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You have probably noticed: back-to-school traffic is back. Every year, it is the same old story. Vacations end, construction resumes, and traffic congestion becomes a nightmare for several weeks. On public transit, riders are once again packed into sardine class. This congestion is not merely frustrating—it is a major obstacle to our development.
In addition to costing you dozens of hours every year, congestion costs approximately $6 billion annually in Greater Montréal alone. By 2030, that figure will rise to $10 billion.
That is an astronomical amount of money disappearing into traffic jams instead of being invested in our schools and health care system.
The overlooked common thread
With the election campaign now underway, political parties will present their respective visions for Quebec’s future. Aside from yet another debate over the proposed third link between Québec City and Lévis, transportation will probably be pushed into the background by the threat from the United States and the prospect of another referendum on Quebec sovereignty.
Yet mobility is the common thread running through our greatest concerns. The cost of living? A personal vehicle is often a household’s second-largest expense. Housing? We cannot solve the housing crisis by building homes made more expensive by minimum parking requirements and often located far from public and active transportation networks. Health? Every trip made on foot or by bicycle contributes to daily physical activity. Public transit users accumulate an average of 8 to 33 minutes of physical activity per day by walking to and from stations and stops, helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The economy? Every investment in sustainable mobility supports businesses across Quebec that manufacture buses, bicycles and trains here at home. The environment? Every full bus represents approximately 50 fewer cars on the road.
As we discuss the major projects that will shape our society, we propose making mobility a central issue in this election—and the next transformative project that will move Quebec forward.
In practical terms, this means guaranteeing freedom of choice by giving 80% of Quebec’s population access to at least four sustainable mobility services; reducing household transportation expenses by as much as 20%; cutting transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5%; and investing in Quebec’s land transportation equipment sector.
It would also usher in a new wave of emancipation by making us less dependent on foreign automotive industries, global economic shocks and fluctuations in oil prices—external forces over which we have no control.
We already know how to achieve this: increase public transit service by at least 5% annually and allocate at least 50% of transportation infrastructure investments to public transit by 2030. As a reminder, the Coalition Avenir Québec, the Quebec Liberal Party, Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois all committed to these measures¹ during last year’s Terrebonne by-election.
The appetite for such a project is very real. According to a poll conducted by Équiterre,² 78% of Quebecers believe the next government should improve service levels and frequency across existing public transit networks to combat congestion.
The ball is now in the political parties’ court. Regardless of political affiliation, it is time to commit to tackling congestion. It is time to fund alternatives to driving, restore a long-term vision for Quebec and make sustainable mobility a genuine society-wide project. Is that not what it means to be masters in our own house?
Co-signatories: Sandrine Cabana-Degani, Executive Director, Piétons Québec; Marie-Soleil Gagné, Executive Director, Accès transports viables; Francis Garnier, Coordinator, Alliance TRANSIT; Samuel Pagé-Plouffe, Director of Public Affairs, Vivre en Ville; Maggie Harvey, Executive Director, Trajectoire Québec; Myriam Nadeau, Executive Director, Réseau des centres d’expertise en mobilité (RCEM).
