Posted at 7:00 p.m.
The signals were there
For more than 15 years, we have been talking about the repair of the bridge-tunnel and conducting studies to assess the impacts on mobility, travel times and the costs associated with the various closure or impediment scenarios. . When I see on the news an alderman or an official of the City of Montreal saying that the Ministry of Transport had not notified the City of Montreal of the closing of a tunnel, I wonder what signals she was not seeing. For almost two years, we have been actively talking about the work to come and that preparations have been made (redoing the 25, among others). Anyone who has traveled on and through the bridge-tunnel in the past year has seen the work and the permanent closure of two southbound lanes, not to mention all the complete closures on weekends or certain weekday nights. Imagine what it will be like during the major repair of the Metropolitan Expressway. Can “Immobilité Montréal”, as you say, take note of this and “mobilize” and be proactive?
Andre Germain
Individual interest takes precedence
In addition to the lack of leadership of the Department of Transport and elected representatives of Greater Montreal on the subject, this editorial leads me to think that nowadays, out of opportunism, recklessness or lack of political courage, individual interest long before the collective interest.
Robert Giguere
Let public transit win
Let’s hope that this collective trauma serves as a lesson and encourages massive investments in public transport. That’s pretty much the only positive thing that can come out of all this mess.
Denis Bonenfant
Wait for the REM?
The REM was to be in service from the start of the work. Should work on the bridge-tunnel be delayed until next spring?
Robert Allard
Disorganized
Congratulations for having highlighted the lack of planning associated with this major work that will affect mobility, the economy and the safety of citizens. As residents of Pointe-aux-Trembles, we feel even more handicapped by the flagrant lack of effective access to public transit. Another fine example of the messy personality of this Legault government and the detachment of the government apparatus located in Quebec.
Michael Legros
A bad recipe
Montreal is the microcosm visible on the ground of bureaucratic Quebec. This way of procrastinating that always proceeds in the same way to pretend that we are taking care of it: create a committee that will entrust the work to sub-committees that will report to it. And then ? Nothing, except bad surprises and missed awakenings. Closer to home, see the crisis committee created to tackle the problem of emergencies in Montreal hospitals. Same old Quebec recipe.
Roger Boivin, Chicoutimi
Too late
It is characteristic of human beings to wait until their nose is in the wall before acting, which, as we know very well, is often too late.
Diane Mongeau, Laval
The fault of each other
Having worked in transport and logistics all my career, the obvious lack of transparency, will and competence in transport has always been lacking in Quebec, especially in the metropolis. Everyone passes the ball to who better, with in mind a mayor who always blames the other authorities while she prioritizes bike paths and parks…
Denis Lefebvre
Stuck Montrealers
We constantly talk about the repercussions of the closure of the tunnel on the people of the South Shore. But what about Montrealers in all this? Of all those who have chosen to work and live on the island, but especially of the residents of the east end of Montreal? Traffic is already a nightmare for us east of the tunnel precisely because of the people coming from the South Shore, but also the slew of trucks literally blocking Notre-Dame Street to get in or out of the port. ! In addition, it is announced that access to certain streets in the neighborhood adjacent to the tunnel will be closed! I would like a study that would explore the origin of cars on the main arteries of Montreal at rush hour, because I am rather convinced that at least half do not live on the island. However, it is the Montrealers who are held hostage in this. But what are we doing for us? Nothing ! We have difficulty getting around in our city and it has become almost impossible to get out. Take public transit, you might say. You know what ? Public transport is planned so that people who live off the island can get in and out; there are few effective options east of the city of Anjou. Take the REM de l’Est: there aren’t really any scheduled stops in this part of town. We do not have a metro station on the tip of the island. The train ? Why pay more when it takes so long to take the bus? Let’s bring back the toll bridges, but with dynamic pricing and impose carpooling in half of the bridge lanes. Let’s ban heavy trucks on bridges, highways and Notre-Dame Street during rush hour. Let’s make Montreal’s park-and-ride lots exclusive to Montrealers. Let’s give Montrealers full access to their island.
Martine Lefebvre, Pointe-aux-Trembles