Each summer, the same routine begins again. Work zones increase on our roads, straining the patience of motorists. The Honoré-Mercier Bridge in my constituency (LaSalle-Émard), is rarely spared from this intense summer carnival of orange cones.
Between the 13th of July and August 11th, major work will cause traffic disturbance on the Mercier Bridge, leaving only one lane open in each direction. The access side of the South Shore ramps will also closed during this period. No doubt this will cause headaches for many citizens.
The federal government believes it has found a solution to reduce the impact of this work on workers who must travel on and off the island of Montreal for a living: in a press release from Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges incorporated (the crown corporation who manages the bridge), road users are « strongly encouraged to take different means of mass transit » and also take the Champlain and Victoria bridges as alternatives. Sounds like a good plan.
However, there’s a small problem: public transit is not as effective as it could be in the western-half of the island, nor is it for crossing the Mercier Bridge. It’s ironic that the federal government invites us to take mass transit, yet Transport Minister, Denis Lebel, has flatly refused to fund any transportation plan whatsoever for the reconstruction of the country’s busiest bridge, Champlain Bridge.
In fact, mass transit is systematically ignored by the federal government. The Conservatives have also rejected the Canada-wide National Transit Strategy proposed by my colleague Olivia Chow, NDP spokesperson for transport. Her plan included a stable and long-term financing of public transport, and the Conservatives shamefully voted against the implementation of this vision.
With traffic jams that never end, we need to find solutions. Those who say that we do not have the resources to invest heavily in cleaner and more efficient modes of transport thought wrong. Traffic congestion costs about $ 3 billion a year to the city’s economy. Accepting losses to our local economy and allowing users to suffer, instead of acting is irresponsible. Our inaction is expensive, very expensive.
Hélène LeBlanc
NDP MP for LaSalle-Émard
Official Opposition Industry Critic