What's at stake: Safety

The Society, with information transmitted by the SAAQ, the STQ and the MTQ, has compared the number of deaths and severely injured which occurred between 1995 and 2000 (6 years) on the 112 km section of highway 138 on both sides of the Saguenay River and the 174 km section of highway 175 between Quebec and the Town of Saguenay.

The number of seriously injured and deaths per 100 mkt1 on the section of highway 138 at the approaches to the Saguenay River is 26% higher than the figure on the section of highway 175. Moreover, the number of deaths per 100 mkt on the funnel section on both sides of the Tadoussac ferry is more than 3 times higher than the average on the highways of Quebec (less than 1 death per 100 mkt2).

Investments of more than 700 M$ have already been announced to construct a four lane highway between Quebec and Chicoutimi with the first motive being to improve safety. The Quebec Transport Ministry ordered an impact study of 2 M$ for the construction of a bridge over the Saguenay River which would bring the death rate on funnel section from 3.31 to less than 2 deaths per 100 mkt

The Society chose to compare the section of highway 138 at the approaches to the Saguenay River to one of the most dangerous road sections in Quebec in order to really show the joint effects of the increasing congestion on the 138, the difficult road geometry on the 112 km section of highway 138 between La Malbaie and Les Escoumins (which would be partially corrected by the approaches of the bridge and the improvements in progress and foreseen for the road network) and the more severe effects of "ferry fever". The long distances travelled by the users of highway 138 and the necessary and often difficult cohabitation between automobiles and truck-trailers are aggravating factors which could explain the elevated danger at these two approaches to the Saguenay.

The governments of Quebec and Canada will soon have to make a crucial decision for the future of the North Shore Region; either they invest in the renewal of the existing ferries and new ferries towards the south shore of Quebec and Montreal, isolating it more and rendering it an island, or it accelerates the process aimed at the construction of a bridge over the Saguenay River which would definitely resolve the problems with safety and smooth traffic flow on the approaches to the Saguenay on the only direct access road to the region from large cities.

« So that new businesses can emerge and existing businesses can expand in the region, they must be able to count on modern transport and communication infrastructures »

« Quebec is a society open to the world. This openness requires transport infrastructures adapted to the new economic reality. Their modernization is essential in order to respond to the requirements linked to the globalization of markets. »3

The safety of the highway 138 at the Saguenay approaches is a major concern and one that cannot be ignored for the future of the North Shore Region and Labrador, as much as the economic concerns of Quebec and Canada for the development of the 2nd and 3rd transformation of raw materials coming from the region. For this, an effective road link between our region and the large cities is indispensable.

Security: The bottom of the Tadoussac hill : a high risk zone

This hill has a steep slope (up to 10%) one and a half kilometer long; it crosses an inhabited area of the village of Tadoussac and ends in the Saguenay river by passing over the pier of the ferry-boats.

The mechanical problem of a vehicle, the malaise of a driver or inclement weather conditions would suffice to transform a vehicle, particularly one of the 1000 truck-trailers which transport dangerous materials on this hill every month, into an actual bomb. In effect,occupants of the vehicles waiting at the bottom of the hill get out to stretch their legs while other vehicles are exiting the ferry. During peak traffic periods when the waiting lines go beyond the hill itself, or as soon as a dozen vehicles waiting for the ferry have accumulated, the entrance to the distress lane for vehicles with problems is obstructed. Thus making the worst scenario hardly avoidable.

Security: The Ferry Fever

All regular users of the ferry service at Tadoussac know the syndrome described by coroner Dr. Samson. This syndrome, fatal for some, results from the barely suppressed aggressive behaviour of a driver who is otherwise careful on the road. This aggressive behaviour is explained by the restraints imposed on the driver before, during or after crossing the Saguenay. The description of this syndrome corresponds closely to the experience of regular users of the ferry.

« This syndrome, dangerous for the person who has it, can have diverse repercussions for other drivers in the form of fatal accidents, serious injuries, minor injuries or material damage. Drivers who meet each other in either direction on both sides of the ferry can have this syndrome simultaneously and by this fact, greatly increase their risk of accidents. »

You can consult the coroner Arnaud Samson report following the accidental death of Mr Armand Turbis de Havre Saint-Pierre: coroner_2001.pdf (645Kb) and a letter of the ex-deputy Gabriel-Yvan Gagnon to Mr Guy Chevrette, ex-Minister for transport, on the ferry fever Tadoussac-Bay-Ste-Catherine: gagnon_2001.pdf (130Kb)

This syndrome greatly explains the death rate, more than 3 times higher than the provincial average, on both sides of the Saguenay on the highway 138. However, several other factors come into play.

Factors aggravating the "ferry fever" described by coroner Arnaud Samson on the funnel section from La Malbaie to Les Escoumins

Notwithstanding the difficulties related to the road network of which certain are described by coroner Samson, several factors combine to accentuate the problems of road safety linked to "ferry fever"

• An additional increase in the clientele foreseen (Naturam Study) and in future clientele (Labrador and North Shore projects, aluminium plants, hydroelectric plants and an end predicted to the Canada-American disagreement over softwood lumber);
• Dangers generated by the waiting lines at the ferries, by the circulation of pedestrians among the waiting vehicles and those who arrive at the end of the waiting line, by the traffic difficulty of the people in the villages on both sides of the Saguenay, by the imprecise definition of responsibilities as to the management of these long waiting lines particularly at the height of the tourist season;4
• Maritime dangers related i) to the increase in the numbers of vessels and small craft circulating at the mouth of the Saguenay and in the area ii) to weather conditions on the water, more particularly the fog in summer which prevents the use of a third ferry and the ice and winds during the winter which prevent the ferries from tying up, and which occasionally blows them into the St. Lawrence or rips them from their moors during loadings and unloadings, thus requiring ice breakers from the Canadian Coast Guard. The opportunity study underlines in part this reality :
  
  « On the other hand the vessels must take into consideration the alternative currents of the tides, strong winds channelled by the corridor of the Saguenay at 40 to 70 knots (60 to 100 km/h), fog which complicates the approaches to the docks and maritime traffic which travels perpendicular to the course of the ferries. All these navigation conditions are factors which can delay the ferry crossing on the Saguenay River or the approach and docking manoeuvres. During the winter with a northeast wind and a rising tide, ice from the St. Lawrence River accumulates between the two shores of the Saguenay and can complicate the crossing. In the spring, the ice melting upstream sometimes brings down large ice pans which obstruct the course of the ferry. »5
  
  

• Irritation of the drivers as to the maintenance of their vehicle or their clothes during the maritime crossing; narrow spaces between the vehicles, closeness of heavy-duty vehicles often covered with dust or mud, restricted manoeuvring space. More than half of the AEU (automobile equivalent units)6 transported by the eight ferries of the Quebec Ferry Society are done at Tadoussac7. Several incidents are reported here each year8;
• Circulation of the users of the ferries in sometimes disturbing conditions during strong winds when sea spray covers their vehicle or splashes the passengers. These situations are particularly hard during the winter.
• Detour by the Town of Saguenay by truckers from Quebec, Montreal or the region who prefer to make a long detour during which time they are paid for each kilometre travelled rather than waiting the night at the dock for which they receive no salary. Two fatal accidents which occurred between Bergeronnes and Tadoussac in the fall of 2002 involved these truckers who would not have made this long detour during the night if there had been a bridge.

The dangers and irritants aforementioned add to the effects of the "ferry fever" described by coroner Dr. Arnaud Samson; impatience of the drivers, risk-taking to arrive in time for the boat, attempts to get out of the string of traffic caused by the long line of vehicles exiting from the ferry etc.

The sum of the dangers and irritants added to the fatigue of a long trip aggravates the danger of the road section between La Malbaie and Les Escoumins. This is what explains why the rate of deaths and seriously injured is clearly higher here than on the dangerous section of highway 175 between Quebec and Saguenay (Chicoutimi) and why the death rate per 100 mkt is more than 3 times higher than the average on the highways of Quebec.9

By referring to studies done by the Ministry of Transport and to an analysis of recent deaths attributable to waiting at the ferry and to the other factors, whether independent or related to the "ferry fever" itself, the Bridge Society estimates that more than 50% of deaths and seriously injured could be avoided by the construction of a bridge and its approaches.

Some of these factors, seen by non-users of the ferry service, could seem insignificant or fraught with an emotional perception like the syndrome of "ferry fever" itself. However, the regular users of the ferry service and the people of the North Shore know this reality and the costs in life, injuries and other losses for their communities. The safety of the users of the road is a major concern and one that can't be ignored for the crossing of the Saguenay at Tadoussac. With the increase in traffic, the problem will intensify. It is thus imperative that decisions be made rapidly considering the predicted delay of 10 years before the completion of the bridge. The Quebec Transport Minister announced investment of 33 M$ in 1997 in order to improve the eastern approach of the highway. However, this work announced in 1997 and which was supposed to be spread out over 10 years has been delayed due to budget restrictions. This work should contribute to lowering the number of seriously injured despite the fact that it will not have any significant effect on ferry fever itself and its consequences for the safety of those using the highway.

© Copyright 2003 - The Society for a Bridge over the Saguenay
Design and realization:
Bridge simulation: SIMARD Michel et al (1999)