One of the studies cited by Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbault as justifying the abandonment of the third motorway link project clearly contradicted her on the implications of telecommunications.
“The Ministry considers it reasonable to conclude that teleworking has little impact on the traffic of the road network and public transport”, can we read in conclusion? of study “Perspectives on the Effect of Teleworking on the Need for Intervention” by the Ministry of Transport, March 2023.
Its authors write in black and white that the consequences of teleworking do not justify abandoning the plan in its previous version. “The hypothesis is maintained that the outcome of these past years will not have the effect of questioning the need for intervention to create a new link between Quebec and Lévis”.
The ministry’s analysis of traffic flows over the Pierre-Laporte bridge does not allow it to conclude that travel habits are “significantly different from what we could observe before the epidemic”.
A long term problem
The authors also conclude that it is necessary to rely on long-term data to model major infrastructure projects.
The study in question is part of The documents were released online by the government on Thursday Morning to support its decisions on the third Quebec-Lewis connection matter.
On Thursday morning, Minister Geneviève Guilbault reiterated to reporters that her government had to scrap the highway component of the $6.5 billion plan because of the growth of teleworking and changes in motorist habits.
“This program was once necessary, but the three-year pandemic has changed our lives so much that we have no choice but to rely on the statistics we have today, in a real and empirical way,” he said.
The minister noted that thousands of pages of new documents had been put online and journalists were invited to consult to understand what prompted his decision. “For those who read it, you will see that there is some logic behind it.”
Asked about this, M. in the cabinetme Guilbault responded that the government “relies on the studies as a whole, not individually,” and denied there was a conflict because the study did not question the idea of a dedicated link for public transit.
However, the study in question does not address such a phenomenon and is based on an original plan with a pipeline dedicated to road traffic.
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