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Path to improving transit faces obstacles

By Andy Riga, GAZETTE TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
January 16, 2013

Montreal’s new transport point man has six priority projects, but, like predecessors, he’s not sure where he will find the billions of dollars needed to maintain and expand roads and transit.

After unveiling the wish list he has sent to Quebec Transport Minister Sylvain Gaudreault, Réal Ménard said Montreal can’t afford the $600 million it should spend annually to maintain roads, let alone finance the new transit and road projects it wants.

The Montreal region needs $23 billion to improve transport infrastructure over 20 years, according to the planning body, which represents 82 municipalities.

“The money we get based on the current taxation system isn’t enough,” said Ménard, who was appointed executive committee member responsible for transport after Michael Applebaum became mayor in November.

Montreal is too reliant on property taxes, and new funding sources are needed, Ménard said. Road tolls and higher car-registration fees and parking taxes should be studied, and transit users may pay more, he said.

The projects on Ménard’s list have been discussed for years. Montreal will have to spend almost $900 million to get them off the ground, with Quebec asked to chip in hundreds of millions more.

Here are the city’s top projects, in order of importance:

Pie-IX Blvd. bus rapid transit
This is the first phase of the $305-million project to link Laval and the Pie-IX métro station. Later, it is to extend to Notre Dame St.

Ménard said he expects Quebec to OK the first phase in the coming days, with completion expected in 2016.

The system, featuring express buses on permanent reserved lanes, is expected to eventually shuttle 70,000 people daily.

Extend métro’s blue line eastward
Five stations would be added over 5.1 kilometres. Phase 1 would extend the line from St. Michel Blvd. to Pie IX Blvd. Later, it would be extended to Anjou. Total cost: $945 million.

The new stations are expected to be used by 140,000 riders daily. Come spring, the Agence métropolitaine de transport will lay out a suggested timeline. Ménard said he’s optimistic the extension will happen because it was a Parti Québécois election promise.

Streamline truck access to Highway 25
The city wants to extend l’Assomption Blvd. from Hochelaga St. to Notre Dame St., and extend Souligny Ave. from Dickson St. to l’Assomption. The $300-million plan would also make it easier for trucks to get onto Highway 25. Port of Montreal trucks on their way to Highway 25 now exacerbate traffic on Notre Dame. The idea is to put them on l’Assomption and Souligny. Ménard said he expects to sign an agreement with Quebec within weeks.

Train de l’Est (Mascouche-Montreal)
Long-delayed and over-budget, the $671-million commuter train is now expected to roll in 2014, welcoming 11,000 users daily. Seven stations will be in Montreal. Ménard said the city expects real estate developments around some of them.

More reserved bus lanes
Montreal’s goal is to have 250 kilometres of reserved lanes. It now has 147 kilometres, Ménard said. In 2013, another 80 kilometres are to be added on 10 streets, Montreal’s transit agency says.

About $130 million is to be spent on reserved lanes over the next 10 years. Requiring only “modest investments,” bus lanes and priority lights for buses reduce travel time and improve reliability, Ménard noted.

Build new north-south West Island boulevard
Last year, Quebec said it wanted to go ahead with a new six-lane, 2.8-kilometre road between Gouin Blvd. and Highway 40. The land is owned by Transport Quebec, which hopes to one day link it to Highway 440 in Laval.

Ménard said the new $56-million road would allow for a residential development that could include up to 6,000 units in western Pierrefonds. Quebec has said an environmental assessment will be done this year.

Ménard was asked Tuesday about three proposals missing from his list: rebuilding Notre Dame St., creating a tramway network and expanding commuter train service on the West Island (the Train de l’Ouest project).

He said all three are important, but are still being studied and so are not as far advanced as those on the top-six list.

Cycling infrastructure was also absent from Ménard’s list. He said he will announce the city’s cycling plans in April, including where new bike paths will go in 2013.

Ménard got mixed reviews from opposition parties. Vision Montreal (Ménard’s party) praised his list, urging Quebec to provide funding, but Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron called it a rehash of old promises.

ariga@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @andyriga
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