IN TRANSIT
Reader asks about reduced speed limit on Highway 20
Q The speed limit on the westbound Highway 20 is 100 kilometres per hour. The speed limit on the eastbound Highway 20 is 70 kilometres per hour. Both highways are built to the same standards; why the difference? Bill Shackell, Montreal
A There is one stretch where there is a difference in speed limits on the highway. The eastbound highway in Lachine has a 70 km/h limit from where the reserved bus lane/carpool lane begins around the entrance for Bouchard Blvd. at the eastern edge of the city of Dorval. On the westbound side, it is 100 kilometres per hour starting at around 1st Ave. until the western tip of the island.
We asked Transport Quebec about this discrepancy and were told that it is because of the reserved lane, which came into effect around 2011, and was moved in 2014.
“Before November 2011, there was a 70 km/h limit starting at 1st Ave. But in 2011, there was a reserved lane put in place on the right shoulder, and the zone was moved to 55th Ave,” Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun said. “But in November 2014, the lane was moved to the left side and it started farther west, near Bouchard Ave., so the speed limit was made 70 km/h at Bouchard.”
Bensadoun said the speed limit was changed in an effort to prevent accidents or reduce their severity. The lane can be used by buses, taxis, carpoolers with more than three people in their cars and people who drive electric cars, so there can be a lot of vehicles in that lane.
“We lowered it to 70 km/h because it avoids a large difference in speeds between vehicles in the reserved lane and those in the regular lanes,” she said. “If there is a big difference, it could cause accidents when drivers merge back into the regular lanes.”
The lane was put in place as a mitigation measure to encourage people to take the bus rather than their cars during work on the Turcot Interchange. However, Bensadoun said the lane will be a permanent fixture on the highway and won’t be removed when work on the Turcot is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
She said the speed limit will remain 70 km/h in that area.
Q The 747 airport express was a long overdue addition to the Société de transport de Montréal’s bus routes. Since its launch, the point of departure has been the new central bus terminal on Berri St. between de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Ontario St. Being able to wait inside was a big plus. Lately, though, the 747 has been picking up its passengers on the sidewalk in front of the building. There isn’t even a bus shelter. I asked one of the drivers and she said the STM and the owners of the bus terminal “couldn’t agree.” On what precisely could they not agree? And is there any chance that they might eventually agree again? Steffen Albrecht, Montreal
A The decision to move the stop was made for the convenience of users, and not because of a disagreement with the property owners, said Amélie Régis, a spokesperson for the STM. She said the STM decided on its own to move the stop to the northwest corner of Ste-Catherine St. and Berri because of a study that showed that a large number of people who use that stop arrive from the Berri-UQÀM métro station. She said moving the stop is more convenient for those users, who now have to travel a shorter distance to get to the stop.
She said that since June 8, there is a bus shelter at that stop, and added that the decision to move the stop has saved the STM $200,000 annually in rent to reserve the spot in the bus depot.