The wait has lasted long enough, it is high time to extend the blue line of the Montreal metro to Anjou. Despite a political and social consensus in favor of the project, residents of Montreal’s east end have been waiting for more than 30 years. Now we have to complete the project. The blue line must never again be an election promise.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Funding from the governments of Quebec and Canada was finally confirmed in 2019 and, since then, the players involved have met the necessary conditions to ensure the harmonious integration of the new infrastructure into the environments it will cross. Everything is now in place. For example, the special urban planning program for rue Jean-Talon Est will soon be adopted to adjust to the redevelopment and densification that the project will bring about.
The SRB Pie-IX will be put into service over the next year, which will link up with the extension of the blue line and will offer integrated and superior services to people living in the eastern part of the metropolis.
In parallel with the town-planning procedures, the expropriation process progressed well, not without difficulty. In several cases, the public authorities have had to assume a very high bill, demonstrating the urgency of reforming the expropriation regime in Quebec because it entails disproportionate delays and costs.
A matter of time
Faced with the costs of major infrastructure projects that are exploding throughout Quebec, no one will blame decision-makers for trying to optimize the project. However, let us avoid falling into new endless procrastination.
Several months ago, the group of experts set up by the Quebec government to limit costs submitted its report on the project. It is high time to follow up and finally approve the project’s business case to give the green light to the start of the work.
For a project of 6 billion dollars, each month of indecision costs at least ten million only in inflation! By delaying in taking the necessary decisions, we therefore increase project costs and feed cynicism regarding the capacity of public authorities to carry out major projects.
Sustainable mobility, at the heart of the Government of Quebec’s Plan for a Green Economy, must be a priority today, not in five years. We must act now.
A matter of fairness and accessibility
The eastern part of the metropolis has been the poor child of government investment for too long. The project constitutes a priority from the point of view of territorial equity.
We must seize the opportunity offered by the blue line to develop a housing offer that is well served by public transit and adapted to the needs of the local population. Let’s take advantage of the redevelopment of the sector to green neighborhoods while ensuring their affordability.
Both the City of Montreal and the Government of Quebec have expressed their firm intention to better link urban development with mobility projects. This is the perfect opportunity to do things right. Intermodality is a key to success. The new stations must be easily accessible on foot and by bicycle. Let’s take inspiration from international best practices for network interconnection, for example the Netherlands!
A question of priority
The Legault government has made the development of public transit a central element of its plan to fight climate change. Admittedly, the announcements of the REM de l’Est and REM de Longueuil projects testify to this desire. The debates surrounding these projects in no way justify slowing down the extension of the blue line. Remember that the project to extend the blue line enjoys great social acceptability and political consensus, and its implementation must therefore remain a priority.
As Quebec elections take place this fall, we will have to take stock of the achievements in terms of sustainable mobility. The ability to bring about the extension of the blue line should be one of the main criteria for analyzing the performance of the Legault government.
* Co-signers: Jean-Francois RheaultPresident and CEO of Vélo Québec; Emmanuel RondiaDirector General of the Montreal Regional Council for the Environment; Peter FriscoGeneral Manager of the Jean-Talon Commercial Development Company; Yves Bellavancecoordinator of the Montreal Coalition of Neighborhood Tables; Sandrine Cabana DeganiDirector of Piétons Québec; Jonathan RoyExecutive Director of the Pointe Community Development Corporation; Jean-Denis CharestPresident and CEO of the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce; Charles BonhommeSpecialist, Public Affairs, David Suzuki Foundation