Press release
New measures announced to ease traffic congestion in the city:
innovative solutions
Montréal, August 25, 2011 – Reacting to today’s announcement by Transport Minister Sam Hamad, Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, stated that “the business community strongly welcomes the concrete and innovative measures announced to enhance public transit and thereby reduce traffic congestion in the metropolitan region.”
“We often criticize public authorities for being slow to take action. Today, we have an eloquent demonstration of what can be accomplished when the Transport Ministry and public transit companies fully grasp the urgent need to act. They have taken innovative steps and have worked together to draw up a set of practical, targeted solutions. The $110 million being invested will have a significant impact, notably with the addition of a fleet of 50 buses and 40 km of reserved bus lanes. The funding of monthly transit passes will contribute to further encouraging people to choose public transportation. The business community clearly supports investment in public transit and its resulting traffic reduction,” added Michel Leblanc. A Board of Trade study published in 2010 had, for that matter, shown that a 3% increase in the transit modal share would save Montréal households over $75 million and would reduce congestion-related costs by close to $64 million.
Businesses and employers will also take part in efforts to reduce congestion in the network. “Over the next few months, we will encourage employers to innovate, and we will reiterate the importance of offering flex time for workers to ease pressure on the network. Everyone will benefit,” continued Michel Leblanc.
“The measures announced today will not make congestion disappear; it will always be there in big cities. However, by ensuring constant collaboration and better work site coordination, we will be in a position to improve the flow of traffic. We encourage Minister Hamad to continue his efforts and to assess the results of today’s announcement. The impact on the city’s economy is too important for this matter to be handled on an ad hoc basis,” concluded Michel Leblanc.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal
Phone: 514-871-4000, extension 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca