We support the arrival of the MUHC in NDG; unfortunately the traffic plan is a disaster for everybody - hospital users, NDG commuters, all Vendome metro users, and worst of all for St-Raymond residents. Here is a domino-effect scenario for changes in St-Raymond as road construction starts and Upper Lachine Road is closed or narrowed at Decarie St.. We hope none of this comes to pass but fear it will:
- the 90 bus is delayed for 15 minutes or more getting through to the Vendome metro, discouraging riders.
- cars are delayed getting north to upper NDG, especially at rush hour when parents pick up their kids at school (the two schools in St-Raymond were closed years ago) or daycare. Cavendish is no better than Decarie since many try to go that way under the tracks. The Melrose tunnel still has no ramp for cyclists or baby carriages.
- even if none of these specifically affect older residents who own many of the duplexes, it may affect tenants, who will become discouraged as delays drag on for years and may decide to move out of St-Raymond's, which is much easier now than 5 years ago, with vacancy rates rising city wide. It gets harder to find good tenants.
- businesses that rely at least partly on outside customers start losing clients who find it hard to get back to Westmount, upper NDG, the highway entrances or the metro station. D&G's (Rona), NDG Italian bakery, Momesso's and other restaurants are forced to shut or relocate to outside St-Raymond's to stay in business.
- all this speeds up the departure of younger, working, members of the Italian community. It would be a shame if the St-Raymond's Catholic Church closed because the community drops below a minimum number.
- Perhaps an economic recession or a renewed threat of Quebec separation adds to these problems as the years of delays drag on and the hospital is not even open yet. Property values in St-Raymond's might fall sharply.
- Even when road construction is finished and the hospital expands over the years, the increasing wall of traffic continues to hurt St-Raymond. All the benefits of having a hospital nearby, like pedestrian lunch traffic, goes to de Maisonneuve (new Provigo opening at Claremont), Sherbrooke and Victoria Sts. Note that there are ghettos very near hospitals in Montreal, like beside the Children's on Ste-Catherine St. or around the Verdun Hospital.
To avoid this, we must change the MUHC Traffic Plan before it gets started!
- NDG community groups and the St-Raymond Residents Association have detailed an alternative plan bringing highway traffic to the MUHC from the empty Turcot yards down the hill near St-Henri (see A Proposal for a Green Hospital).
- Decarie St. must remain one way north under the tracks and Upper Lachine must remain open as it is now!
- Open the new exit on Addington (since it is now built) to help get traffic off Sherbrooke, but keep DeMaisonneuve one way west. Cars could U-turn onto one way south Girouard to get under the tracks to the hospital.
- The suggested two-way Girouard with a roundabout at Upper Lachine causes more problems than it solves.
- Don't expect the new entrance ramp to the 15 north from St-Jacques, Transport Quebec says it is too expensive.
Let's stand up to Tremblay (872 4863), mapplebaum@ville.montreal.qc.ca and Russell Copeman (489 7581), who thank us for voting for them by supporting this crazy, expensive ($94 million) traffic plan created by distant bureaucrats who only listen to Westmount's obsession that no traffic go down the Glen Road just east of the site when it is the best way for Westmounters to get to a hospital entrance on St-Jacques without disturbing NDG.
Please call us to put a sign up on your balcony 514 678 5515 or
by .
St-Raymond Residents Association:
Peter McQueen, Bruna Roti, Jill Prescesky, Kristian Gravenor
Links of interest:
Association des Résidants de CDN-NDG/CDN-NDG Residents' Association
Le Conseil communautaire Notre-Dame-de-Grâce/NDG Community Council
Commentaires ou questions? Veuillez nous contacter par .
Comments or questions? Feel free to contact us via .
Ferme fenêtre/onglet... Close this window/tab
Updated: 08/04/2007