Valrie Plante wants to 'get Montrealers moving again.' What can she actually get done?
Heres a closer look at 4 pledges made by the mayor-elect during the campaign
Valrie Plante's campaign was all about movement. She glad-handed with commuters on the Metro, promised to strengthen the city's bike-path network and commiserated with drivers over the city's mind-numbing gridlock.
"I'm going to get Montrealers moving again. I'm going to build safer roads for pedestrians, seniors and cyclists," she saidin Sunday's victory speech.
Her first order of business, she told reporters Monday, will be to sit down with provincial partners and the STMMontreal's transit authorityto tackle transit problems.
Here's a closer look at what she proposed during the campaign, and the obstacles she's likely to face.
Pink line dreams
The proposed Pink line a 29-kilometre line from Montreal North to Lachine, connecting some of the city's densest neighbourhoods was the centrepiece of Plante's campaign.
She estimated the project would cost $6 billionusing a special tunnel-boring machine already tested in Barcelona and Madrid.
It would require cash from both the province and federal government. Neither were quick to commit to the idea on Monday.
"We have many projects on the go right now, and we'll discuss them all with Madame Plante," Premier Philippe Couillard said.
The city already has plans in the works for a new light-rail system and an extension of the Metro's Blue line. Both of those require funding from Ottawa and Quebec City.
Plante acknowledged the line probably wouldn't come together until her second term.
More buses
Plante's first stated order of business seems more attainable. She wants 300 hybrid buses on the road by 2020, which would bring the STM's fleet up to 2,089.
She also wants bus and Metro fares lowered and eventually eliminated for seniors and children under 12.
Franois Ppin with Transport 2000 said he's encouraged by the pledges Plante made during the campaign. More reserved bus lanes would also help ease traffic woes, he said.
Improved cycling network
During the campaign, Plante vowed to build a 140-kilometre network of bike paths on busy streets over the course of a four-year mandate. It is to be called the RseauExpressVlo.
Now that the cycling-friendly party runs the central city, there is also hope itwill better integratethe existing network of bike paths.
Also, earlier this fall, the Coderre administration commissioned Vlo-Quebec to come up with a proposal to improve cycling access in downtown Montreal.
Magali Bebronne of Vlo Quebec said the organization is "very hopeful" Plante will follow through on their recommendations, which have yet to be completed.
"We have very high expectations," she said. "Valrie Plante is a cyclist herself not just a cyclist for leisure but someone who understands what it's like to feel vulnerable on the roads."
Projet's approach to cycling may face some resistance, however.
As a party, Projet helped foster a culture of cycling in RosemontLa Petite-Patrie and PlateauMont-Royal, where it controlled borough councils.
But the traffic calming measures were criticized by some businesses. Extending them further afield is likely to bring criticism.
Easing our traffic woes
Finally, Plante pledged to create an anti-congestion squad to ensure things are running smoothly. She also wants to better coordinate construction projects to avoid blockages on alternative routes. That may prove difficult.
Some of the largest projects underway are unavoidable and will take years, such as the new Turcot Interchange and Champlain Bridge. The fact that neither project is run by the city further complicates matters.
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