Montreal wants a public transit line – perhaps a tram – on Rue Jean-Talon Ouest, from Boulevard Cavendish to Avenue du Parc, La Presse has learned.
Published at 12:48 am. Updated at 05:00.
This approximately six kilometer long project would be part of a complete renovation of the traffic artery and also envisages the construction of the longest “bicycle highway” in the entire city.
The transport line and cycle path would particularly serve the district with 12,500 residential units that is to be built on the racetrack site and in the surrounding area.
As part of the development, it is “obvious to think about a structuring offer of collective and active transport,” said Valérie Plante’s cabinet in a written statement on Thursday. No elected officials were available for an interview.
“The tram is an excellent example of what could be proposed, as are the Rapid Bus Service (SRB) and the planned redevelopment of Henri Bourassa Boulevard,” spokesman Simon Charron continued. We will carefully consider the proposals submitted to us. »
The mayor's office confirmed information from tender documents that were published last fall. These are reminiscent of “the establishment of a structuring means of transport on Rue Jean-Talon”, from Cavendish to Avenue du Parc. This proposal should be included in the city's new Urban Planning and Mobility Plan (PUM), expected this year. The connection to Cavendish Boulevard, which is currently divided into two parts by a rail yard, is also on the agenda.
Jean-Talon Street West Expansion Project
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF MONTRÉAL
This plan, inserted into a City of Montreal document, shows the Cavendish, Jean-Talon and Royalmount connection project and the Jean-Talon Street extension project.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF MONTRÉAL
This plan, inserted into a City of Montreal document, shows the Cavendish, Jean-Talon and Royalmount connection project.
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Rue Jean-Talon Ouest is two to three lanes wide on the section in question and has a median strip in places. It borders a railway line. The artery separates Côte-des-Neiges (to the south) from Mont-Royal (to the north) and crosses Parc-Extension. Montreal's plans would also extend Jean-Talon West by one kilometer to reach the Cavendish connection.
An idea for clarification
The hypothesis that a tram will serve the future Namur-Hippodrome district is not new. “I like this idea,” Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa said last spring. “We have to be able to dream. And I think that a sector like Namur Hippodrome […], it is a place where we should allow ourselves to dream. »
In 2008, the then Montreal administration proposed a very small tram line to connect the racetrack site with the nearby Namur metro station.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Christian Savard, founder of the organization Vivre en ville
Christian Savard, founder of the organization Vivre en ville, is pleased with the proposal for a new public transport project, but emphasizes that operating a single six-kilometer tram line would be expensive.
If such a project were to see the light of day, it would inevitably have to be with a view to building a wider network, said Mr Savard.
“After all these years we have been talking about the development of the Namur Hippodrome district, I think it is too late to come to this,” he continued. “We don’t know how we will serve it until 2024, which is a little disappointing. I don't want to just throw stones at this government, it's collective procrastination. »
11 km cycle path
In addition to a public transit line, the city of Montreal wants to create an approximately 11-kilometer bi-directional bike path on Jean-Talon Street from Cavendish Boulevard to Pie-IX Boulevard. This Express Bike Network (REV) line would be longer than all current routes.
“The rehabilitation and expansion of Rue Jean-Talon Ouest is an opportunity to review the use of this public right-of-way, currently reserved for cars, and to plan a more equitable distribution with active and collective means of transportation,” city officials point out in their tender document . That process, completed just before the holidays, aimed to find engineers to work on redesigning the artery.
The implementation of the cycle path would take place in stages. “A first transition section between Rue Boyer and 1re Avenue [est] already in design,” the document says. The far eastern section, from 22nd Avenue to Pie-IX Boulevard, would be built concurrently with the Blue Line.
“Details on the preferred route and type of development will be evaluated as part of the pre-project studies,” said Valérie Plante’s office. Like our other renovation projects, those on Jean-Talon are carried out in consultation with the communities. »