To make way for the extension of the Pie-IX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, more than 100 mature trees will have to be cut down.
The STM and the City of Montreal are facing growing criticism for the decision, which environmentalists and opposition councillors say sets a dangerous precedent.
“We’re talking greenwashing and not real policy when it comes to the environment,” Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Coun. Alba Zuniga Ramo said.
The express BRT system is a reserved lane for STM buses that is physically separated from the rest of traffic along Pie-IX Boulevard.
Inaugurated in November 2022, the route runs 11 kilometres with 17 stops from Boulevard Saint-Michel in Laval to Pierre-de-Coubertin near the Olympic Stadium.
The BRT is supposed to fill a void along the north-south corridor that lacks a fast, efficient public transit system.
Work on the extension is set to begin in September, stretching along the route all the way to Notre-Dame Boulevard.
Zuniga Ramo says public transit in the east of Montreal is needed and approves of the project but says the environment was sacrificed for development.
“It’s not something that we are against; we’re for the safety of pedestrians but what we want in this case is transparency,” Zuniga Ramo said.
“We want to know if there were other alternatives analyzed. Why did the STM and its partners come up with this as the last alternative? We have a lot of questions but no answers.”
In response, the city and the STM said much has been done to reduce the number of trees cut down in the area.
“Different scenarios were studied with the support of a firm specializing in urban forestry,” said Justine Lord-Dufour, STM spokesperson.
“We have also put the necessary effort and time before starting our work in order to carry out additional studies and find the best possible solutions.”
By shifting the route “slightly to the east,” developers were able to reduce the number of trees to be cut from 144 to 100.
As a result, the STM said they managed to preserve 48 per cent of the trees on Pie-IX.
The project will add two trees for every one cut in the new layout, for a total of more than 200 trees.
Most of the new trees will be planted along the edge of the street, making it safer for pedestrians, according to the city.
The project will also plant 12 species that were chosen to diversify the canopy.
All the wood will be recycled and transformed to make street furniture.
“It’s just not good enough,” Cassandre Charbonneau from citizens’ group Mobilisation 6600 said. “You need to start planting before you cut down trees. Plant elsewhere, plant those trees in the street. It will take 20 to 30 years for them to return to glory but it will never be the same.”
Local environmental groups accuse officials behind the project of choosing the fastest and easiest option when it came to the build.
“To cut down major trees like on a major artery is a shame, really. We feel things could have been examined and put forward, could’ve been more proactive,” Charbonneau said.
The BRT extension is scheduled to be completed by the year 2027.