Construction of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) stations continues, and the 67-kilometer light rail is expected to begin operating next year. But will the development around the stations make future users want to go there by bike or on foot? According to an initial assessment conducted by researchers at McGill University this summer, we could do better, particularly in the suburbs.
“In the suburbs, it’s easier to design a station for cars and more difficult for active transportation,” said Léa Ravensbergen, post-doctoral fellow at McGill University and who worked on this study with five other McGill researchers. and the University of Montreal. “If it’s possible to get to a station only by car, there’s a limit to the number of parking spaces available, and that takes up space,” she says.
This may affect the use of the future network. “Given the scale of the investment in the REM, we want to check whether the municipalities are taking the opportunity to make room for cyclists and pedestrians, and that the project is optimized as much as possible”, emphasizes the researcher.
Around 25 stations were evaluated between the end of May and the beginning of July. Within a perimeter of 500 meters, using a form with precise criteria, a team observed whether there were, for example, cycle paths, sidewalks, road markings, road signs, lighting or benches.
A score was assigned to each station. Stations like Anse-à-l’Orme, Brossard, Fairview-Pointe-Claire, Grand-Moulin and Kirkland are at the bottom of the ranking. However, improvements are to be expected around some of them. The development around stations in Montreal is already more favorable to active transportation. Central Station, McGill, Édouard-Montpetit and Marie-Curie are notably at the head of the peloton.
Du Quartier, an example to follow
However, one station outside Montreal pleasantly surprised researchers by coming in second: Du Quartier, in Quartier Dix30 in Brossard.
“This is a very good example to follow for other stations in the suburbs, it should be a standard that inspires others”, underlines Léa Ravensbergen. There are cycle paths, as well as sidewalks with a space that separates them from the street, pedestrian crossings and trees.
The researchers are surprised that, a few kilometers to the north, the surroundings of the future Panama station are not more convivial.
Alain Gauthier, director of communications for the City of Brossard, explained by email to To have to that the City does not have “all the latitude to intervene as quickly and easily” as it would like. The Panama station is glued to Boulevard Taschereau, which is under the responsibility of the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ).
The municipality is however in a process to define the “future downtown of Brossard” and is currently consulting its citizens. “All of this will allow us to clearly define the needs and create facilities that meet the requirements of REM users, cyclists and pedestrians, while integrating with the existing urban residential environment. We are going to create real living environments around this station, ”he promises. Improvements are also planned around the Brossard station.
For its part, CDPQ Infra recalls that the profitability of the project is based on actual traffic. “The network must be efficient and attractive, but people must also be able to access the stations,” admits the director of communications, Jean-Vincent Lacroix.
However, he mentions that CDPQ Infra has no power over the entire movement of a user between his home and the station. Its field of action is concentrated on the periphery close to the stations. “It is a question of making sure to have parking spaces for bicycles or numerous bus docks”, enumerates the spokesperson.
“This does not prevent the fact that we want to be important allies, so that it is as fluid as possible,” he adds. He thinks that development around the stations will be there to encourage active transportation. “I would be extremely surprised if the status quo remains after the arrival of a station, ”he said. Discussions are also underway with Bixi and Communauto so that they can set up in new sectors.
Angry Pointe-Claire
However, CDPQ Infra’s position does not appeal to all municipalities. In an email sent to To have to, the City of Pointe-Claire claims to be “well aware” that “significant” improvements must be made around the two REM stations located on its territory. “The challenge in Pointe-Claire is mainly that of the lack of simple, efficient and safe access to the REM stations,” writes the director of communications, Marie-Pier Paquette-Séguin.
The municipality says it has “taken steps” with CDPQ Infra, which replied that pedestrian and cycle access, as well as the facilities around the stations, are not its responsibility. The two stations will however serve the citizens of several cities and boroughs in the surroundings, underlines the City. “However, according to CDPQ Infra, it is the City of Pointe-Claire which should alone assume all the costs to ensure easy access and good integration of these stations into our living environments”, writes the spokesperson.
While the very arrival of public transport is only very recent in the western suburbs, it should be noted that our road network is still struggling to adapt to it, especially with regard to active transport.
The City nevertheless plans to invest to better develop the area. “The desirable developments around and near the new REM stations will also be planned in consideration of user needs and quality of life. But it is still necessary that those responsible for the REM project share these concerns and, above all, be prepared to plan and implement realities in this regard, ”says Marie-Pier Paquette-Séguin.
The municipality of Deux-Montagnes, for its part, affirms that the researchers’ assessment does not reflect the reality of the future Grand-Moulin station, given that the surroundings are currently under construction. “Once the site is finished, people in the area will be able to take advantage of an enlarged cycle path,” writes a spokesperson in an email sent to To have to. The speed limit is already set at 30 km / h in our streets, and illuminated speed displays have been added in the streets adjacent to the Grand-Moulin station. Street lighting and vegetation will also be present. “
For its part, the municipality of Kirkland says it has the objective of making its station accessible. “While the very arrival of public transport is only very recent in the western suburbs, let us note that our road network is still struggling to adapt to it, especially with regard to active transport”, underlines the director of communications, Lise Labrosse, at To have to. According to her, significant investments have been made to promote active transportation near Kirkland station, but she responded to the To have to not being able to detail the projects.
Academics will keep the development of the REM in their rearview mirror. They will study the surroundings of the stations again next summer to check if there are any changes, within a perimeter greater than one kilometer. A third assessment will be made in 2023.