While the pandemic has changed mobility habits – the Samuel-De Champlain and Jacques-Cartier bridges are at 121% and 105% of their pre-pandemic levels –, the problems are just beginning. The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel will close three lanes out of six, further increasing the pressure on the road network. It therefore becomes clear that the closed lanes of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel will involve major traffic jams.
Before crying chaos, let’s look at the solutions that can be implemented in the short term.
Your opinion
interests us.
Do you have an opinion to share? A text between 300 and 600 words that you would like to submit to us?
Carpooling and reserved bus
An obvious solution is to stimulate carpooling and public transport. A great way to do this is to offer them dedicated lanes, especially in very congested places such as bridges. With goodwill, this could be done in a matter of weeks.
The logic is quite simple: if we can double the number of people per vehicle, turning a general lane into a reserved lane is equivalent to adding a lane.
In order to maximize the use of these reserved lanes – and therefore to further relieve the other lanes – a pricing system could be applied for single motorists wishing to use the reserved lanes. Moreover, this money could be used to improve the quality and frequency of the intercity bus system, in particular by setting up a network of eco-shuttles – remember that shuttles already exist through the “What is your plan B? from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
That said, a problem remains. People love their cars because it picks them up at point A and drops them off at point B. However, suburban public transit does not offer this ease.
This is where car sharing takes root, as well as micromobility – electric bikes and electric scooters, in particular.
Subsidized car sharing
It is common to think of applications of the type Uber and Lyft as a substitute for public transport. However, a recent study shows that car sharing, when subsidized for the last mile, is in fact complementary. That is to say, it helps to increase the value of the network. In this sense, individuals opting for eco-shuttles could not only take advantage of reserved lanes – enabling them to save time – but also be served by car-sharing services during the last mile. This option is particularly attractive for the east and west of Montreal, which are not as well served by public transit. Companies wishing to do so could also contribute; they have every interest in these times of labor scarcity. Moreover, the government could ensure that this is not a taxable benefit, for the duration of the work.
Bike sharing system
A more affordable and decentralized system is bike sharing. Although imperfect, if we take into account our winter context, it not only makes it easy to complete the last mile, but an American study on the city of Washington reveals that it also reduces traffic congestion by approximately 4%. . Moreover, a bike-sharing system is only more effective in heavily congested areas – a bit like the Jacques-Cartier and Samuel-De Champlain bridges. In this sense, “Bixi” stations on the South Shore of the bridges, in particular equipped with electric bicycles, are desirable. That said, it is up to the government to offer incentives to Bixi – or another entity – to take this avenue.
Conclusion
The partial closure of Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine will put pressure on the road system. However, it is also a golden opportunity to reform our mobility in order to improve its “affordability” and efficiency. The above proposals go in this direction and are achievable in the following year.
As Churchill said, “a good crisis should never be wasted”.
Hugo Cordeau, PhD student in economics at the University of Toronto