(Quebec) The outgoing mayor of Quebec, Régis Labeaume, asks Premier François Legault to reconsider the construction of a third road link between Quebec and Lévis.
“As a last gesture, I would like to share some concerns with you,” he wrote in a long letter to the Prime Minister posted on social networks on Friday.
Mr. Labeaume points out that three quarters of the vehicles that leave the South Shore at rush hour come from the west and go to the west of Quebec.
Most residential development on the South Shore is also taking place in the west.
Why would people drive additional kilometers east to take a Quebec-Lévis tunnel, if not only to return west to their final destination, wonders the mayor.
“How could these motorists save time? He asks, saying he fears the impacts of a third link on the North Shore road network, which is already saturated.
Mr. Labeaume also asks the government to measure the effects of a third link on urban sprawl on the South Shore side.
As for the safety argument, “what is the statistical impact of having both bridges blocked at the same time over a long period of time?” ”
“Has this happened since the opening of the Pierre-Laporte Bridge 50 years ago? […] The answers to all of these questions should go beyond opinion and be based on scientific analysis, ”he said.
Lower cost solutions
Mr. Legault should “change his mind,” suggests Régis Labeaume, who in his letter suggests some alternatives to relieve road congestion from the South Shore.
For example, why not add a new traffic lane on the Pierre-Laporte Bridge, in the direction of morning and evening traffic, as is done on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco?
This would increase the capacity to circulate by a third, he writes.
The outgoing mayor indicates that it would also be possible to modify, upstream and downstream of the bridges, the entry and exit routes, or to establish a major public transport project on the South Shore of Quebec.
This latest proposal would, he said, allow several families to drop their second car and save thousands of dollars, while freeing up traffic on bridges.
“Together, these solutions would correct the road congestion situation for a long time, it seems to me, and this, for only part of the 10 billion dollars of investments planned for the tunnel. ”
Give hope to youth
Régis Labeaume ends his letter by affirming that a change of orientation in relation to the third link “would give hope to the youth of Quebec and position themselves in harmony with their convictions”.
“In terms of social cohesion, there would only be advantages,” he concludes.