ouest-de-lîle REM - Antenne Ouest

[SameGuy]

Le minimum de trois est déjà la norme sur la voie réservée aux VOM de l'A20, mais nous voyons fréquemment des auto-solo ou à deux occupants usurper la voie aux heures de pointe du matin. Peut-être, à l’instar de l’utilisation accrue de photoradars sur le pont, pourrions-nous utiliser des caméras pour faire respecter les règles des voies réservées?

[Monsieur_MA]

Les poupons ne se voient pas mais ils comptent eux aussi. Cependant, ce doit être le cas d'une minorité de voitures qui semblent  avoir moins de trois personnes.

[TurboLed]

Les moins de 16 ans ne devraient jamais compter puisqu'ils n'enlèvent pas de voiture sur la route (ils ne peuvent conduire seul)

[mtlurb]

So very very limited and reserved parking for the West Island... how to make sure the REM stays empty. *slow clap*

 

Allison Hanes: Two things that make no sense about the REM

The lack of a Griffintown stop and a car ban on a new access road at the Kirkland station are inexcusable omissions.

Published Jan 29, 2024  •  Last updated 3 days ago  •  4 minute read

 

A REM train passes by apartment/condo buildings in Griffintown on Sept. 25, 2023. A REM station is slated to be built in the densely populated neighbourhood, but work will not start until 2027. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Two things happened at Montreal city council last week that should leave the public scratching their heads about the lack of common sense when it comes to building the REM.

The first leg of the Réseau express métropolitain, between downtown Montreal and Brossard, opened last year. Branches to the West Island and Deux-Montagnes are scheduled to open in late 2024 (knock on wood), with a line to Trudeau airport following in 2027.

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Proposed, approved, financed and built at record speed by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s infrastructure arm, the nearly $8-billion driverless, electric light-rail system is the first new public transit project of its scale in generations. Glitches aside, it’s a welcome addition to Greater Montreal’s transit landscape, seamlessly connecting parts of the region in a single network, while combatting congestion and climate change.

But there are a few anomalies that came to light last week at city hall.

In a unanimous vote, Montreal council called on the REM to build two new stops between Central Station and Nuns’ Island — one in the Bridge-Bonaventure sector, which is slated for a major redevelopment in the coming years (a no-brainer), and another in Griffintown, a densely populated neighbourhood where high-rise condos have sprouted over the last decade or more (duh).

The perplexing part of all this is why a Griffintown station hasn’t already been constructed. Residents of the neighbourhood literally watch the REM go by from their windows, putting up with its vibrations and noise. But work isn’t supposed to start until 2027. And a CDPQ Infra spokesperson told La Presse it will be extremely complicated to build now with the REM in service. Presumably, the same goes for an eventual station in Bridge-Bonaventure.

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Face palm. Shouldn’t these stations have been thought of before? Why should Griffintown residents have to wait three years to have easy access to public transit service to the South Shore, or South Shore residents an efficient route to Griffintown? This oversight better not become an excuse to skip Griffintown altogether.

City council also voted last week on a $20-million loan bylaw to build an urban boulevard from Pierrefonds-Roxboro to the Kirkland REM station. This $60-million project, funded by the city and province, will be for the exclusive use of pedestrians, cyclists and buses. No cars will be permitted to use this access road from Antoine-Faucon St. to Ste-Marie Rd., near Highway 40.

Oh yeah, and the road won’t be completed until 2027 — three years after the REM line is supposed to start running.

Here again is some questionable decision-making. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said prohibiting cars will allow visitors to the future Grand parc de l’Ouest to get there safely on foot. That’s nice. But what about all the workers and students trying to get from home to the Kirkland REM station and back during the dark, cold winter months?

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Walking or biking to the station might be feasible for part of the year, but let’s be realistic about Montreal’s climate — and the needs of a suburban community where streets are winding, distances are long and bus service is limited.

Making it all the more mind-boggling is the fact the Kirkland station will have only 200 parking spots and they will all be reserved for residents of the independent municipality. So anyone from adjacent Pierrefonds-Roxboro who wants to get on the REM at Kirkland will have to walk, bike, take one of the infrequent buses, or drive to a different stop farther away.

If the goal of the REM is to get people out of their cars and onto light rail, why not meet them halfway by providing efficient access and sufficient parking?

 

Of course, there are other baffling aspects of the REM, such as the fact that the crucial link to the airport won’t be ready until 2027, and CDPQ Infra and the Quebec government have declined to extend that leg another 700 metres to reach the Exo train and Via Rail in Dorval.

Dorval could eventually be the end point of a new tramway or rapid bus link to Montreal’s southwest, making it an important intermodal hub. Such a connection could open new corridors for local residents whose public transit choices are currently minimal if they’re trying to get anywhere other than downtown.

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Most frustrating, however, is that despite the Quebec government spending $2.3 billion and expediting the replacement of the crumbling Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge, no space has been left for an eventual REM expansion to Vaudreuil-Dorion or beyond. Plus, there are no dedicated bus lanes on the new span to facilitate rapid links from the fast-growing off-island region to the REM’s terminus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Both these omissions are short-sighted and inexcusable.

Remember that once upon a time, no room was set aside for light rail on the new Champlain Bridge, either. Thankfully, wisdom and foresight prevailed.

Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents deserve the same consideration — especially after putting up with the hellish traffic caused by restricted lanes on the decrepit Île-aux-Tourtes. The bridge debacle has highlighted the dearth of public transit along the Highway 40 axis the REM will follow, while the current Hudson-Vaudreuil Exo trains run parallel to Highway 20 and into downtown.

And keep in mind the nearest REM station, Anse-à-l’Orme, will have only 200 parking spots — some of which may be claimed by passengers turned away from Kirkland one stop farther. This hardly seems like enough room to accommodate off-island commuters who will have to cross the bridge to get there — likely in a car, given the lack of a dedicated bus lane.

The REM will be a huge boost for public transit in Greater Montreal but, with a few common-sense tweaks, it could serve even more commuters eager to leave their car at home.

ahanes@postmedia.com

This column was highlighted in our One Read newsletter. To sign up, visit montrealgazette.com/newsletters.

https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-two-things-that-make-no-sense-about-the-rem

 

[montrealgoalie]

Check bein i vont blamer la CDPQ pour ce qui est clairement la faute a Valerie

[ToxiK]

D-O-G-M-A-T-I-S-M-E...

🐶