At the start of a long-awaited reform of government funding for public transport, more than twenty mayors of the Greater Montreal area are calling on Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault to increase service provision by “at least 7% per year”.
Posted at 5:01 p.m.
“Quebec must raise the bar,” write 24 city officials from the metropolitan region in an open letter obtained by La Presse. The signatory municipalities include Chambly, Boisbriand, Mirabel, Repentigny, Candiac, Mascouche, Beloeil, Terrebonne and Sainte-Julie.
The mayors say they understand that “due to the upheavals of recent years, governments have focused on maintaining public transport services rather than expanding them.” However, “there is an urgent need to return to the growth path in the coming years,” argue she.
In the Sustainable Mobility Policy (PMD) Action Plan 2018-2023, the government set a target of 5% annual increase in service levels across Quebec. However, this goal has been undermined by COVID-19.
In order to maintain the pace and catch up, but also “to ensure real predictability”, the next PMD action plan should therefore “target an increase of at least 7% per year across Quebec and allocate significant resources to achieve this”, they argue Elected officials.
More projects in sight
They also recall that in order to reduce Quebecers’ dependence on the automobile, “several large structuring projects must be added to those already underway, such as the REM de l’Ouest, the blue line and the Quebec tram”. “It will also be necessary to improve access where services already exist,” emphasizes the signatory group.
Time is of the essence, say elected officials, as “climate change manifests itself in increasingly dramatic disasters in all parts of Quebec, roads are clogged again and habits with a touch of déjà vu resume.” “It’s still self-work and sleep necessary because there is nothing better,” they regret.
If the government’s investments are “sustainable and sustainable,” cities could “build tens of thousands of new housing units in complete residential environments close to public transport services,” we add.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault
“We will be able to connect this development to existing municipal infrastructure and avoid increasingly costly urban sprawl. We will be able to bring Quebecers closer to their jobs,” adds the group, which calls on Minister Geneviève Guilbault to “take advantage of the momentum” of the gradual increase in traffic volumes already observed in several regions.
It is still unclear when Ms Guilbault will present her five-year reform of public transport funding. In theory, it must do this by the end of 2023. Last February, on the eve of her consultation trip, the minister said she wanted above all to “rationalize” spending and ruled out the idea of a new provincial tax on the industry.
“We understand the needs expressed and reiterate that everyone has a role to play in this matter, especially in the current economic context. “The minister continues her work,” said Geneviève Guilbault’s office cautiously in response to our questions.