My Alerts Montréal, August 6, 2012 – Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is pleased to announce that work on refurbishing the bus terminus around Lionel-Groulx station will begin next Monday, August 6. As part of traffic mitigating measures related to rebuilding the Turcot Interchange, the $3.3 M project is entirely funded by Transport Québec.
As it stands to play a crucial role over the next few years, the bus terminus will be operational by the end of 2012. The project seeks to improve the flow of buses travelling along streets and intersections next to Lionel-Groulx station, produce a modal transfer in favour or public transit to reduce car congestion, improve the layout of the terminus to make it safer, more welcoming and user-friendly, and achieve greater operational efficiency. The new terminus is the result of numerous consultations, not only with elected officials but with Sud-Ouest borough residents as well.
A safer, more attractive and comfortable bus terminus
Opening up Greene St. between Delisle and Saint-Jacques streets will create a square around the métro station exclusively for bus use. As a result, some bus stops will be relocated around the square, making the terminus safer, more attractive and comfortable. Traffic on Greene St. will be one-way heading north, from Delisle to Saint-Jacques. Passengers will exit buses in a designated zone on Delisle St., while the new relocated stops along Greene St. will serve as a boarding area for transit users.
Improving the distribution of bus lines will further reduce traffic congestion along overcrowded roadways, thereby increasing the efficiency and performance of bus service. It will also increase its vehicle capacity and better handle the 12 bus lines that converge on the station, namely the 71 – Du Centre, 78 – Laurendeau, 108 – Bannantyne, 191 – Broadway / Provost, 211 – Bord-du-Lac, 405 – Express Bord-du-Lac, 411 – Métrobus Lionel-Groulx, 425 – Express Anse-à-l’Orme, 485 – Express Antoine-Faucon, 491 – Métrobus Lachine, 496 – Métrobus Victoria, and 747 – Express bus.
The City of Montréal will take the opportunity to implement a number of measures to make Atwater St. safer, such as upgrading and adjusting the timing of traffic lights, as well as installing pedestrian crossings at seven intersections along Atwater St., at the corner of Sainte-Émilie, Duvernay, Notre-Dame, Delisle, Lionel-Groulx, Saint-Jacques and Saint-Antoine streets. Finally, three of these pedestrian crossings will feature audio signals for the visually-impaired; namely at Lionel-Groulx, Delisle and Sainte-Émilie.
Overhead awnings specially designed to serve as passenger waiting areas for this terminus will be installed in the boarding zone on Greene St. to provide more comfort for customers. Improved lighting will make the area safer. Designated areas for pedestrians and cyclists will also be added. Indeed, parking space for some fifty bicycles has been set aside, some twenty BIXI bikes will be available next to the métro station entrance, and the bicycle path along Lionel-Groulx St. will also be kept open. The area will be fully landscaped, with the replanting of trees, shrubs and green fences, in addition to the installation of street furniture, such as benches and trash cans.
The STM reminds that Lionel-Groulx station is a critical junction in the métro network, as it provides a transfer point between the Green and Orange lines, thereby promoting the use of public transit. The station records nearly 40,000 passenger rides daily, 56% of which is from the bus network. With a direct link to the station, the new terminus becomes a major gateway into the downtown core for people from the West Island. In fact, three of the four new bus lines created in the wake of the Turcot Interchange project converge on that station since last spring.
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