Come on, Quebec. Saying no to light rail transit on the Champlain Bridge would be a big mistake.

This week, we joined forces with Vivre en Ville, the Conseil régional de l'environnement de Montréal (CRE-Montréal), and Forum Urba 2015 (UQAM) to call on the Quebec government to respect the will of greater Montreal in favour of the proposed light rail transit (LRT) plan for the Champlain Bridge. It would be a mistake to rely on the bus network alone for future development.

"The reserved bus lane on the Champlain Bridge has already reached its saturation point, with a bus every 25 seconds. Simply improving the current system will be very expensive without major qualitative gain," said Florence Junca Adenot, director of Forum Urba 2015 (UQAM). "In addition, increasing the number of buses entering the island of Montreal can be a nuisance in terms of noise, air pollution and road safety. Already, the situation is difficult for sectors such as Griffintown."

It was similar concerns about buses that pushed Ottawa to opt for an LRT to replace part of its bus system.

Another issue: operating costs. For the same number of passengers, an LRT costs about half as much to operate as a bus rapid transit system.

"It is false to claim that LRT contributes, more than bus, to urban sprawl. An LRT would promote consolidation, a proliferation of buses would lead to a scattering of development in the more remote areas," said Christian Savard, executive director, Vivre en Ville. "Montreal has much to gain from improving accessibility to public transit. The downtown must remain accessible and attractive."

Montreal's city council recently adopted a motion in favour of the LRT, and the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal has also adopted a resolution asking the government to respect the will of greater Montreal in support of this project.

This plan for the LRT has been in place for a while. Now, with the Champlain Bridge under construction, there can be no more procrastinating.

"Providing reliable and efficient transit service on the Champlain Bridge by LRT is not a luxury for the metropolitan area. The LRT will allow more commuters to take public transit to work in Montreal," said Coralie Deny, executive director, CRE-Montreal.

"One of Quebec's goals is to electrify its transportation network. That would seem to be an argument in favour of the LRT, a proven mode of electric transportation," said Steven Guilbeault, senior director, Equiterre.

Construction work on the Champlain Bridge presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide metropolitan Montreal with the public transit infrastructure it truly needs. Basing the choice of solution on the cost at acquisition, regardless of operating costs, and the effects on regional development, would be a mistake of historic proportions that would affect greater Montreal and all of Quebec. To improve the competitiveness of the metropolitan region, an LRT is needed.