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Old Posted Jan 23, 2013, 4:20 AM
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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
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/...477/story.html

Last edited by MTLskyline; Jan 23, 2013 at 4:30 AM.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2013, 5:32 AM
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Time for the private sector to jump in. Quebec needs dynamic private companies who are capable and willing to fully invest in transit infrastructure.

we can't count on our governments to deliver the goods quickly or efficiently.

my two cents
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  #3  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2013, 1:33 AM
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Squeaky Wheels: Eastbound Highway 20 bus lane won’t take space from cars
Andy Riga | From The Gazette | September 9, 2013



Q. Rush-hour traffic is already bad on Highway 20 in Lachine. Now they’re going to add a bus lane. How exactly will it work — are they taking a lane away from cars?

A. No, buses will travel in a new permanent lane that is being created by reducing the width of the median divider and slightly shrinking the lanes for cars, Transport Quebec says.

That means three lanes will remain for the 45,000 to 50,000 cars that travel on the strip on a typical weekday.

The reserved bus lane will run eastbound between Bouchard Blvd. in Dorval and 1st Ave. in Lachine, replacing a temporary reserved lane that was created in November 2011 on the right-hand shoulder of Highway 20’s eastbound side, between 55th and 32nd Aves. in Lachine.

Several West Island bus routes are expected to benefit, including the 405, 425 and 485 express buses and the 747 Trudeau Airport shuttle.

Construction on the reserved lane began in July and will continue next year, Transport Quebec says. It is to open in 2014.

Along with buses, taxis will also use the lane, speeding up trips between the airport and downtown. It’s possible that carpoolers will also be permitted to use it, but Transport Quebec spokesperson Mario St-Pierre said a final decision has not been made yet.

The new reserved lane will be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Pavement markings and overhead signs will alert drivers to the lane. There will not be a barrier between vehicles in the reserved lane and the rest of traffic on the eastbound side.

After the temporary lane was put in place, the speed limit was reduced to 70 km/h for all vehicles on that portion of Highway 20. It’s unclear if the speed limit will go back to 100 km/h once the new lane is up and running, St-Pierre said.

The project will cost $13 million, including repairs to the section of Highway 20 that goes over 55th Ave. Demix Construction was the winning bidder on the contract.

The first phase of the work will continue until December, then pick up again in the spring.

The work will eventually require the partial closing (one of three lanes) on Highway 20 westbound between Highway 13 and Bouchard Blvd. to allow for work on the median.

On the eastbound side, the three lanes will also be narrowed during the work. At various times, partial or complete night closings will be required on sections of Highway 20 between Bouchard and 32nd Ave. in one direction or the other.

Because the shoulder will be used for detours, the temporary reserved lane on the shoulder will be closed until December. It will then be reopened until spring, when the second phase of work will be done on the new permanent reserved lane.

[...]
http://westislandgazette.com/news/st...ace-from-cars/
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Old Posted Sep 10, 2013, 8:24 AM
Cataclaw Cataclaw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim View Post
Time for the private sector to jump in. Quebec needs dynamic private companies who are capable and willing to fully invest in transit infrastructure.

we can't count on our governments to deliver the goods quickly or efficiently.

my two cents
I would love for you to be right about this, but unfortunately private companies tend to shy away from the massive sunk costs, long construction times and significant delays before seeing profits.

Companies are generally unwilling to take on that kind of risk, which is why the public sector is well suited to take on such large capital projects that benefit society as a whole. Companies have little interest in positive social and environmental externalities, so there is little impetus there.

This is going to be a very unpopular position for many folks, but I think it's high time we raise the gasoline tax significantly and place the revenue in a legally binding transit lock box. A mere 1 cent per liter increase in the Montreal CMA would add 1 new metro station per year if it were used for that purpose.

Reducing our dependence on automobiles while giving folks sustainable choices and alternatives, that's a winning strategy if you ask me. (Other cities seem to think so too, since that's precisely what's going on in places like Vancouver).
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