STM opens reserved lane for buses and taxis on boulevard Côte-Vertu

Press release

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has opened a new reserved lane on boulevard Côte-Vertu, used by bus lines 121, 174, 177, 196, 213, 216, 225, 470 and 475, which handle nearly 30,000 passenger rides per average weekday. The lane is reserved for buses and taxis, Monday to Friday, from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in both directions.

Montréal, December 10, 2013 – The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has opened a new reserved lane on boulevard Côte-Vertu, used by bus lines 121, 174, 177, 196, 213, 216, 225, 470 and 475, which handle nearly 30,000 passenger rides per average weekday. The lane is reserved for buses and taxis, Monday to Friday, from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in both directions.

At 3.9 km in length, the reserved lane stretches from the Côte-Vertu interchange (at A-40) to boulevard Cavendish heading east, and from the Côte-Vertu interchange (at A-40) and boulevard Marcel-Laurin heading west. The hours of operation of the existing eastbound reserved lane, between boulevard Cavendish and rue Gohier have been adjusted accordingly. Other bus preferential measures have also been deployed along boulevard Côte-Vertu, namely the addition of bus priority traffic signals (white candlestick lights) ahead of the green light. Such traffic signals, where installed, give buses priority to go through a given intersection.

« Deploying bus preferential measures on boulevard Côte-Vertu is part of a wide-ranging plan to enhance public transit service in Montréal. In addition to reducing travel times by about 10%, they should improve the on-time delivery of bus service, thereby offering a competitive advantage over single-occupant car use, and increase the performance of highway infrastructure in terms of passengers per trip. I am taking this opportunity to thank all of the partners who helped to make this project a reality, including the Borough of Saint-Laurent, the City of Montréal, Transport Québec, all involved departments at the STM, the SPVM and the Bureau du taxi » declared STM board chairman, Philippe Schnobb.  

« Improving the offer of public transit services is a priority for our administration and we must take all necessary action to further encourage citizens to take public transportation. We want Montrealers to have a pleasant experience when riding the bus, with regards to security, travel time and comfort. The reserved lane project unveiled today is perfectly in line with these objectives. We can all be proud of making such initiatives available to Montréalers, as they are based on principles of sustainability and can improve their quality of life » added Aref Salem, Montréal Executive committee member responsible for transportation.

« My fellow council members and I are quite pleased with the opening of a new reserved lane, as it is consistent with the approaches outlined in our local transportation plan. It also adds to the actions already taken by Saint-Laurent these last few years to limit the impact road transportation has on the environment by promoting the use of sustainable means of transportation. Furthermore, boulevard Côte-Vertu is a strategic corridor, so the reserved lane will be of benefit to the entire metropolitan area » explained Saint-Laurent borough mayor, Alan DeSousa.

The STM also reminds of the ongoing deployment of its bus preferential measures program. The existing network will cover 190 km by next December 31. As outlined in its Strategic plan, the STM is aiming to increase that number to 370 km by 2020.

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Picture caption : From left to right : Mr Marvin Rotrand, city councillor for the Snowdon district of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, vice-chairman of the STM board; Mr Aref Salem, city councillor for the Norman-McLaren district of Saint-Laurent borough and Executive committee member responsible for transportation; Mr Alan DeSousa, Saint-Laurent borough mayor; Mr Philippe Schnobb, STM Chairman of the Board; Mr Francesco Miele, city councillor for the Côte-de-Liesse district of Saint-Laurent borough, majority leader and member of the STM board;

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Isabelle A. Tremblay
Direction principale – Affaires publiques
Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
Téléphone : (514) 280-4940