A regional planning expert welcomes the abandonment of the motorway component of the 3rd link project, but she is no more convinced of the relevance of a tunnel reserved 100% for public transport.

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Removing the car lanes from the project was the right thing to do, various urban planning specialists repeated on Wednesday, including the director of the Department of Geography at Laval University, Marie-Hélène Vandersmissen, who holds a doctorate in land use planning.

“Traffic reduction or not (due to teleworking since the pandemic), this was a bad project at the start since the addition of road infrastructure has never and nowhere contributed to reducing congestion. In this, science and practice were clear on this, ”she reacted, rejoicing to note that the Legault government now seems more attentive to studies and science.

“However, I wonder regarding the relevance of a tunnel devoted solely to public transport. There is currently no public transport supply between the two city centers, so there can be no demand. This project would therefore serve as a “lever” to create demand for public transport. Here too, it will take studies on the potential traffic, ”she nuanced.

A justified expense?

“There is certainly a risk of investing a lot of money in a project that would ultimately be underutilized (…) The short-term public transport investment needs are probably elsewhere: better service to the northern suburbs (and) on the west side, where the current demand is,” she suggests.

The “only viable option”

The professor at the École Supérieure d’Aménagement du Territoire et de Développement Régional, Jean Dubé, understands the doubts expressed by his colleague from Laval University, but he continues to believe that a third link dedicated entirely to public transit remains the “only viable option”, thus offering a “real alternative” to the car.

This is what he proposed in a book published in 2021. “If you want to absolutely persist in going in the direction (of a tunnel), the best option, in fact the only option that seems to me viable is one where there is only public transit. There is perhaps a risk of “boosting” the modal share of public transport because it will become advantageous compared to the car. If people take it to go downtown, it will reduce congestion. »