In Montreal, the journalist Louis-Philippe Messier is mainly on the run, with his office in his backpack, looking for fascinating topics and people. He speaks to everyone and is interested in all areas of life in this city chronicle.
Users were surprised to be moving so briskly and drivers, content with their reserved lanes in the middle, enlivened the first morning of this new fast service.
• Also read: We tested the new SRB Pie-IX
I tried the new line 439 that runs from Boulevard Saint-Martin in Laval to Pie IX station and… it’s fast!
Note the reddish color of the asphalt in the reserved lanes. These are also separated from the rest of the road by solid double lines.
Photo Louis Philippe Messier
Driver Jonathan Pépin volunteered to try out the new line 439 connecting Laval and Montreal to Pierre-de-Coubertin.
“By 7 a.m., in the middle of traffic, our lanes were completely clear,” enthuses Jonathan Pépin, who drives the 439 bus that I got on.
Mr Pépin has been a driver for 21 years and volunteered to try the new line.
“There are no obstacles, no parked cars, no traffic! »
Many people waited on the side of the road, at the stops they were familiar with, without understanding that the fast service was more likely to be offered in the middle of the public road. Small communication problem with customers?
Brand new
The brand new bus stops look great and have electronic boards showing the next passages in real time.
Photo Louis Philippe Messier
Electronic boards show the passage of the next bus line 439 in real time.
Their three openings correspond exactly to the three doors of the buses where you can validate your title.
Don’t miss your stopover along the way. These are so far apart that you have to walk a lot to get back to the previous one.
In twenty-five minutes I walked from the Olympic Stadium to the Pie-IX stop near the Rivière des Prairies.
“Going fast! exclaims a woman walking from Saint-Michel to Montreal North.
“I go to Sami Fruits on rue Jarry and it’s nice to walk so quickly,” Habib tells me, who pulled off from a stop near rue de Charleroi.
“Service like this makes you want to take the bus! »
Photo Louis Philippe Messier
Habib, a passenger on route 439, was impressed by the speed of the service at the inauguration.
A “Ventibus”
After the compliments, here are the reviews:
Due to extensive work on the Jean-Talon and Bélanger streets to connect the bus stops with the future extension of the blue line, the buses will have to take a horseshoe detour.
The bus shelter on the corner of Rosemont and Pie-IX is more of a “ventibus” because a tall building knocks down the raging wind there. This crashes straight into the Aedicule, transforming it into a formidable human dryer. Will it be ridiculously windy even in winter? We hope not.
The section of Pie-IX south of Pierre-De Coubertin seemed to be poorly served during my visit: 16 minutes of waiting before the next crossings at the corner of Sainte-Catherine. It was quicker to walk the mile to the subway station.
Many users cross the boulevard to the central bus stops without waiting for the pedestrian crossing so as not to miss the express bus. Sooner or later this can lead to an accident.
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