Membership of the Quebec tramway is eroding. A Leger poll released Monday indicates that a majority of citizens now oppose the biggest project in the city’s modern history.
After distribution of the undecided, the tram only collects 44% of favorable opinions among the 500 respondents questioned between January 15 and 18. This is a slip of 5 points compared to a previous probe carried out in October by The sun.
The poll’s release comes as Bruno Marchand’s administration prepares to deliver an update on the streetcar, including on cost overruns and changes the new mayor is considering.
Six out of ten opponents believe that the tram is a vehicle that is not suitable for Quebec or that buses are sufficient to meet the needs of the population.
Among respondents who disagree with the project, 38% maintain that the tramway will increase congestion, while 35% believe that the $3.3 billion bill is too high. Respondents could cite several responses to explain their position.
In the supporters’ camp, 37% of respondents say they are convinced that the tramway will facilitate travel in the territory of Quebec. An almost equal proportion say they support the project because it is important to invest in public transit. Barely 14% of this category of respondents think that the tramway will contribute to the economic development of the capital.
The tramway project has not been well communicated in the past
Four years after the launch of the structuring public transport network project, 43% of those surveyed admit that they still know little about the project.
“We are convinced that increased communication efforts and greater transparency will help raise awareness of the project and boost the membership rate,” wrote Mayor Bruno Marchand in a press release. We must be better so that all citizens can discover and appropriate this one. We want the population to dream this project with us. »
Limoilou councilor and leader of the environmental party Transition Québec, Jackie Smith, said she was not surprised by the results of the survey. “The tramway project has not been well communicated in the past,” she says. I undertake to redouble my efforts with my colleagues at City Hall, both to guarantee transparency in the project and to explain its benefits to the population. »
More than half of the people surveyed by Léger were over 45 years old, and half of them say they never use the services of the Réseau de transport de la Capitale. Nine out of ten respondents say they have access to a car.
The Leger poll’s maximum margin of error is plus or minus 4.4%, 19 times out of 20.