The STM rolls out reserved lane for buses, taxis and carpools on boulevard Lacordaire

Montréal, June 13, 2016 –  The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) today announced that on Monday, June 20, 2016, it will begin operating a new reserved lane for buses, taxis and carpools on portions of boulevard Lacordaire, through the boroughs of Montréal-Nord, Saint-Léonard and Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie.

With an overall length of 7.2 km (both directions combined), the reserved lane will be active on weekdays. Southbound, the lane will open from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., between Amos and Charleroi, Grandes-Prairies and des Galets, Paimpol and Jean-talon, as well as from Saint-Zotique to Jumonville. Northbound, it will open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., between Jean-Talon and Paimpol, des Galets and Grandes-Prairies, as well as from Charleroi to Renoir. The new reserved lane will benefit more than 4,000 passenger rides taken daily on the 32 – Lacordaire and 432 – Express Lacordaire lines for the most part, but also along portions served by the 33 – Langelier, 69 – Gouin and 439 – Express Pie-IX bus lines.  

« This initiative is in keeping with our desire to enhance public transit service in the eastern portion of the island by rolling out bus priority measures. Two other reserved lanes for buses, taxis and carpools that opened up in recent years on Saint-Jean and Sources boulevards have proven successful. This year, the STM wants to repeat the experience on boulevard Lacordaire. And as with the other reserved lanes, this one will be open to cars with two or more passengers », stated Philippe Schnobb, chairman of the STM board of directors.

« Thanks to the establishment of a reserved lane along this heavily-used boulevard, the overall offer of public transit service is enhanced, as it moves people more fluidly and results in significantly shorter travel times for passengers. Opening up this reserved lane follows in the wake of many other initiatives put forward by our Administration, further helping to improve quality of life for Montrealers », added Aref Salem, Montréal executive committee member responsible for transportation.

« Deploying a reserved lane is part of the initiatives contained in the local transportation plan we adopted at the June 6 borough council meeting. With the implementation of this priority measure, our aim is to optimize public transit within our borough, so that we may provide residents with alternative means of transportation, instead of cars », explained Michel Bissonnet, Saint-Léonard borough mayor.

« Making it easier to get around helps improve our quality of life and reclaim our neighbourhoods. I am quite pleased that Montréal-Nord residents can benefit from this new reserved lane during rush hour periods and the upcoming Pie-IX bus rapid transit corridor that will let them get to both nearby boroughs and downtown much faster than before. All in all, another good reason to give public transit a try », added Christine Black, Montréal-Nord borough mayor.

« Obviously, we are all in favour of this reserved lane, as it will considerably improve transportation capacity for residents in the eastern part of the borough », declared Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie mayor François William Croteau. « This reserved lane will also make it possible to weaken the car’s supremacy for the benefit of public transit’s increasing number of customers ».

Furthermore, priority traffic lights will be installed in a second phase of deployment, completing all bus priority measures along this corridor. That phase will also include another section of reserved lane, between Sherbrooke and Saint-Zotique heading north, located within the Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

Bus priority measures (BPM) consist of installations on the road system that ensure priority is given to public transportation, thereby improving the reliability and on-time delivery of service. These measures include reserved lanes and bus priority traffic lights that can cut down travel times by about 10%. With the new reserved lane on boulevard Lacordaire, the STM now has reserved lanes on 209.45 km of roadways, while 152 intersections are equipped with priority traffic signals, for a total of 232.7 km featuring bus priority measures. The STM hopes to reach its 375 km target by 2017. 

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Isabelle A. Tremblay
Affaires publiques
Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
Téléphone : (514) 280-4940
isabelle.tremblay@stm.info

Andrée-Anne Toussaint
Attachée de presse
Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif
Ville de Montréal
Bur.: 514 872-9998 | Cell.: 514 243-1268
andree-anne.toussaint@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Julie Blais
Arrondissement de Saint-Léonard
Téléphone : 514 328-8500, poste 8425
julie.blais@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Mylène Horion
Chargée de communication
Arrondissement de Montréal-Nord
Téléphone : 514 328-4000, poste 4284
mylene.horion@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Serge Fortin
Direction de l'arrondissement de Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Tél. : 514 872-1776
sfortin@ville.montreal.qc.ca