The Quebec government should not authorize the Quebec City tramway project in its currently proposed form, the province’s environmental hearings review board (BAPE) said in a report released Monday.
The commissioners say that even though the tramway project would mark an improvement for the city’s public transport network, its capacity to respond optimally to mobility challenges in the province’s capital has not been demonstrated.
The report found the proposed tramway would not significantly improve transit for people in the suburbs, which are experiencing the strongest population growth.
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The BAPE estimates that after the installation of such a tramway, the proportion of citizens who would use public transport there would remain the same as before, which appears “modest” compared to the planned investments of $3.3 billion.
The BAPE recommends looking at other options that could best meet the mobility challenges of the region, such as light-rail train or rapid bus service.
“For all of these reasons, the commission (…) therefore recommends that the project not be authorized as it is,” the report states.
— With files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise
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