Tramway: traders are mobilizing against the shared street

By having pedestrians who will circulate at the same time as cyclists and motorists at the same level, in the same lane, we think that it will be dangerous because it is already difficult at the momentsays the owner of La Scala restaurant, Marc-Antoine Munoz.

We have already heard of pedestrians who have been hit by mirrors [de bus] from the RTC, things like that that happened. The circulation is already not obvious. If we shrink further, we think it will be dangerous and inefficientadds the restaurateur, whose establishment is located on René-Lévesque Boulevard.

Accompanied by fellow traders, restaurateur Marc-Antoine Munoz met the media on Tuesday to express his reservations about the concept of the shared street along the tramway.

Photo: Radio-Canada

It is on this artery, between avenues de Bourlamaque and de Salaberry, that the City of Quebec wishes to develop a shared lane along the tramway. The latter would circulate in the center of the roadway with, on either side, lanes where pedestrians, cyclists and motorists would live together.

DETOUR

Part of the traffic will be diverted to the north, on Chemin Sainte-Foy, and to the south, on Grande Allée. Marc-Antoine Munoz does not believe that these two arteries will be able to absorb all the traffic arriving from René-Lévesque Boulevard, one of the main access routes to downtown Quebec.

The shared street would be developed on the portion of René-Lévesque Boulevard located between de Bourlamaque and de Salaberry avenues.

Photo: Quebec City

Chemin Sainte-Foy is not wide enough. La Grande Allée is already a pedestrian in the middle, more or less. Traffic is badcomplains the businessman.

” I’m not against a pedestrian street, it’s greatfun […] but it has to be functional for everyone, not just for people who want to take the tram. »

According to Mr. Munoz, about thirty traders from the CDSbusiness development company Montcalm oppose shared street. In addition to the apprehended impacts on traffic flow and safety, they fear seeing their turnover decline if the sector becomes less attractive to customers.

The chef and owner of Bistro B, François Blais, is one of them. He argues that if the shared street experience fails, it is the merchants of Cartier Avenue and the area who will pay the price.

We have doubts

My restaurant is my livelihood. Am I worrying too much? I do not think so. Maybe the City is right, maybe Marchand is right, maybe Labeaume was right. Maybe it’ll bring a lot of people to the neighborhood. At that time, do you know what? Call me, I’ll apologize. It will be my pleasure to say that I was wrong, but we still have doubtsconfides the restaurateur.

The chef and owner of Bistro B, François Blais, fears that the shared street will cause him to lose customers.

Photo: Radio-Canada

Merchants opposed to the shared street are also wondering what will happen to snow removal once the tramway is in operation.

It’s gonna be hell

Bruno Drouin, one of the co-owners of the Provision grocery store on avenue Cartier, struggles to see how access to shops, already difficult during heavy snowfalls, will be made easier by the advent of the tramway and the shared street.

We have a hard time living [l’avenue] Cartier. The area has been poorly cleared of snow all year. So I can’t see [comment ils vont faire]says Mr. Drouin. It’s gonna be hell. I can tell you, it’s not pleasant. I’m not going to come and buy a steak here in the middle of winter, when there’s a snowstorm.

The City of Quebec claims to be sensitive to the concerns of merchants. She invites them to come and ask questions during the next consultation meetings.

With information from Olivier The best