We’ve noted here that other cities have simply put physical barriers between their subway cars so you couldn’t so easily make the mistake. I’m hoping Montreal’s balking on this isn’t simply based on worship of the pure designs of the MR-63 and MR-73 trains.

I have to admit I’m not crazy about the platform doors idea, because it boxes things in and I think would make the stations feel claustrophobic. The best stations in Montreal’s system have high open volumes that would be spoiled by this boxing effect, and its vast expense would mean cutting back on other improvements like adding elevators to make the system more accessible.

Here’s a piece about platform doors from the perspective of the New York subway, and a more general Toronto Life piece on subway suicides and attempts in that city, and calls for platform barriers there too.

There’s been some grumbling that nobody spoke for the executive committee until today – the mayor is sitting shiva for his brother and Christian Dubois, responsible for public security, finally spoke to the media today. Louise Harel has made hay, people are scrambling to buy water – and environmental groups are agitating against PepsiCo profiting by bottling the city’s water as Aquafina – city water which it buys for 10 cents the 100 L is resold for between $3 and $6 the litre. This is one of the must-reads from the advisory.

I don’t think so.