A new study suggests Montreal is drowning in a sea of construction cones, and that blocked streets and traffic jams could deter workers from returning downtown and affect tourism.
The 86-page study was published by Montreal’s chamber of commerce, which examined the construction situation downtown to see what could be improved post-pandemic.
The study found some damning statistics that suggest Montreal’s downtown construction situation is an unco-ordinated, disorganized mess.
The study found that at various times in the year ending March 2022, 94 per cent of Montreal streets were either totally or partially closed because of roadwork.
“Over the years we have all felt the difficulties in moving by car or even walking in the downtown,” said chamber of commerce president Michel Leblanc. “As we moved out of the pandemic it became very clear if we wanted the workers to come back, we had to address the situation.”
The study found that traffic cones sit out far longer than permits allow, and that about a third of all orange cones downtown are unnecessary.
The City of Montreal issues permits for construction, but it only manages 30 per cent of all sites. Private companies, large utilities and the Quebec government largely control the rest.
The study suggested that private companies take up far too much public space during construction, often leaving equipment on public land for months at a time. The authors suggest private projects should use private land to store equipment, which would ease pressure on traffic.
“It does not make sense. In other cities we limit the time, the public space they will use and the private sector looks for private land,” LeBlanc said.
The study also took issue with rush-hour deliveries and how they impede traffic flow. Currently, deliveries happen from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the authors suggest having deliveries take place during the day or at night to limit traffic problems.
The board suggests creating a more streamlined way of managing projects, and had 10 solutions to improve the situation:
- Develop a culture of transparency, accountability and citizen participation.
- Rethink the parameters of delivery scheduling.
- Implement a dynamic incentive-based pricing system to optimize public space occupancy.
- Bring together all stakeholders under one smart entity responsible for planning and coordinating
construction sites. - Introduce a micromobility plan as soon as the density of barriers in a given area or traffic zone is
low. - Create signage standards tailored to the density of downtown Montréal.
- Systematically include efficiency and work quality requirements in calls for tenders.
- Promote public acceptance of the principle that downtown modernization requires sacrifice.
- Expedite the modernization of the construction sector through the creation of a site dedicated to
innovation and productivity improvement. - Make the private sector aware of its responsibility to implement all measures aimed at facilitating the management of construction sites and limiting traffic obstructions in downtown Montréal.
“Our study says if you want to change the situation, it’s not just the city. it involves the city, it involves the private sector and the way they do things, and the government of Quebec,” Leblanc said. “We need a platform for planning and co-ordinating that is mandatory. At this point, it’s not mandatory.”
The study indicates tourists are starting to notice all the construction.
“Visitors now see it, they observe it,” said Tourisme Montréal CEO Yves Lalumiere. “There are tons of orange cones out there. It’s unacceptable.”
The City of Montreal said it has known for a long time that there has been a problem with a lack of co-ordination regarding construction in the downtown core. It plans on convening a summit this spring, convening all players together, to discuss solutions to the problem.
“It emphasizes some interesting problems we already knew existed and that we were already working on,” said executive committee president Dominique Olivier. “I think it’s our responsibility to make sure our roles are more robust. We are hoping at the end of the summit we can create a consensus and the measures will be implemented really fast.”
The city plans on convening a summit in the spring to come up with a solution.