MONTREAL — Driving through Montreal has never been a walk in the park.
The plethora of road construction and other public works projects makes navigating around the labyrinth of road closures and detours a near impossible task for commuters.
Many are concerned that city officials aren’t trying to make it any easier for motorists.
“Any work will cause disruptions.”
It’s a given,” Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand said Monday morning.
The councillor, representing Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG), is urging drivers to leave their cars at home and use more public transit.
Watch: Viral video of Montrealer furious at traffic in city
But that’s not always a viable option.
Many Montrealers work different shifts, often outside of rush hour, when mass transit isn’t reliable, or even available.
Others have appointments to attend, errands to run or parents need to drop off kids at schools or daycares.
READ MORE: Officials in Montreal promise traffic relief
The challenge for city officials is to think outside of the box and develop strategies that simultaneously can absorb high-volume traffic with roadwork.
Some critics blame city officials for not planning better urban strategies.
“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” Karim Boulos, a city hall analyst told Global News.
Montreal plans to spend more than $130 million on roadworks this year alone, with the Quebec government adding hundreds of millions more dollars to rebuild and repair provincial roads on the island.
However, Montrealers won’t be impressed until they see that money pave over the construction mess and solve the traffic issues.
Comments