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Metro tested various ways of getting to the existing REM stations and rates them.
TVA says the REM line was probably struck by lightning at some point during Thursday’s storm, but wasn’t damaged.
La Presse emphasizes that the initial bugs have to be worked out of the REM by August 21, when a major part of the RTL bus system will be changed to adapt its routes to the REM.
The southern part of the Îlot Voyageur that has been decrepit for years belongs has been confided to Groupe Aquilini, which wants to build on that end of the lot and wants an exception to zoning laws to build higher than permitted.
Current zoning of 16 metres is inexcusable. This is in a neighbourhood of towers, next to a grocery store and library, on top of the best connected metro station in the city, and where demand for housing from the adjacent university is incredibly high. And the developer is asking for just 8 storeys total, when there are a bunch of 20ish storey towers nearby? The city should preemptively raise the height to 120 metres and send the developer a list of crane companies before another farmer sells their land for a low density subdivision on the fringe.
We have a lot of parts of the city zoned too short, especially if we want to limit sprawl, increase density and solve the housing problems. In fact, we should have a minimum height zoning as well as a density zoning, so we don’t end up with McMansions
Aquilini doesn’t own the property, it’s owned by the city. They’ve (apparently) contracted out its development to Aquilini, although this is the first I’ve heard of it.
Aha, now I understand. Aquilini owns the *north* part of the îlot and they want to finish the current abandoned portion along St-Hubert. The QMI report is misleading.
As far as I know the city still has no plans for the southern portion, which is currently being used as an entrepôt for bike delivery companies, with a big community garden in the area where the buses used to dock.
Here are details about what Aquilini wants to do:
https://forum.agoramtl.com/t/ilot-appartements-6-a10-etages/1374
The style’s anodyne but the area could use those 600 units. I assume a small proportion will be social housing?
Having been loudly blamed for not treating a francophone rape victim – even though this was spelled out in a standing protocol – it’s not surprising that the Montreal General wants the 1977 guidelines to be revised.
Things to do on the weekend from Metro, CityCrunch, Sarah’s weekend list, CultMTL. CultMTL also has some notes on Pride and on Osheaga and its afterparties.
Traffic warnings of the weekend.
DeWolf 10:53 on 2023-08-05 Permalink
I tried it out on Thursday and was pretty happy with the experience. The views from Central Station to Panama are incredible – especially the viaduct leading to Nun’s Island, which offers a perspective on the city I’ve never seen before (and I suppose nobody has, since there are no other tall structures in that area).
Uatu 14:08 on 2023-08-05 Permalink
I wonder why the RTL doesn’t keep the 45 accordion buses available as an emergency shuttle. Where are they going to use them? Actually I wonder why they don’t run those buses up and down the length of taschereau blvd… Or maybe that’s the plan?
CE 15:29 on 2023-08-05 Permalink
The RTL is saying that they’re going to redeploy the busses that used to cross the river to other routes to increase service elsewhere. I imagine a few older busses will be retired as well.
Faiz Imam 20:59 on 2023-08-05 Permalink
There is a lot of complaints about the poor local bus service at the moment. I understand they cant transtion the entire network overnight, but this 3 week gap between shutting down the 45/90 and increasing local service is causing some serious issues for people.