The calculation method of Quebec on the need for the Quebec-Lévis tunnel is called into question, while the mayor of Sorel-Tracy takes up the pilgrim’s staff to provide his city with a first inter-river link.
Posted at 8:00 p.m.
The Legault government presented a new indicator on Thursday to justify the need for the Quebec-Lévis tunnel, the “PPM”: the number of “bridges per million inhabitants”. This criticized measure does not include the population of the cities of Longueuil, Laval or Brossard, for example, but that of Lévis is included in the case of Quebec.
Most of the experts consulted by The Press are categorical: invoking an index of “bridges per million inhabitants” simply does not hold water. “It’s a bit ridiculous. We are comparing things that are absolutely not comparable. First, the Montreal/crowns ratio is around 50-50, while in Quebec, the ratio is more like 80-20 with the North Shore. It does not generate the same volumes, ”says transport planning specialist Pierre Barrieau, lecturer at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
“In fact, we shouldn’t talk about bridges per person, but rather about person-ways. Eight two-lane bridges versus two four-lane bridges are the same thing. If we want to be serious, we have to have the right indicators,” continues Mr. Barrieau, for whom the question of trucking is also “not at all the same” in Quebec and Montreal, in particular.
Ultimately, for Mr. Barrieau, the “PPM” is probably only an “illustration to be used for political demonstration purposes”.
The reality is that we must also include the concentration of jobs, public transit, the environment. Montreal is an archipelago, while Quebec borders a river. It’s not the same thing at all.
Pierre Barrieau, transportation planning specialist and lecturer at UQAM
Same story with Shin Koseki, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at the University of Montreal. “I’m very surprised by the idea of an index of bridges per million. I largely doubt the scientific value of such an index. Referring to it, the report [induit la population en erreur] on the usefulness of the third link project”, he accuses.
Moreover, even if this index had been “proven” scientifically, which Mr. Koseki says he “strongly doubts”, the fact remains that “it is not possible to compare the number of bridges between two cities like Montreal and Quebec” , he confirms, because of the many geographical and urban differences between the two cities.
At Trajectoire Québec, director Sarah V. Doyon agrees. “We were quite surprised by this justification, and by others as well. Whether we are talking about PPM or kilometers per inhabitant, regardless of the index, we should not increase road capacity for commuting purposes,” she insists.
“In what the government presented to us on Thursday, there are no need studies, and not much new apart from new arguments, each more eccentric than the other,” adds Ms.me Doyon.
Sorel-Tracy still dreams of its first bond
While ministers of the Legault government are multiplying the arguments in favor of his third link project in the Capitale-Nationale region, the mayor of Sorel-Tracy, Serge Péloquin, says he feels like he is preaching in the desert.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Serge Péloquin, Mayor of Sorel-Tracy
“We report it, we ask for it, and the Ministry of Transport, the only discourse it serves us is: pay for your study yourself [sur la pertinence d’un tel ouvrage reliant Sorel à Tracy]. We don’t have any financial aid [de Québec]it is the citizens who should pay for it, ”he protests.
However, the need for a link between Sorel-Tracy, in the Center-du-Québec region, and Lanoraie, in Lanaudière, is obvious, according to him.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Sorel-Tracy Ferry
The crossing between Sorel-Tracy and Lanoraie would be struggling with major congestion problems since the start of work in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, where partial closures are expected until at least 2024.
The government talks about bridges per million. I calculate more in bridges per minute. The closest bridges to us, the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel and the Laviolette bridge, are over a 50-minute drive from us.
Serge Péloquin, Mayor of Sorel-Tracy
“Unofficial” discussions would have taken place with the Minister for Transport, Chantal Rouleau, who also represents the riding of Pointe-aux-Trembles, says Serge Péloquin, but they were not followed up.
The crossing that connects the shores to this location is the busiest in the province after that of Tadoussac, on the North Shore, with approximately 950,000 crossings annually, including 550,000 cars. At $9.15 a ticket, a Sorelois who works on the other side of the river must plan more than $3,000 a year to go and work with his Lanore neighbors, recalls Serge Péloquin.
In addition, a bridge at this location would serve the entire region, which includes many expanding cities such as Mascouche, L’Assomption or the east of Montreal, he says.