Lack of parking at two stations is concerning even for fans of REM
REM users should be serviced by and encouraged to use new or modified bus routes but, ultimately, there should also be a realistic number of parking spaces available at the REM stations.
Even for proponents of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) stations, some outstanding planning concerns remain when it comes to the West Island stations along Highway 40.
The West Island is a car-heavy suburban landscape. With the aim of keeping cars off highways heading downtown, people have been encouraged to utilize the bus or existing commuter trains, for decades. These train stations generally offer ample parking spots, free of charge, on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, which runs parallel to Highway 20.
For example, the Dorval station has 372 spaces in its park-andride lot, the Pointe-Claire station has 587 spots, while the Beaconsfield station has 452 spots and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue 287 spaces. All the stations on this line also offer bike racks and are served by STM bus routes.
The point is, the forthcoming REM stations should encourage West Islanders to arrive for boarding by whatever means best suits their day-to-day reality. The West Island sprawls over considerable territory and is not as densely populated as central Montreal. Yes, REM users should be serviced by and encouraged to use new or modified bus routes but, ultimately, there should also be a realistic number of parking spaces available at the REM stations. So far, REM officials have confirmed the Sources and SteAnne-de-Bellevue stations will be “equipped with parking lots to facilitate access for drivers.”
The Ste-Anne station, at the western end of the proposed West Island leg, will have around 200 spots. The Sources station will have close to 500 spaces.
Although the REM website, as recently as of last Friday, stated parking lots are not planned for the Pointe-Claire and Kirkland stations, officials have since updated the information for these stations, though nothing is, as yet, settled. The website post reads, “Discussions are underway with different partners to determine the number of parking spaces available at the PointeClaire and Kirkland stations.”
Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson is hopeful further discussions will be held with REM and Montreal officials to address the need for parking at the Kirkland station, which will be located along Jean-Yves St. near the cinema/ mall complex. The mayor said talks will have to be held with the mall owners to determine if it’s possible to dedicate some parking for REM train users.
“For now, we didn’t hear anything,” he said Monday.
“The logical thing is, we need some parking space. The reality of the West Island is quite simple: Give us some parking space. Instead of travelling 30 kilometres (by car) to get to Montreal, the local people will travel two or three kilometres to get to the station. But they need a parking space, that’s essential.”
At one time, the Kirkland REM station was to have about 1,800 parking spots but that target unexpectedly changed last year with the city of Montreal pushing for an urban boulevard that would be off-limits to private cars and reserved only for buses and bikes, Gibson said. “Montreal doesn’t understand the issues of the West Island,” he added.
As well, both Kirkland and Pointe-Claire city officials want the REM tracks to run at about 15 metres above ground level instead of the five metres currently in the plans. Gibson said higher tracks would allow enough space for highway interchanges to be built — one in Kirkland to connect a new urban boulevard with Ste-Marie Rd. and Highway 40 and another between the Jacques-Bizard corridor and Stillview Ave. in Pointe-Claire.
Ste-Anne Mayor Paola Hawa said she has no concerns about the total number of parking spots at the station serving her town of almost 5,200 residents. “Except that there may be too many spots and encourage Vaudreuil residents to clog up a little two-lane road like Chemin Ste-Marie,” she noted. While Off-Island bus routes to the Ste-Anne and Kirkland REM stations would be ideal, it’s seem clear there won’t be enough parking spots available to meet the needs of the 156,000 residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, some of whom may need to commute to Montreal.
While it’s not part of the REM plan, extending the West Island leg into Vaudreuil-Soulanges as part of a long-awaited project to replace the Île-aux-Tourtes, does make sense. The population in the booming Off-Island region continues to grow from census to census. The city of Vaudreuil-Dorion is topping 40,000 residents, while St-Lazare is close to 21,000 residents.