Although still marginal compared to car travel and public transit, river shuttles are gaining popularity in Greater Montreal. Nearly 250,000 journeys were made between June and October 2022. On the eve of the start of the mega-construction site in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) plans to increase the number of connections .
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
“In 2021, when the season had been shortened due to the pandemic, 38,222 passages had been recorded. For health reasons, the 2020 season had been cancelled. In 2019, there were 59,500. There, from June 4 to October 16, 2022, no less than 246,677 journeys were recorded, with peaks in July and August, ”confirms the ARTM spokesperson. , Simon Charbonneau, interviewed at The Press.
Six ARTM links made it possible this year to go from one point to another by river shuttle between the Jacques-Cartier quays, in the Old Port, but also Île Sainte-Hélène, the Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive, the Réal-Bouvier and Yvon-Julien sectors in Longueuil and Boucherville, as well as Île-Charron and Pointe-aux-Trembles.
The Boucherville connection to the Promenade-Bellerive park has also been free since Tuesday, a “golden opportunity for users of the La Fontaine tunnel to change their mode of transport”, according to the company Navark, which operates the said shuttle bus. This will continue at least until November 13, or even until the beginning of December.
According to Simon Charbonneau, the river shuttle can be an increasingly interesting lever for public transport, especially among cyclists, many of whom use it (more than 23,000). “We see that there is a growing enthusiasm for this. In shuttle, there is no cone, no pothole. And we are in direct navigation without stopping, with very precise departure and arrival times. No less than 96% of departures are made on time or within 10 minutes of the scheduled time,” he says.
Many users also use the shuttles as a family: 19% of users who used them this year were 11 years old and under, and have free access.
Still marginal
Nevertheless, the river shuttle is still far from being a major means of transport. Its 250,000 trips for the season represent one or two days of automobile travel on the main bridges between the South Shore and the Island of Montreal, which receive an average of 120,000 vehicles daily.
“We remain aware that this is one more element, but that it is not the solution for everyone. The shuttle has its limits, but on the other hand, it has the advantage of connecting points that are otherwise difficult to connect,” says Gilles Tanguay, director of operations at Navark, who manages four ARTM connections.
In his eyes, the strength of river shuttles is above all “to combine active transport with public transport”. “If we take Pointe-aux-Trembles-Centre-ville or, in the future, Pointe-aux-Trembles–Boucherville, or even Varennes, it can become very interesting to facilitate travel. There would also be a way to leave from Terrebonne and Repentigny. The river is a path, it is not an obstacle,” continues Mr. Tanguay.
You really have to see the closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel as an opportunity. Everyone is looking for solutions. And the river shuttle will be a plan B which can be very promising.
Gilles Tanguay, Director of Operations at Navark
The ARTM also believes it can boost the shuttle even more, because next spring, work on the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, which will run until 2025, will already be well underway. The organization does not close the door to an expansion of the number of connections. “Everything is on the table at this time,” summarizes Mr. Charbonneau. There are people who have already raised their hands to develop other routes. There are budgetary discussions to be had. »
“What is certain is that we will be back this spring with shuttles that will serve as solutions for the construction site in the La Fontaine tunnel. We are even looking to start earlier than last season,” added the spokesperson, specifying that a contribution from BIXI Montreal is also in sight.
Last year, an envelope of 8.1 million was allocated to the budget for river shuttles for the season. This amount should remain in the same waters, public transit not being exactly in a situation of abundance, given the staggering losses caused by the pandemic. “For us, it is important that a dollar invested translates into maximum services. All the partners will have to discuss it,” concludes Simon Charbonneau.
The Victoria Bridge will contribute
At Canadian National, spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis confirmed on Tuesday that the organization has contacted the Ministry of Transport (MTQ) in order to “propose solutions involving the Victoria Bridge to alleviate the traffic problems envisaged by the closure of the tunnel. Fountain “. CN also says it is “in discussions” with exo, in order to explore “opportunities for optimization” on the Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, which we plan to improve. In addition, the ongoing repair work on the Victoria Bridge, which was launched in March, should be completed “at the end of November this year”, according to Mr. Abecassis.