Is a fast-food outlet contributing to increased congestion on Île-Perrot?

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of Île-Perrot, then you know that a fast-food restaurant bearing golden arches is now a significant part of the landscape and has been a prominent fixture for the past couple of years.

If you are a driver or a pedestrian then you also know that ever since the restaurant opened at a primary and major intersection in town, that traffic flow in that area has been impacted. With entrances and exits that are situated along major arteries of Don Quichotte and Grand Blvds., and in proximity to the town’s primary set of four-way traffic lights, an impedance of regular traffic flow occurs now, not only during peak times such as rush hours, but throughout all times of any given day as drivers brake, stop, turn and ponder en-route to their trios. I know, as I travel the routes in question as a local resident regularly. Admittedly, I’ve been known to frequent the location for a furtive McMuffin on the fly.

Vehicular traffic is not the only issue affecting flow at the Don Quichotte and Grand intersection. In fact, frequent and regular foot crossings by groups of youth during breaks and lunch hour and who are coming and going from nearby schools can create confusion and congestion as they often ignore pedestrian signals and lights altogether. Need I mention a frequent witnessing of far too many kids focusing their attention to smartphones rather than the signals or adjacent cars as they cross the street?

So, whether we are referring to a matter of safety for pedestrians or drivers, or to an impediment of regular flow of traffic causing increased traffic congestion (and therefore potential dangers), the issues occurring at this location cannot and should not continue to be ignored. How they can be addressed going forward is another issue. After all, approval for the restaurant’s location was authorized by the governing municipal authorities and we can assume that any potential negative impacts on traffic or for public safety were considered and studied and had undergone diligent legal processes. If zoning is allowed or allows for a restaurant of this type at that location, then what’s the issue, right?

Speaking of issues, one might question, too, the proximity of this location to nearby schools.

Numerous studies have proven that the location of fast-food restaurants in proximity to schools and in conjunction with intensive marketing practices aimed at youth greatly contribute to our youth’s consumption of foods with poor nutritional value. While this may seem obvious to most, clearly the Don Quichotte-Grand location capitalizes greatly by this type of proximity, hence the volume of local students going to and fro. École Virginie-Roy is a quarter-kilometre away, École François-Perrot is half-kilometre away and Chêne-Bleu high school in Pincourt is about one kilometre away.

I asked readers in July 2013 if you were pleased that McDonald’s would occupy substantial space at the corner of one of the busiest intersections in Île-Perrot and if there might there be any potential traffic congestion. Four years in the running now, what’s your opinion on the impacts?