Coincidence leads me in the footsteps of Bruno Marchand, the mayor of Quebec, during a trip to Scandinavia.
• Also read: Bruno Marchand needs to adjust his ambitions for Quebec
• Also read: As Quebec drags on, ambition for the tram makes Helsinki salivate
Culture shock is not only a question of languages, but above all of city and transport organization.
On foot, bike, bus and tram
Active and collective transport is king in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm. The car is found at the end of the travel privileges. Pedestrians and bicycles have priority everywhere.
When you get back home thinking about trips outside of Montreal, you quickly realize that Quebec is third world public transport.
Of course, our spaces are larger and it is not possible to provide subways and trains throughout the area. However, many smaller Scandinavian cities offer frequent, well-organized bus routes that run late into the night.
Apparently, all that’s missing in Quebec is willpower and foresight.
The city of 15 minutes
We still hear too little about it, but there is a concept of urban organization that English speakers call “the quarter-hour city” or “15-minute city.”
The idea is simple and ingenious at the same time: In an ideal world, people should be able to cover most of their basic needs within 15 minutes of their place of residence on foot or by bike.
Work, study, see a doctor, find childcare, shop, all within 15 minutes of your home without having to take the car.
I warn you, our friends the conspirators are already clamoring for deprivation of their freedom of movement, claiming that this is a state conspiracy to control them.
On the contrary, if we freed ourselves a little from the shackles of our cars, maybe we would finally start to take back control of our lives and our time.
