we’re doing were complicated.”

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She noted also that the city’s snow-removal crews are currently working on strategies to battle the upcoming storm.

READ MORE: Icy Montreal sidewalks still a problem after recent winter storm, residents say

“Starting around 4 p.m., we will be on the snow-removal operation until the end of the precipitation and beyond that. It will take a few days to remove the snow,” Bensadoun said.

READ MORE: Slushy mess greets Montreal commuters after onslaught of freezing rain, snow

Tayebi points out several cars and school buses travel on her street.

She says she’s worried about what could happen if snow-removal trucks are added to the mix without the ice being taken care of first.

WATCH BELOW: Winter storm, extreme cold weather warnings across Eastern Canada

Click to play video: 'Winter storm, extreme cold weather warnings across Eastern Canada'
Winter storm, extreme cold weather warnings across Eastern Canada

“To be honest, I told the city, ‘I am scared. If you guys are saying you’re not coming to clean this and now the snow is a priority, you won’t see the ice. You will fall and hurt yourselves,'” she said.

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Tayebi argues she’s worried for the safety of the children in her neighbourhood — including her own five-year-old daughter.

READ MORE: Frigid weather continues in Eastern, Central Canada — bringing snow, rain and wind

“I don’t think this is a good response at all. They don’t care when we really need them,” she said.

“How are they keeping residents safe if they’re not clearing the ice? We’re at risk when we’re driving, hitting parked cars, kids are at risk when they’re walking to the bus stop. It’s crazy.”

“It’s very, very scary because I almost hit two parked cars yesterday and I was driving at 10 km/h. On ice, no matter what kind of car you have, you’ll slip.”

WATCH BELOW: Montreal gets walloped with snow as storm moves through

Click to play video: 'Montreal gets walloped with snow as storm moves through'
Montreal gets walloped with snow as storm moves through

rachel.lau@globalnews.ca

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