Residents from St. Henri and from all across Montreal are marching tomorrow to demand that the Turcot reconstruction project be reconceived at a human scale. Interest in the issue has been growing, especially following a conference on urban freeways in Montreal and a scathing report by Quebec Auditor General, Renaud Lachance condemning the absence of any big picture thinking.
It appears that the issue is getting some traction in the media and now is the public’s chance to weigh in. While there is currently no other official proposal on the table, this event may help to spur Mayor Tremblay to commission an alternate plan, one that reflects the ideals of sustainable transportation espoused in the Plan de Transport.
Come make your voice heard!
Details:
2 starting points: Metro Lionel-Groulx and 780 St. Remi
13:00, Sunday April 18
8 comments
I do not understand how such a major artery and crossroads can be done on a “human scale”. It’s not like it can suddenly become a couple of two lane roads with low speed limits, bicycle paths and sidewalks.
I think we should at the very least see what a street-grid proposal would/could look like. Either way, we are going to need a few “express” lanes given that the Decarie ends at the cliff and the Ville-Marie tunnel, which is 8 lanes wide starts at around St. Marc.
“This event may help to spur Mayor Tremblay to commission an alternate plan”
This is not a Mayor Tremblay project, this is an MTQ project (Liberal government) that the protest is centered around.
http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/entreprises_en/zone_fournisseurs/c_affaires/pr_routiers/reconstruction_complexe_turcot_mtl
It may be protesting the Government plan, but Tremblay should be pushing to get Montreal’s voice and alternate options heard. So what if this is an MTQ project/jurisdiction…. that’s exactly the problem. Because it’s not Montreal’s jurisdiction we should just sit back and accept it??
If the Mayor of Montreal was doing it’s job defending the people “who live in Montreal” people wouldn’t have to go out and walk in demonstrations such as this one.
Mayor Tremblay seems to be the Mayor of the higways and the people who drive them, supporting any projets the MTQ is to have, scrapping the city more and more.
If we had a real leader, things would be different, and Tremblay’s friends, Catania and Simard-Beaudry would have to deserve the contratcs they get, and the concrete they pour.
Turcot Interchange: A Problem of Distribution of Powers
http://www.ripefruit.ca/2009/04/20/echangeur-turcot-un-probleme-de-distribution-des-pouvoirs/
Why should Tremblay have more power in the project?
Firstly is MTQ jurisdiction
Secondly this is a regional transport hub, not a Montreal one.
Montreal has the surface roads to deal with. These are autoroutes and are provincial jurisdiction.
They are not just used by people of Montreal but by everyone on the island and off, as well as travellers from the US, Ontario, Quebec city…
It isn’t paid for by Montreal so Montreal should be out of it.
Cyrus,
I don’t know where you live, but unless you live near me, I think we should install a huge waste disposal site just behind your backyard.
As the money to build the dump comes from the provincial government, you or your city should have no word in the matter.
So that would be cool with you, right?
-X