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Accompanied by Parti Québécois candidates from the regions of Lanaudière and Laval, Stéphane Bergeron, the PQ's official spokesperson for roads, the SAAQ and public transit and the party's candidate in Verchères, came to Laval last week to show support for a reserved lane project on Autoroute 19.
'Intelligent' policy
The PQ has announced public transit commitments for the Greater Montreal region totaling $3.5 billion, including reserved lanes for buses, taxis and car sharing on rapid transit roadways in the Transport Ministry's network.
"The Parti Québécois believes that it is crucial to restructure our road network to encourage Quebecers to use public transit and car sharing," said Bergeron. "The reserved lane project as part of the completion of Autoroute 19 is exactly the sort of encouragement that amounts to intelligent transport policy in a perspective of durable development."
A-19 project has support
The projected completion of Autoroute 19, for which there is consensus in the region, has been estimated to cost $75 million. Elected officials in Bois-des-Filion, Lorraine, Rosemère, Boisbriand and Terrebonne-Ouest are all in favour of the reserved lane. During last week's press conference, PQ candidates Daniel Rathé (Blainville), René Gauvreau (Groulx), Mathieu Traversy (Terrebonne), Donato Centomo (Mille-Îles) and Rachel Demers (Vimont), as well as the mayor of Bois-des-Filion, Paul Larocque, were present to show their support for the project, which the PQ considers crucial to maintain the quality of life of the residents of the region.
Population boom expected
"Over the next 20 years, the MRC de Thérèse-de-Blainville will see an increase in its population of nearly 30 per cent, compared to 9.3 per cent for the rest of Quebec," added Bergeon. "This means that enormous pressures will be placed on the road network. Already, 60,000 vehicles per day are using route 335 in Bois-des-Filion. One can only imagine the number of motorists in 20 years in this sector.
"There is only lane in each direction for these 60,000 cars, that is 10,000 more than the Bonaventure Autoroute in Montreal," Bergeron said. "From an environmental point of view, this means 90 million tonnes of CO2 per day. The Autoroute 19 completion project would allow automobile circulation that is more fluid, and therefore a substantial reduction of noxious gases spewed into the environment. By adding a reserved lane for public transit, the beneficial effects on the environment will be even greater."
North Shore has no reserved lane
There currently is no reserved lane for public transit on the North Shore, with the exception of a small stretch of Autoroute 25. The PQ maintains that to encourage this type of transport, it has to be made available to those who would use it. The party claims that the Liberals have done nothing to improve this situation in the last five years.
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