Let’s take the road circuit from the extreme east of Pointe-aux-Trembles to the city center and stop at the access to Highway 25. Heading west in the morning and heading east at the end of the day, the Notre-Dame and Sherbrooke streets are experiencing traffic congestion on a daily basis, from Monday to Friday. We are preparing for a future where the automobile will have to be less present and where the engines will be mainly electric. So inevitably, a public transport system must be put in place that meets the needs of the population of the sector while allowing the development of the neighborhoods it includes. The question of transit from one network to another is not just a simple concept. It involves additional travel time for users who are parents, with the schedule requirements that we know.
We should not add to it by promoting densification around the stations, nor move away from park-and-ride lots by offering a shuttle to the REM. This is what was decided for the western portion of the project. The Caisse and CDPQ Infra have a process for maximizing the property value around future stations which, in itself, runs counter to accessibility and user-friendliness that respect the daily lives of the target clienteles.
The organizations responsible for the file have on their work table much more than mere integration issues. The STM and the ARTM must also ensure that the development of the REM de l’Est favors the growth of the pool of users, and not the increase in property taxes as in the other areas of establishment.
The big problem is that to date, CDPQ Infra has not demonstrated its sensitivity to the urban issues of car reduction and presents itself more as a real estate construction accelerator. The current outcry surrounding the foreseeable number of users, both for the REM and the STM green line, is therefore not surprising with a partner such as CDPQ Infra.
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