Toupin traffic grinds to halt

Residents mobilized in a bloc, and blocked automobile traffic on Toupin Boulevard for more than an hour between L’Heureux and St. Charles. The sixty or so drivers carried a banner reading 'Cavendish X Toupin' took to the streets, clogging traffic and provoking a morning congestion.

“The objective was to simulate the state of traffic when the Cavendish extension goes through,” said group spokesman Luc Marion. “This is what we're going have when the Toupin Highway is in place.”

Fellow resident Annie Paquette agreed. “A number of bad decisions have been made in the past, and we wanted to stop the city from committing a grave error,” she said.

In effect, the extension of Cavendish Boulevard to Toupin has been on the agenda for the last 20 years, and it only recently got the green light from the Montreal Executive Committee. Despite that swift kick to the accelerator, the project has stirred up numerous insecurities on the part of residents living around or on Toupin Boulevard.

St. Laurent mayor Alan DeSousa indicated he is in favour of the extension, but only following a series of public consultations before the first shovel ever hit the ground.

According to Mayor DeSousa, a complete U-turn is not on the agenda for the project.

“We have to plan for certain things and identify common problems. We have collected a number of responses from residents, and some from the citizens' group, and we'll pass them on to our services and see if some of the ideas are feasible,” he said.

To join in the dialogue, the mayor took the bull by the horns and canvassed the neighbourhood door to door himself last Sunday afternoon.

“I was warmly received,” he said. “People were generally surprised and it's a good way to allay some of their fears. I wanted to meet people face to face and take the neighbourhood's pulse before we made any decisions,” he said.

After a meeting with the firm contracted to execute the borough's transport plan Sept. 24, public-consultation sessions were fixed for Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. Reacting to the resident-led protest last Wednesday, Alan DeSousa said he “agreed with the action taken,” as it pertained to non-respect of driving rules.

“We will use our imaginations to figure out a way to keep traffic off Toupin,” he added.

Montreal Official Opposition leader Noushig Eloyan also showed up to the event, saluted the residents’ initiatives and deplored the borough's “lack of transparency… and arrogance of those who have decided on this project. This morning, we have seen residents of St. Laurent and Cartierville that have mobilized themselves. This is not a situation of 'not in my backyard,” she added.

Is it conceivable to think the project could be shelved after being on the back burner for the last 20 years?

“It's not too late,” Eloyan said. “The mayor has already backtracked on a number of other projects, so why not this one as well?” she asked.

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay dropped by in his car last Monday afternoon, accompanied by DeSousa, in order to better understand the situation. There is no indication whether or not all traffic rules, stop signs and other signage were obeyed during the visit. Residents, though, are hoping for the best.

(Translated by Marc Lalonde)

(Photo: Martin Alarie)