Montreal Gazette

Pierrefond­s mayor upset about access-road plan

Beis says scrapping plans for a motorist boulevard ‘completely unacceptab­le’

- JASON MAGDER With files from Matthew Lapierre. jmagder@postmedia.com twitter.com/jasonmagde­r facebook.com/jasonmagde­rjournalis­t

PIERREFOND­S Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis was seething on Wednesday about a new plan to build a car-free access road to a future train station in Kirkland.

Beis was reacting to the announceme­nt on Tuesday of a plan to build on undevelope­d land that had been reserved by the province for decades as an extension to Highway 440 in Laval. Previously, the plan had been to build a boulevard to cut through Pierrefond­s and Kirkland to offer motorists using St-Charles Blvd. an alternativ­e route to Highway 40.

The province announced a road would be built, but it would be reserved exclusivel­y for buses and bicycles connecting Antoine-Faucon St. at the border of Kirkland and Pierrefond­s to the future station of the Réseau express métropolit­ain on the corner of Jean-Yves St. and Highway 40, next to Parc des Bénévoles and the Kirkland Colisée movie theatre. A plan for a 2,000-space parking lot at the Kirkland station was also scrapped.

“The reserved bus lane and bike path will allow citizens to access the REM station quickly, without increasing traffic in their neighbourh­ood,” said Martin Coiteux, Quebec minister of municipal affairs and public security, and the MNA for the Nelligan riding where the area lies.

Beis said the land should be a boulevard as planned, because St-Charles Blvd. is already clogged with congestion in the morning and afternoon rush hours.

He accused Valérie Plante’s Projet Montréal administra­tion of imposing its “dogmatic” philosophy

on the West Island, without properly consulting him or the citizens of his borough.

“You’re coming into my borough and imposing your will onto people who want the opposite,” Beis said. “What kind of democracy is that? This decision was taken behind closed doors, with no studies. It’s completely unacceptab­le.”

He said the idea to build a station for the REM without proper access by car is a bad one, and will result in congestion leading to the station and riders using residentia­l streets to park.

However, other West Island mayors welcomed the idea.

Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson said he’s happy at least part of the road will be built.

“We have to start somewhere,” Gibson said. “A couple of months ago, we weren’t getting anywhere, and then there was a real opening on the part of the city of Montreal. Yes, we need that link. The link is now there. What will come in the future? I don’t know, but for now, I’m extremely satisfied.”

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Mayor

Paola Hawa also welcomed the idea, saying it will ensure the protection of the green space around the Anse-à-l’Orme corridor because the boulevard would have given access to land slated for a proposed 6,000 housing-unit developmen­t in the area. She said without the boulevard, that plan is likely dead, and that’s good news.

“Projet Montréal was very clear about their plans throughout the campaign, so this should be no surprise to anyone,” Hawa said. “I’m all for protecting Anse-à-l’Orme and green space. I welcome the fact that it is green.”

You’re coming into my borough and imposing your will onto people who want the opposite

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