Over the past few years, Montreal has carried out a vast project to beautify Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue, which borders the Olympic Stadium. Except that the newly built roundabout at the corner of rue Leclaire turns out to be unusable for the buses of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) because of the safety risks for other road users. Design problem or production problem? Neither the City of Montreal nor the STM were able to answer this question. They are now busy trying to find a solution.
In 2019, the City of Montreal launched work to reduce the number of automobile traffic lanes on Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue, described as “Soviet” given its oversized size. The project aimed in particular to widen the sidewalks, build a bike path and plant trees. The plans also called for the construction of two roundabouts, one at the intersection of avenue Desjardins, and the other at the corner of rue Leclaire, near the Viau metro station.
The reality check
Before the work, buses that stopped in front of Viau station to drop off passengers used a loop set up next to the station to turn around and resume their journey. This loop has been eliminated, and the land will be landscaped and greened to improve access to the Olympic Park from Viau station. The roundabout built at the corner of rue Leclaire was now supposed to allow buses to turn around and return to the east.
Except that once the work was done, the authorities had to face the facts: given the configuration of the infrastructure and the risks for cyclists in particular, it could be dangerous to run buses in this roundabout. “Following field tests carried out in December in the presence of City and STM representatives, it was agreed that the STM could not use the new roundabout on Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue in its current layout because of too great a risk of clashes between buses and road users,” said Philippe Déry, spokesperson for the STM, by email.
Buses on lines 136, 125 and 34 can no longer stop in front of the Viau metro station. Instead, they must take another route to leave their passengers on the south side of Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin.
According to the president of the union of bus drivers, metro operators and employees of related services of the STM (SCFP 1983), Pino Tagliaferri, the risks of collisions with cyclists are significant. “The cycle path encroaches on the roundabout, which presents a risk of accident. A cyclist is silent and can arrive at a faster speed than one would think. Often, when you see it, it’s already too late,” he explains.
In an attempt to resolve the problem, the STM and the union submitted solutions to the City. “It doesn’t necessarily mean rebuilding the roundabout, but it could mean reconfiguring the bike path differently,” says Tagliaferri.
The cycle path encroaches on the roundabout, which presents a risk of accident. A cyclist is silent and can arrive at a faster speed than one would think. Often, when we see it, it’s already too late.
If he is not unduly offended by this glitch, he regrets that the STM and the City did not consult the union and solicit the experience of the drivers before doing the work. “Sometimes they forget us in the consultations. »
The City and the STM did not want to say whether it was a design or construction problem. They were also sparing in commenting on the solutions envisaged and the additional costs that these pitfalls would entail. The duty was therefore unable to obtain an interview with the chairman of the STM board of directors and municipal councillor, Éric Alan Caldwell, or the mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais.
Rising costs
“The Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue project represents a unique development plan in Quebec. It is the result of long-term work in which citizens and partners have been involved throughout the process to develop a street in the image of the 21st century.e century, which meets the needs of everyone,” said Mayor Valérie Plante’s office. As for the problems related to the roundabout, the City indicates that it is working on “adjustments”.
In 2021, the City awarded a contract totaling 30 million to the contractor Demix Construction to carry out road works and various lighting and traffic light works for the section of avenue Pierre-De Coubertin located between the de La Salle Avenue and Viau Street, the third phase of the project. It was not possible to obtain the company’s comments on this.
When the City launched the Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue redevelopment project in 2017, the cost of the project was estimated at $16 million. City documents indicate, however, that a 6.3 million contract was awarded to EuroVia in 2019 to carry out work in the section between Bourbonnière Avenue and Pie-IX Boulevard. In 2020, another 9.1 million contract was awarded by the STM to MGB associés for work on the section between Pie-IX Boulevard and LaSalle Avenue.