The conclusion of the year 2023 proved to be particularly difficult for the public transport sector, a trend which, unfortunately, continues in 2024. Between the financing problems facing our transport companies, the incessant adventures of the tramway of Quebec, the repeated setbacks of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) and the radical reduction of 230 positions at the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the picture is not encouraging for the future of sustainable transport in Quebec.
At the same time, the metropolis recently unveiled a technological initiative in the form of an advanced platform intended to share detailed data on Montreal construction sites. The objective? Clarify everyone’s responsibilities and specify work schedules to – hopefully – make life easier for citizens. At first glance, these two realities may seem to share no connection or kinship with each other. But looking closer, we see that both outline the contours of a much larger interconnected issue.
Recently, while I was browsing Facebook — yes, it happens to me — my eye was captivated by a publication displaying a photo of the Plaza Saint-Hubert dating from the 1940s. I know very well that you should not read comments. My curiosity still took over.
The vast majority of comments were summed up in one sentence: look how magnificent the roadway is: no potholes! Obviously the street was beautiful at that time! There weren’t many cars. However, what first caught my attention was the architectural elegance emanating from the whole: the finesse of the facades, the presence of awnings, the almost total absence of motorized vehicles and, above all, the many pedestrians. It’s true that it was better before: “Make Plaza Great Again!” “.
One of my first steps, after my election in 2009, was to request from the general management an exhaustive assessment of the state of the roads and sidewalks in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, as well as the budget necessary to remedy the situation. their degradation. I was also curious about the estimated time frame for making these improvements. Like any newly elected official, I was filled with optimistic naivety, convinced that I could surpass the achievements of my predecessors through the force of firm political will.
Their verdict quickly brought me back to a desperately clear reality. To rehabilitate the borough’s 250 kilometers of streets and 400 kilometers of sidewalks, it would have been necessary to spend approximately $12 million per year for at least 14 years. However, the budget allocated to infrastructure, including parks, sports centers, leisure centers, swimming pools, aquatic facilities and traffic calming measures, only amounted to $8 million annually. In reality, we only had about $2 million each year for roads and sidewalks.
The reality, unfortunately predictable, has not changed. Unless there is massive and disproportionate spending on our road infrastructure, it is illusory to think about filling this maintenance gap accumulated over the years. In fact, for decades, more than 60% of our public transport spending has been used to either build new roads or maintain them.
To break this infernal cycle of poor maintenance and continual degradation, the options are limited. The main cause of road deterioration lies in the intensity and weight of traffic, particularly heavy vehicles. Added to this are the impacts of our intensive snow removal methods, the use of abrasives and various infrastructure works which further weaken the roadway, thus concocting an infallible recipe for the proliferation of eternal potholes!
I don’t want to rub salt in the wound, but the inevitable thaw season is upon us, ready to reveal its annual share of roadways riddled with holes. This period will inevitably be accompanied by a flood of comments and reports on the disastrous state of our roads, followed closely by the repair season and its procession of orange cones. Interestingly, these complaints often come from the same voices that previously criticized the state of infrastructure. Who knows, we should tune in.
Real change comes through public transportation. Without massive investment in this sector, the bottomless pit of road spending will remain gaping. Experience proves it: fewer cars equal less damage. We absolutely must view public transit not as an expense, but as an essential investment in the future of our cities.
It is time to review our vision: public transport must be seen as a fundamental public service, just like health and education, and not as a simple line of expenditure. Across the world, the idea of mobility as a service, “MaaS” (Mobility as a Service), changes the way we think about access to transport. Here, we are still going around in circles around the capabilities of the Caisse de dépôt et placement to deploy a real structuring transport network. Misery !