Suburban mayors are going crazy over suggested solutions to the 440 West Island problem. Come, gather ’round the fireplace as I explain it to you.
Many moons ago, the Quebec Transport Department figured out that expropriating land from homeowners to build highways was a very expensive and time-consuming process. To help solve it, they asked themselves: Wouldn’t it be a good idea to “buy” the land now for a highway development later?
Enter the 440. Expecting to eventually link this East-West Laval highway to Highway 40 in Kirkland, the government planned a route for it and reserved the land so nobody would build anything there. At the time, of course, the entire area was undeveloped forest and farmland. Now, with development all around the proposed route in both Laval and the West Island, it’s easy to see on a satellite picture where the highway is going to go: on the winding strip of green between those houses.
Hoping to alleviate the West Island’s rush-hour traffic problem, Pierrefonds wants to build an “urban boulevard” on the Montreal Island part of the link, between Gouin Blvd. and Highway 40. It would, Pierrefonds mayor Monique Worth says, alleviate traffic on the main north-south axes: St. Charles Blvd., St. John’s Blvd. and Sources Blvd.
OK, I get St. Charles. But Sources? By what stretch of the imagination is some route that takes Sources now going to benefit by this new road 10 km west?
Anyway, Worth cut in to her own argument in a CTV News interview today when she admitted the obvious: That rush-hour travellers to downtown would “still hit traffic on the 40″. The other obviousness is that almost all of the northern West Island is east of this proposed boulevard, meaning they won’t use it to get downtown.
The idea isn’t necessarily bad. It will help alleviate traffic on St. Charles which heads between the northern West Island and western off-island areas. But it’s not going to help one bit with the Great West Island Trek Downtown, whose biggest traffic problem is the Decarie Circle (and Highway 20/Highway 13 merge).
As for Highway 440, the link would have some advantages, the biggest one being a fixed link between Ile Bizard and Laval. Currently, though there are three ferries, there is no fixed link from Highway 40 to the north shore between Highway 13 and Hawkesbury, Ontario. That makes some significant detours.
But the proposed link also runs right through Ile Bizard’s nature park. And cutting down all those trees to build a highway is not only unpretty, it kind of goes against the whole “environment” thing.
Let’s start with small steps, the first being a fixed link between Ile Bizard and Laval. When the roads along that route start overflowing with traffic, then we can talk about building a highway.
Until then, keep the right-of-way reserved for now. Maybe have a dirt path for people to bike through. It’s trees, and they’re good, mmm’kay.
10 Comments
Having lived in Kirkland for the past 5 years and now happily living in NDG, I have a few thoughts about this idea.
NO WAY.
Pierrefonds is trying to set a new record for irresponsible suburban sprawl. Monique Worth’s idea of sustainable development is a green roof over a municipal building.
http://www.citesnouvelles.com/article-58022-PierrefondRoxboro-se-met-au-vert.html
There have been a lot of single family homes built in the last few years west of Chateau Pierrefonds. Right now, these new residents are forced to travel along Pierrefonds Blvd, or Antoine-Faucon to get to St Charles (or St Jean or even Sources) to eventually get to the 40. The short term plan of Pierrefonds is to connect the 40 with Gouin to have a 4th North-South route for the residents of these new houses.
There was a plan for Chateau-Pierrefonds to connect to Kirkland via Chateau-Kirkland but Kirkland didn’t like the idea. Look at the stub of a road at the south end of Chateau-Pierrefonds to see the result: There is a house in the way!
This new road (or urban boulevard – AKA traffic sewer) will allow the paving over of the remaining green space in the west island (west of chateau-Pierrefonds). It is a terrible idea and should be stopped.
Looking at this map, you’ll notice that the proposed highway is fatter and redder than the existing roads, which are skinny and yellow.
It is paved with the BLOOD OF THE PEOPLE!
