(TLN) Laval mayor Marc Demers met last week with Quebec Minister of Transport and Electrification of Transit André Fortin and Laval Regional Minister Francine Charbonneau for discussions on a range of topics, including the financing of the Montreal region’s new transit agency.
Laval’s ARTM funding
During the discussions, Demers raised the issue of the City of Laval’s contention that it is being charged an excessive amount for the ARTM in proportion to other member municipalities. According to Demers, Laval’s contribution is expected to rise to $23 million by 2020 without the benefit of any additional service.
At the same time, the mayor brought up a few other transit dossiers which are a priority for Laval, including electrification of the STL’s fleet. The STL plans to operate at least one bus line that is entirely electric by the year 2020. Laval is hoping that support to meet this goal will be available from Quebec.
REM train to cross Laval
The mayor also raised the issue of the Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM), the region-wide high-speed electric train that will be crossing Laval’s territory. While Laval is in favor of the project, Demers told Fortin and Charbonneau that there remain certain problems to be worked out, including some security issues.
Regarding the ongoing and unresolved issue of the completion of Autoroute 19 in eastern Laval, Demers suggested to the two Quebec ministers that an additional highway traffic exchange would be necessary and would help accommodate the management of other forms of traffic such as pedestrians and cyclists.
