Citizens of the Lebourgneuf department in Quebec are fed up with the Marchant administration, which they say is only interested in the tramway. They offer a solution to the congestion problems they face on a daily basis.
• Read more: Boulevard Robert-Bourassa in Quebec will be redeveloped and widened in “5 to 10 years.”
“It takes me 10 minutes in the morning to leave my street. It is time for us to settle. I don’t think there is one bus. In the afternoon, it’s the same, there’s always more traffic,” answered Mario Roy, who lives near the intersection of boulevards Lebourgneuf and Robert-Bourassa.
Over-bridge, canal, tunnel, whatever the name is, a crowd of citizens thronged near this junction, where more than 70 thousand motorists pass every day.
“Mayor Marchand, at the moment, everything that is done in the upper city with the tramway is his priority. We are ignored. We pay for the same through our taxes. We don’t benefit from the tram. I don’t agree with that. We are left behind because of our problems,” said another resident, Liz Barre.
Hell
“Since Robert-Pourassa boulevard was extended to Bastion, people have been living through hell. People who bought condos ten years ago don’t want to live. We have crazy and crazy traffic,” continued Lise Bilodeau, president of the Neufchadel-Lebourgneuf district council.
“The problems are in the morning. It’s always complicated. There’s even a situation where motorists are triple turning at the light. They want to go very fast. The speed is high. People are insulting each other. It’s ridiculous to see how things are going,” said resident Régene Lebel.
“Currently, there is a lack of leadership on the part of the general-leader. It is as if Lebourgneuf is isolated from the rest of the city, whereas it is one of the centers of the city,” said Mr. Lebel.
Resistance
The official opposition to Quebec City has attacked the mayor, accusing him of changing his mind on a flyover he had supported in the past.
“We are asking the mayor’s committee to ask for the reason and demand that the Ministry of Transport carry out an analysis so we can know what is going on,” said Claude Villeneuve, the official opposition leader.
According to him, “it makes no sense for the mayor to back down from an idea he already supported, and by rejecting the view of the flyover he is ignoring the will of the citizens.”
Mayor Bruno Marchant defended himself by saying he was still in favor of the flyover.
“Everything the opposition is saying today is a lie. This is pure nonsense. This is a blatant lie,” he said.
“This is the decision of the Ministry of Transport. The municipality wants the flyover. The city is working to ensure that the movement, especially of cars and others, is as easy as possible in this sector, which is really needed,” said Mr. Marchant replied.
The Ministere des Transports (MTQ) says there was a wording error in the call for tenders issued on June 13 regarding the study of traffic in the Robert-Pourassa boulevard sector between the Félix-Leclerc highway and the Bastian boulevard. He replaced the concept of “overpass” with “optimization” on Tuesday, sparking a firestorm. On the ministry’s side, it is said that no decision has been taken yet on the final selection of the solution to be carried out in this meeting.
– In collaboration with Stephanie Martin
