Ecological neighbourhoods
In the 2024-2025 winter, an ecological pilot project (quartiers écologiques) will be set in place in several sectors. The idea will be to use crushed stone instead of road salt on slippery sidewalks.
This project is part of the effort to fight and adapt to climate change, and aims to improve the quality of our environment and preserve our fragile ecosystems by reducing the use of road salt. Road salt can disrupt the balance of aquatic ecosystems and increase the vulnerability of water used to produce drinking water.
Other than the environmental benefits, this practice could enable Gatineau, over the long term and more widely, to achieve significant savings by reducing the cost of road maintenance in the winter and better preserving infrastructures. When mixed with water runoff, deicing salts corrode structural steel in sidewalks, curbs, light standard footings and urban furniture.
Users of those roads must adapt their driving accordingly by slowing down and allowing for greater braking distances. Throughout the winter, special attention will be paid to road conditions in those neighbourhoods and, if necessary, operations will be adapted in the interest of user safety. Signs will be posted at the entrances to the selected sectors.
In the event of freezing rain or icy conditions, melters (ice melter salt) will still be applied at critical spots such as curves and stops in the interest of user safety.
Gatineau residents affected by this pilot project for environmentally-friendly winter streets will receive an explanatory letter about it.
Map of streets involved in the pilot project
Neighbourhood to the west of Forêt-Boucher
Neighbourhoods surrounding lac Beauchamp
Angers neighbourhood (south of route 148)
Recognized for its quality of life, Gatineau is a city of 292,000 inhabitants. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, and extends east and west of the Gatineau River.