The Gazette sums up various ideas for taking pressure off the overloaded orange line but they’re still all talk: the pink line, more metro trains, more buses on the north-south streets parallel to the line’s eastern side. But the statement “if alternatives won’t save commuters any time, they won’t use them” is a bit too blankety. People might choose to leave a little earlier if it allowed them to avoid the sardining inevitable on the orange line now.
Updates from May, 2019 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
The Journal says that the CAQ government is wilfully blocking federal financial participation in projects including millions for water infrastructure in Montreal.
Steve Q
Another proof that we have too many levels of goverment.
Kate
Nonsense. Canada’s a big country, and we need the levels we have because the provinces really do have different geographies, economic and environmental needs and cultural balances. And cities need administrations. You’re keen on reducing democratic participation, Steve Q. I see no value in it unless you believe in dictatorship.
david100
This is actually a pretty reasonable power play on Legault’s part to get the Canadians to commit another $300 million to the Quebec tramway. Give us the money of we screw up your election announcements!
david100
*or we screw
dhomas
It could also tremendously backfire for the CAQ. If the Liberals make the announcement anyway, it could look just as it is: “Here’s all this funding we, the Federal Liberals, want to give you! Your provincial government is not allowing you to have it.”
Also, Steve Q, I don’t know what you’re on about, but you tend to make these kinds of statements and seldom provide anything to back them up.
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Kate
A march organized by several tenants’ groups against Airbnb was held Thursday along Mont-Royal.
In other tenants’ group news, a longstanding St-Henri group was, predictably, evicted from its office on Notre-Dame by a new landlord with plans to hike the rent sharply.
Ian 07:40 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
This is true, when I worked downtown I made a point of taking the bus instead of the metro even though it meant more waiting around outside and a 15 minute walk just to avoid the orange line in the morning – and that was 4 years ago, it’s worse now.
EmilyG 08:43 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
I have a weekly appointment near Atwater metro on Thursday afternoons, and I take the metro one stop to Lionel-Groulx, then take the orange line to Rosemont station. It does take a bit longer than if I took the green line the other way to Berri, and then the orange line to Rosemont, but if I use my way, I avoid having to deal with trying to board the orange line at Berri.
Blork 08:56 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
The photo the Gazette uses to illustrate “sardine class” is misleading. That’s just a slightly crowded Metro car; the people there have a bit of elbow room and they’re able to look at their phones and books. True “sardine class” (which happens daily and I experience about once a week) is so jammed you can barely lift your arm to your face to look at your phone — sometimes your phone is an inch from your face because that’s all the room you have. Forget about reading a book.
Kevin 10:57 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
I have to say I hate the new metro cars when it’s really crowded. I think they expected people to give up their folding seats and stand, holding onto the rounded bars near the accordions, except nobody ever stands up and those bars are impossible to reach if you’re standing there.
Blork 11:20 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
True that. Kate has mentioned in the past how the Azur cars are difficult for people with lesser vertical endowments, and I’ve noticed that too even though I’m vertically average. I used to have very good “sea legs” but not anymore; I absolutely MUST have a third point of contact on a moving Metro (first two being feet) and I’ve occasionally found myself on a crowded Azur car where there was literally nothing to grab onto except other people. Not fun!