Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel | Techno and traffic

Google Maps, Waze, Transit, stopwatch : Apps on our smart phones guide the way we navigate cities. Other players, such as Communauto or Netlift, are trying to undo the solo car model. What influence could they have in the coming months, on the eve of the partial closure in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel?

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

Judith Lachapelle
The Press

Transfers to the arterial network

For Pierre Barrieau, transport planning expert from the University of Montreal, the impact of mobile applications will be “limited” in a context of heavy traffic congestion. “One of the problems with these applications is that they don’t hesitate to transfer traffic to the arterial and even local network. We can therefore expect a higher saturation of the small streets. It has already been experienced on other similar sites in North America,” he points out. The app Weather La Fontaine, designed by the government to provide real-time travel times to motorists, is also “relatively limited”, believes the specialist. “I would have preferred to see the emphasis on carpooling platforms. Several Quebec suppliers offer software that is among the best in the world in this respect,” says Mr. Barrieau.

Netlift could have “contributed”

The co-founder and CEO of the urban carpooling platform Netlift, Marc-Antoine Ducas, rightly deplores not having been involved enough. “We have never been able to integrate with the authorities, which is what has forced us to focus our offer on businesses since last year,” explains Mr. Ducas. He says he is convinced that a “well thought out and well designed” urban carpooling platform could have reduced congestion. “The entry-exit mechanism in carpooling is relatively simple. And the digital hardware to operate it, that’s our expertise. It is already ready,” he recalls. In the eyes of Mr. Ducas, the success of carpooling is based on three criteria: reserved lanes, incentive parking and fuel reimbursements based on the distance traveled.

Lack of coordination

Behind the applications debate, of course, hides that of ambient congestion, which even technology is finding it increasingly difficult to avoid, all sectors combined. In recent days, more and more voices have been raised to criticize the inadequacy of the mitigation measures around the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, but also their lack of coordination. In interview with The Press Thursday, the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, recognized that a “communication challenge” was necessary, “in particular a few days” from the closing of the tunnel. “But we made sure that our communications are well done, that we offer everything we can offer, that the message goes well everywhere in the municipalities,” she defended herself.

Communauto could adapt

At Communauto, vice-president Marco Viviani confirms that he has had discussions in recent months with several partners, “about mobility on the South Shore”. “We discussed, for example, the possibility of expanding our FLEX service there, which could offer a complement to public transit for certain users. For the moment, we have stations in Boucherville, but they are not that developed, so the effect is limited,” illustrates Mr. Viviani. He also says he is “certain” that many people “will think of Communauto to do carpooling” interrives.

App testing

Can apps predict how long a traffic jam will last? Very hardly. For our experience, we have registered a trip scheduled for Monday morning, October 31, from Boucherville, for an 8 a.m. arrival at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital in Montreal.