The independent MNA for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols, is dismayed to see that her region is now known throughout Quebec for its monstrous traffic jams, due to the condition of the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge.

This Thursday, May 9, she questioned the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, on her government's inaction during question period at the National Assembly. She asked her to implement mitigation measures as soon as possible to alleviate the distress of the population and business owners in her region.

Families at the end of their tether

To illustrate the significant impact of traffic congestion on the population, MNA Nichols cited the example of a mother from Vaudreuil-Dorion, who told her that her family routine has had to change considerably because of traffic. The woman now had to wake her children at 5 a.m., the whole family had to eat breakfast in the car, and yet she was late for work every day.Another mother told the MP that her children arrive an hour late for school every day. This represents a deficit of 5 hours of education per week.

” I sense a great deal of distress among the population,” says the MP. ” I receive dozens of messages every day from people describing the major repercussions on their lives. Many are even thinking of leaving the region to preserve a certain quality of family life. Parents are sacrificing many hours a week in traffic instead of being with their children. We've gone from a paradise for families to a place that many want to leave. The CAQ must stop telling us that there's nothing to do but wait for the new bridge. There are solutions, and we need to implement them now.”

Tried and tested business owners

Ms. Nichols also expressed concern for the economic development of her region, and more specifically for the survival of local businesses.

She told the Minister that she had received messages from a number of business owners noting a significant drop in sales, a phenomenon directly linked to mobility issues.Many fear they will have to close store if the situation does not improve quickly. ”For many business owners in our region, it will be impossible to absorb major deficits for another three years,” she explains. Restaurants have empty reservation books, even on Saturday evenings, and major industrial projects are slow to materialize because of transportation issues.The congestion caused by the bridge is killing our economic development.It's high time we took action.”

Mitigation measures rejected by the CAQ

Marie-Claude Nichols recently sent a new communication to the Caquist government, in the form of a question au feuilleton, the opposition's way of questioning the government on certain issues. In it, the MP listed mitigation measures that could be put in place to relieve congestion on the region's roads.

Among the solutions proposed were all-weather free travel on Autoroute 30, synchronization of traffic lights on Harwood Boulevard, the Autoroute 20 bypass and a return to dynamic lane management. ” None of these options has been retained by the CAQ, which indicates that they are either too costly or under analysis.This is further proof of the CAQ's lack of interest in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region,” laments MNA Nichols.