May 29, 2006 – Air quality is deteriorating in Montreal to such an extent that it has consequences for the health of citizens. In fact, the air quality is rated as bad every fifth day. This is what a report says1 enhanced by the Direction de santé publique de Montréal, which maintains that it is urgent to give priority to public transport.
According to this report, the pollution generated by vehicles causes 1,500 premature deaths each year in the Montreal region. People who are more fragile, such as children, people with respiratory or heart disease, very physically active people and the elderly, are the most sensitive to pollutants.
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Main impacts of smog on health1 |
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Short term effects |
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Long term effects |
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In 2003, Montreal’s fleet consisted of more than 1.8 million cars, which represents an increase of 10% compared to 1998. By comparison, the population only increased by 3% during this same period.
The solutions of the Department of Public Health
“We don’t want to bring the countryside back to the city. Our message is this: offer a viable and sustainable alternative to the automobile. We are convinced that the solution lies in public transport infrastructure, ”says Dr.r Louis Drouin, scientific director of the report and responsible for the urban environment and health sector at the Direction de santé publique de Montréal.
The objective of the Direction de santé publique de Montréal? By 2020, reduce from 30% to 50% the proportion of Montrealers who use public transit, walk or bike to get to work or school. During rush hour, 65% of the inhabitants of the Quebec metropolis use their automobile to get around.
To achieve this goal, the Dr Drouin agrees that the government will need to improve public transit service. In its report, it also proposes to offer an accessible, fast, reliable, comfortable and safe bus, train and metro service, to implement fiscal measures to promote public transit, to reduce spaces parking spaces in the city and creating others near commuter train stations and offering a safer and more extensive network of cycle paths, etc.
Several cities have already embarked on the shift to sustainable transport. The authors cite as examples some cities in Europe, including Copenhagen, Zurich, Bordeaux, and North America, such as Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. In these cities, there have been global benefits not only on the health of the inhabitants, but also on the environment and the economy.
Other impacts on quality of life
The predominant use of the car has other effects on city dwellers: injuries and deaths linked to road accidents, noise pollution and physical inactivity.
According to various studies, recalls the Direction de santé publique de Montréal, obesity in children and adults strikes more in countries where walking and cycling have been abandoned in favor of automobile transport. This is the case in Canada, the United States and England. In France and Italy, the share of walking and cycling is 28%, and these countries have an obesity rate of around 9% among adults, compared to 15% in Canada.
Marie-Michèle Mantha – PasseportSanté.net
Version revised on 1er June 2006.
1. Urban transport, a health issue – Annual report on the health of the Montreal population, Direction de santé publique de Montréal, 2006. The data in this report come from numerous epidemiological studies carried out in Montreal and in major cities around the world. www.santepub-mtl.qc.ca [Consulté le 29 mai 2006].
