Following the announcement of the closure of an additional lane on the Île aux Tourtes bridge, the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CCIVS) is concerned about the impact of this situation on the merchants and residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

For more than 10 years, the CCIVS has been lobbying for the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region to be recognized as being at the heart of Quebec logistics, and for the necessary investments to be made for the benefit of the entire province.

"With over 70% of Canadian trade transiting through the continental gateway, at the heart of which lies our region, it's high time that the region's neuralgic character be recognized by our two levels of government, and that the necessary sums be invested to maintain and improve our transportation infrastructures," declares Mathieu Miljours, General Manager of the CCIVS.

In so doing, he points out that it's not just our region that is affected by the state of the network, but the whole province.

Immediate action needed

The CCIVS welcomes the initial action taken by the Ministry of Transport following the announcement of the temporary complete closure and the indefinite closure of an additional lane on the Île aux Tourtes bridge.

However, the CCIVS believes that certain additional measures should be put in place to further mitigate the impact of the situation on local merchants, particularly those along Highway 20.

To support businesses in the area, the CCIVS general manager plans to set up a contact group.

"Merchants on Harwood Boulevard are particularly impacted by traffic problems and congestion. When there's traffic, people are much less tempted to store there. We're looking at how we can support them. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be doing a number of outings to encourage people to continue to go and support the merchants. We also want to put the spotlight on online boutiques, so that people don't forget about them," added Mathieu Miljours.

Mitigation measures

The CCIVS believes that, for the duration of the work, the Quebec government should allow all vehicles free passage on Autoroute 30 to encourage the use of this bypass by vehicles currently using Autoroutes 20 and 40, particularly heavy vehicles, in order to reduce congestion and provide easy access to local businesses.

In addition, a temporary park-and-ride facility with shuttle service could be set up to facilitate residents' access to the commuter train and bus service.

Finally, an increased police presence should be put in place to ensure a smoother flow of traffic on Highway 20 in the Dorion sector and on Île Perrot.

"These actions are necessary to ensure that hard-hit merchants don't lose sales during the busiest time of the year," added Mr. Miljours.

Short- and medium-term measures more than necessary

The current situation also clearly demonstrates the fragility of the region's road infrastructure network, as well as the absence of an efficient public transit system.

The CCIVS believes that the Quebec government can wait no longer to complete Highway 20.

"There's no doubt that we're going to hammer away at the issue of Highway 20. It really has to become a reality. We're dealing with a pan-Canadian highway which, despite its high level of traffic, is laid out like an urban boulevard with a multitude of traffic lights. When a portion of the network becomes inaccessible, the impact is automatically felt on Highway 20. In the end, it's the merchants who suffer, since consumers are reluctant to endure the traffic to get to the shops," continues Mr. Miljours.

"That said, even if the government were to announce the project tomorrow morning, it's not going to solve the situation immediately," he adds.

The CCIVS points out that the project to complete Autoroute 20 has long been under discussion, and was even the subject of a detailed presentation by the Ministère des Transports du Québec in June 2009.

The REM

In the same vein, the CCIVS is also of the opinion that there is still time for the Quebec government and the Caisse de dépôt to immediately plan for the addition of a reserved lane for the REM on the future Île-aux-Tourtes bridge.

As Mathieu Miljours points out: "The proposal to rebuild this major project is inconsistent with the government's commitments to reduce our GHG footprint. What's more, it's surprising that this project, which is likely to see the light of day in 2028, is already out of date, with no provision for measures to promote public transit," adding in the same breath that the solution of using a shoulder lane as a reserved bus lane is a stopgap solution that cannot be part of a modern sustainable development policy.

FCCQ support

On October 21, 2021, members of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) unanimously adopted a resolution supporting recognition of the Vaudreuil-Soulangeoise region's logistical role in the Quebec economy.

The FCCQ also supports all the resolutions aimed at improving transport fluidity for the region, including the one calling for a dedicated lane to accommodate the eventual passage of the REM.