The city of Montreal is spending $100,000 to hire a new “traffic czar,” a position aimed at reducing congestion in the area.
Mayor Denis Coderre introduced retired and longtime traffic reporter Pierre Lacasse at a news conference at city hall to fill the position. Coderre said Lacasse’s chief duties will include advising the city on road congestion, acting as a spokesperson, and finding solutions to the city’s traffic problems.
Traffic in Montreal is always a bone of serious contention among drivers. But among merchants, like those on Bishop Street, it’s a matter that’s going to court. Carlo Zahabi owns Le Gourmet Burger on Bishop. He said the city is attacking the problem from the wrong direction.
They need to “tackle this from the source,” he said, by hiring someone to co-ordinate construction instead of traffic.
Two areas that Coderre already referred to as ongoing potential trouble spots include Highway 20 and the “Southwest Construction Triangle,” formed by work projects on the Bonaventure, Turcot and Champlain Bridge. The new post will make around $100,000 annually.