Tremblay’s new transportation plan just more patchwork

City of Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay’s ambitious transportation plan to reduce carbon emissions and congestion on the island will make or break his next election.
And although Tremblay is definitely focusing on the right problem, his multi-million dollar proposals to address it are unfortunately only a waste of taxpayers’ money. The solution might be as simple as increasing the number of parking spaces in key areas of the city.
The City’s administration announced plans to extend the metro to reach Pie-IX and Anjou stations in July. A rapid bus service from Pie-IX to the downtown core, a new train service to the East’s suburbs, doubling the city’s number of bicycle lanes and the creation of a new tramline were also among the initiatives.
The plan’s main selling point is offering motorists better public transit options, yet that’s where it falls short; the expansion project simply can’t keep up with the greater Montreal area’s rapidly expanding population and its car use.
With an estimated cost of $260 million, the new tramline will link UQAM, CHUM, the Old Port and Griffintown, essentially forming a square around Montreal’s densest area. What Tremblay’s plan fails to mention is that these four corners of the square are already serviced by a convenient method of transportation – the metro system.
If connecting these points by a metro system doesn’t dissuade car use, how is building a tramway supposed to do so? While it’s true that the tram will have more frequent stops than the metro, it won’t be any more convenient for users who are coming perpendicularly to the line and will have to take a bus to reach it.
What’s more, the tram is meant to link Griffintown to the Old Port and UQAM by running along either Sainte-Catherine Street or René-Levesque Boulevard. But the walking distance between these already existent metro stops is a matter of minutes.
If that’s not reason enough to argue against need for a tram, building it across Sainte-Catherine would signify the end of car circulation down Montreal’s main strip. According to a 2003 survey, there are an estimated 1.8 million cars in the area, a 10 per cent increase in a five-year period. Tremblay’s plan fails to explain where the inevitable car surplus will be diverted to, since roads and parking spots in this part of the city are already saturated.
Despite Tremblay’s efforts, public transportation will never be able to keep up with the sheer convenience of cars. So why not meet Montreal drivers halfway?
If Montreal were to allocate parking spaces for commuters next to mass-transit stations, it would encourage motorists to include public transit in their commute, especially when traveling to gridlocked metropolitan areas. This would immediately reduce traffic downtown, where high parking fees already act as a deterrent.
Creating a large number of parking spaces on the Blue Line’s eastern edge eliminates the need for a tramway, a rapid bus line and a new train network all at once. Not only would this be more effective in reducing the amount of cars in the city’s congested areas, but it would also be much cheaper to implement.