Could the new bathing spot on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River be a victim of its own success?
If we believe the lack of free parking along Boulevard Champlain at the height of Saturday’s new development, like visitors polled by Radio-Canada, we’d be tempted to say yes.
In addition, the high number of cars parading there supports this observation.
Even though everyone agrees that the place is great and great, accessing the grounds still poses a challenge for many people who want to use the swimming pool and large bathing pavilion.
In particular, phase 3 offers a water mirror with jets at the Plage station.
Photo: Radio Canada / Erik Chouinard
Parking, a rare commodity
The apparent enthusiasm for Phase 3 would, in the eyes of some, have justified more than 435 parking spaces for visitors.
Ideally it would take longer, but there’s no room for more, introduces Nicolas Parent, who was lucky enough to park without having to go in circles.
The place also offers space for cyclists, because there are 150 bike racks available, which are also very popular.
If they want to wait a while to get a better idea of traffic, a more representative sample, says their spokesman Jean-Philippe Guay, the Commission de la Capitale Nationale du Québec (CCNQ) isn’t ruling out the idea of adding spaces for cycling enthusiasts .
Phase 3 of the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain includes a beach along the river.
Photo: Radio Canada / Erik Chouinard
“Of course we will follow the situation closely,” says Mr. Guay. If necessary, the CCNQ will make the necessary adjustments […] after longer-term tangents.
While he was unable to provide Radio-Canada with exact dates or forecasts on Friday with the arrival of the new facilities, Mr. Guay expects increased traffic, particularly due to the popularity of Phases 1 and 2 of the Promenade. Samuel Champlain.
bus option
The inauguration of Phase 3 will also see the launch of Route 400, a summer shuttle service operated by the Réseau de Transport de la Capitale (RTC).
On Saturdays and Sundays, RTC users can now use this route every 30 minutes between 8am and 8pm to get to the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain.
The goal was to offer the service when the traffic would be there, the RTC says. As this is a new summer service, an analysis will be conducted in the fall and then an assessment will be made as to whether the service should be changed or improved for the coming seasons.
There were many swimmers there.
Photo: Radio Canada / Erik Chouinard
For Jean-Philippe Guay of the CCNQ, Route 40 is an interesting way for people to get to the site. We are pleased to have this for the first year of phase 3.
With information from Louis-Simon Lapointe and Jérémie Camirand