(It’s also slightly more transparent)
I dunno, maybe if Mirabel had been a success, but Mirabel was doomed without a high speed train to downtown that never got built because land was owned by…..The powers that be are totally stoned on freeways and bypasses and billion dollar projects these days…We used to actually believe we were a world class city here, but with our green space record in the Sustainable Era we are getting to be more on a par with Buffalo all the time, and they are digging up the golf course at the airport as well.
You know Sommerset (part of Jacques Bizard that divides DDO from Kirkland)?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jacques+bizard,+pierrefonds,+qc&sll=45.48326,-73.80797&sspn=0.28548,0.752563&ie=UTF8&ll=45.469732,-73.847823&spn=0.017847,0.047035&z=15&iwloc=addr&om=1
That street was originally supposed to be a highway that went straight to the Lakeshore General hospital! (Pretty important road, huh?) Well, thanks to stupid people who moved onto Jacques Bizard and Sommerset and didn’t look at the street plans before doing so… they petitioned so that the city could not build a major street or highway.
The same happened to other streets in that area (streets that were supposed to go through to de Salaberry, do not… because locals complained that it would cause too much traffic). Seriously, my parents were the first to move into the Westminster area and chose the location to build their house because they studied the street plan… these petitioners should have known better before they moved to the area.
Imagine how much easier an ambulance could get to the hospital with a direct route… and less traffic due to another major street.
C.
I was hoping we finally figured out that new highways only CREATE MORE TRAFFIC and do little to alleviate traffic problems elsewhere. St. Charles, Sources, etc. might see a slight reduction in traffic at first but as soon as the new strip malls and fast food joints open on the new “urban boulevard” and more people start driving because there are more places to do it and the illusion that traffic is now better, traffic will be just as bad and people will be whining about needing another highway.
Highway construction needs to be a thing of the past. We need to look at as something old fashioned and highways themselves should be looked at as relics from the 20th century much like we look at old factories and the Lachine Canal now.
Interesting point, Chris. The one thing politicians don’t seem to want to admit is that traffic situations cannot be improved, it s a horrible catch 22 - if you did improve it, more people will drive making traffic the same or worse. And that s the whole story in a nutshell.
Extending Jacques Bizard makes sense. I sometimes come home to Ile Bizard via the Pierrefonds side of Jacques Bizard when stopping at Reno Depot or Canadian Tire.
The highway 440 extension would destroy many of the positive aspects of Ile Bizard, which include the remaining green spaces and also diversity of wilflife (including deer and owls).
What we need to alleviate traffic congestion is a Metro extension from Cote Vertu to Fairview !! An additional stop near the Kirkland Coliseum area would also be good for facilitating the commute into the city for off-island residents.
I’ve seen this story repeatedly played out my entire life. Nature mowed down in the name of “progress” I was at the park on April 10th, there are many migratory birds there. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I thought interferring with migratory birds, ie, geese, herons, is a crime punishable under the Criminal Code, n’est pas? Why doesn’t the park have the status of Migratory Bird Sanctuary?
I also totally agree with Chris- Letter # 6 - a new highway isn’t going to do anything to alleviate the traffic problems around Montreal. Quebec should follow the Swiss example and demand that all inter-provincial truck traffic passing thru it’s territory use railways instead. That ought free up some highways.
Thanks for posting the article, interesting blog!
I don’t care if we have to destroy the nature park,
what’s better, in your opinion? — Taking 1 hour to go to St-Jérôme from L’Île-Bizard just to let many old people visit their nature park to let them have their peace, or that it takes only 25-30 minutes to go there (much easier to go skiing yahies!!! :D),10 minutes to go to Carrefour Laval and about 15-20 minutes to go to the metro station on St Martin Blvd?
Is that influencing our life time or quality to have a highway in L’Ile-Bizard? I don’t think so…
But I agree that many people living on streets as on Rue Thibodeau may hear cars and trucks all the time rolling at over 100 kmph.
AND, the Jacques-Bizard Bridge!! How much time will it take to collapse since we don’t have a second and faster-driving bridge to take? It will make students losing 1 or 2 years of school, people poor because not working, of course!! we have the ferry, but have a good waiting time!
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