Photo: Martin C. Barry
From the left, AMT spokesman Daniel Bergeron, AMT chairman
Joël Gauthier, Quebec Transport Minister Julie Boulet and STM
chairman Michel Labrecque.

A new “origin-destination” study released this week by the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport suggests that the number of drivers using their vehicles to travel around the Montreal region has dropped for the first time in four decades. In Laval, where the population grew by 7 per cent and employment by 12 per cent between 2003 and 2008, the impact of the opening of three new Metro stations has been nothing short of “spectacular,” says Laval Transit Corp. chairman Jean-Jacques Beldié.

Rise in Laval Metro use
Metro use by Laval residents has increased by 70 per cent, which has led to growth of more than 30 per cent in the use of all public transit like bus, Metro and trains in the Laval area. At the same time, automobile trips by Laval residents dropped by 1 per cent. Although the number of cars in the Montreal region actually increased from 2003 to 2008, according to the study’s authors the number of trips made by car in Montreal also decreased by one per cent, which they regard as an indicator of progress.
Overall, the study’s results suggest that residents of the Montreal region are switching from cars to public transit because of improvements in bus, Metro and commuter train service. It noted that two especially striking facts reflect a reversal in a trend that had been constant since 1970. With a jump of 15 per cent in five years, public transit ridership is now registering a modal share of 25 per cent. Despite a 10 per cent increase in the number of cars, there was a slightly lower car occupancy level of 1.23 people per vehicle. The study also pointed out that from 1998 to 2003, trips by car had risen by 5 per cent, while non-motorized trips, by foot and by bicycle, also saw a  more than 11 per cent increase.

Redoubling efforts
“The 15 per cent increase in public transit ridership in five years is concrete proof that the efforts to improve public transit services have borne fruit and are responding effectively to the evolution in the trip market,” said Quebec Transport Minister Julie Boulet, who was among the many transportation officials on hand at AMT headquarters for the results’ unveiling. In light of the findings and in context with the fact Quebec wants to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 per cent between now and 2020, Michel Labrecque, chairman of the Montreal Transit Corp., said, “The time has come for the STM, with the help of the Quebec government, to redouble its efforts to improve its service offer and encourage even more Montrealers to” join the trend.
The Montreal region’s transit authorities have been compiling statistics on origin-destination patterns among transit users every five years since 1970. The numbers deal with the various types of trips taken by people using all forms of transportation. They provide a profile of the mobility of residents, their work, study and recreational activities, as well as the methods of transportation they use. Over the years, each successive survey has covered an increasingly large territory. In 2008, the scope of the survey was extended across the entire metropolitan Montreal region to include Laval and Longueuil, well as the northern and southern suburban areas of the region. In all, 121 municipalities were included in the survey, which was conducted by telephone in 66,100 households throughout the region.