Are the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) and the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) doing too little for urban carpooling? A company specializing in the field believes so, denouncing the “opaque” nature of the discussions on the mitigation measures surrounding the partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel.
Posted at 12:00 a.m.
“It’s radio silence. We never get a positive or negative answer. “At the end of the line, the president of Netlift, Marc-Antoine Ducas, does not take off. He regrets that his company, although recommended by Quebec in its “plans B” to avoid congestion, is not involved in discussions surrounding mitigation measures on construction sites.
Even the partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel did not change the content of the discussions, according to him. “We present costed proposals, we are operators, so we know what will work or not. But since there is no [suite], we are not moving forward. And we try to understand what justifies this silence, ”continues the businessman.
His company notably sent a briefing note on the tunnel to Assistant Deputy Minister of Transport Jean Séguin in September, arguing that the closure of three lanes out of six “was foreseeable and avoidable”. “It is incomprehensible for the population and employers that a few days before the closure of the tunnel, there are not more mitigation measures”, says Netlift.
A “turnkey” solution – an adaptation of Netlift and its urban carpooling mobile application – was proposed to the ARTM on September 7, show the documents obtained by The Press.
Netlift also responded more recently, on October 17, to a call for tenders from the ARTM to develop a “dynamic carpooling pilot project” as part of the work on the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel. “It’s stalled,” confirms Marc-Antoine Ducas, whose company has dozens of organizations as clients, including CIUSSS and major Montreal manufacturers. “Meanwhile, every day, right now, we receive between four and five new requests,” says the founder of Netlift.
Quebec and the ARTM remain cautious
Called to react, the Ministry of Transport limited itself to a laconic comment. “The MTQ mandated the ARTM to set up the process for implementing a carpooling application. You have to contact her for information on the call for tenders and the contracting process, ”replied the spokesperson for the Ministry, Sarah Bensadoun.
At the ARTM, spokesperson Simon Charbonneau argues that “work is underway” for delivery “at the beginning of winter 2023” of a carpooling platform. “Consultation with the partners in the transport sector concerned is taking place. […] Specialized companies, including Netlift, have been contacted,” he explains, also confirming that he received a proposal from Netlift on October 17. “We will be able to publicly confirm the name of the winner soon,” he said.
At Voyagez Futé, a travel management center created in 2002 at the initiative of the MTQ to facilitate contacts between industry and government, the general manager, Aline Berthe, confirms that she was mandated “this fall” to sound out public opinion. of several companies, with a view to mitigating measures.
“The authorities are intensely in action to put in place mitigation measures. But yeah, maybe they don’t cater to some vendors as much as they would like. And maybe also that some would have liked it to be done earlier, ”she explains in an interview.
At the same time, there could also have been an anticipation of certain groups, to come to us. We are here for that.
Aline Berthe, General Manager of Voyagez Futé
“It seems that sometimes you have to have a bit of a knife to your throat. When there is an emergency, the human reacts a little more quickly. But at the same time, if the MTQ had mandated us a year in advance, I don’t know if that would have changed anything, honestly,” continues Ms.me Bertha.
Expert calls for dialogue
The holder of the Mobility Chair at Polytechnique Montréal, Catherine Morency, says she “understands” Netlift’s grievances. “They are right to wonder why they are not consulted more, why they are not really part of the team. It’s very sad what is happening,” she said.
“The system, at the moment, is not efficient. It is nonsense that there is not more integrated planning of mobility challenges. It’s the same thing for the REM: we learn everything in a darkness that is really annoying. It gives the impression that transportation can be a matter of negotiations, when it should be a matter of science,” adds Ms.me Morency.
In terms of urban carpooling, the reality, according to the professor, is that each platform “needs friends”. “The algorithms exist, we are able to pair commuters, but you always have to have an alternative that comes with it, so that it is less stressful to carpool. And for that, you have to analyze the complete chain, which we don’t currently do, ”underlines Mme Morency. “We rarely put the user at the heart of the problem in discussions. That’s the problem, ”concludes the specialist.