‘TRAFFIC CZAR’ IS NEEDED
In April, the appointment of Pierre Lacasse as Montreal’s traffic spokesman was announced by Mayor Denis Coderre with great fanfare. Some dismissed it as a public relations exercise, a way for the city to deflect citizens’ frustrations with traffic chaos resulting from poorly co-ordinated roadwork.
Perhaps, but there was — and is — a crying need for someone to ensure roadwork is better co-ordinated and properly marked, and that citizens are adequately informed.
The veteran traffic reporter’s mandate was to work on behalf of the city’s beleaguered roadusers.
So it’s deeply disappointing that less than three months into his gig, Lacasse and the city have parted ways.
No doubt, the job would have been a frustrating one. The “traffic czar” in fact had no real power to order any official to do anything; the mandate was to act as sort of ombudsman. And the city, which had hailed Lacasse as plainspoken, may not have bargained for just how plain-spoken he was, for example, making comments in the media to the effect that driving this summer would be “hellish.”
In any case, there remains work to be done. The orange cone has become Montreal’s most recognizable symbol — or it feels that way — as the city moves ahead with a 10-year project to fix crumbling infrastructure, as well as the usual summer road repairs (plus, of course, the Turcot project, which is provincial jurisdiction). Drivers often find that parallel routes are blocked simultaneously, causing many to feel like they are rats in a maze, having to find a new way through each time (hello N.D.G.!).
And then there are the private construction projects that encroach upon public roadways, sometimes without permits, as apparently was the case last month when a contractor blocked two of three lanes of a major route into downtown during morning rush hour.
A further reminder of the need for better communications came this month, when restaurateurs on Ontario St. East were told that they will have to pull up their street-encroaching terrasses for the Formula E race July 29-30. Someone should have informed them sooner.
It has been suggested — among others, by Lacasse himself — that persuading more drivers to opt for public transit is an essential part of the solution. That may be, but there will continue to be drivers, cyclists and pedestrians on our roads. They deserve to have someone looking out for their interests, someone whose mandate is to help keep traffic flowing, and to be a conduit for citizens’ complaints when there are undue problems.
A replacement should be named without delay.