Laval might be a postwar car-oriented suburb like any other, but the arrival of the metro last year seems to to have sparked a shift in thinking. Public transit use is up, city officials are talking about densifying metro station environs, and now Laval’s public transit agency, the STL, will be sending a message to those who drive even when the air is thick with smog. From now on, when Environment Canada issues a smog warning for the Montreal area, Laval will slash its bus fares from $2.50 to $1. In the public’s mind, it will make the link between public transit and the environment even more prominent; transit officials expect it to remove 3,000 cars from the road each smog day.
The Gazette has more:
The Laval Transit Corp.’s “green” ride days went into effect this week and will continue until Labour Day. “We’re doing our part, are you doing yours?” the corporation’s ad campaign asks.
Laval transit official Marie-Céline Bourgault said the initiative is a small step aimed at reducing the total number of polluting cars on Laval roads on days that are particularly heavy with smog.
It’s also a way to recruit more passengers to public transit, she noted.
When Environment Canada issues a smog warning, the Laval Transit Corp. will alert its staff to reduce fares.
The cost will be about $10,000 a day, Bourgault said.
“We estimate that it will reduce the number of cars by 3,000 per day,” she said. “It’s hard to calculate the effect on the smog, but by reducing the number of cars it could help the situation.”
(…)
Laval is the first public transit network in the Montreal area to offer fare reductions on smoggy days. Longueuil officials said they have no plans to offer cuts.
Meanwhile, Montreal is considering the issue.
“We won’t do it this summer,” said Marianne Rouette of the Montreal Transit Corp. “But this is something we are going to examine.”
Photo of Laval from above by caribb
5 comments
Longueuil has to have the worst public transportation system. Single fairs cost $3.25…
WOW that’s a fantastic initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing how many get on board.
That’s great. And if ever we get around to putting tolls on the bridges, it’d be nice to see something similar implemented there.
That’s fantastic. I think a lot of peoples subconsciously think smog is something that just descends with the heat upon a city. I do believe the fare reduction will help make the connection between act and consequence just a little bit more prominent.
That’s a nice photo of the cable-stayed Pont Papineau-Labelle, one of Montreal’s most elegant spans.
But perhaps a photo showing Mt Royal cloaked in a thick haze of toxic smog would be more appropriate and informative?