Officials in Montreal promise traffic relief

MONTREAL — Provincial and municipal officials insist there’s light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to traffic headaches.

Back to school traffic led to commuter frustrations Tuesday as people returned to class and work after the holiday.

“We sympathize,” said Montreal mayor Denis Coderre.

At a news conference held Tuesday, officials laid out a list of efforts they will make to help ease traffic:

Better communication: Officials will meet four times a year to discuss construction and traffic issues and Transport Quebec will communicate more often with North and South shore mayors.

The decision was particularly welcomed by Longueuil mayor Caroline St-Hilaire. “I often didn’t find out about construction work until it had already started,” she said.

Public Transit: Extra parking spaces will be added to several train stations to encourage commuters to leave their cars and take public transit.

An additional $33 million will be spent by the province to encourage public transit use. Also, commuters who buy an annual pass will get a discount for 2015.

New Technology: By the end of 2014 users will be able to get specific traffic alerts from Transport Quebec by using 511.

Transport Minister Robert Poeti explained how it would work: “Let’s say you live on the West Island, you can put the route in your wife’s phone and get real-time traffic warnings that might help you save time.”

Officials hope all these efforts will ease the traffic headaches. Until then, Montreal commuters are asked to be patient.