Put up fences to stop squalls

Re: “Ex-coroner says highway advice was ignored” (Montreal Gazette, Jan. 29)

Reacting to last Sunday’s 70car pileup near L’Assomption, former coroner René Duval said his recommendation in 2007 to plant trees along the highway to prevent snow squalls had been ignored.

Growing up in the Eastern Township, I used to see a lot of red wood fences installed in the fields adjacent to rural roads and was amazed at the amount of snow that was kept away from the roads. I am sure those fences saved many tragedies.

When snow is pushed into a road by wind, it creates a thin slippery layer of ice that often cannot be anticipated. This situation is often seen on Highway 10 going to Sherbrooke near the old Marieville toll gate.

Putting up fences costs money. But we might be losing money by having to clear and salt roads more often, besides the costs associated with accidents that might have been prevented. Normand Deshaies, N.D.G.