Network congestion: Truckers no longer want to know anything about Montreal

The return of traditional traffic jams in Montreal after the restraining calm along with major works such as the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel has angered truckers who no longer want to get there.

Also read: Saturday was also completely blocked

“I ship dry cement. We depart from Joliet and bring it to our customers on the South Shore. On average, I can spend an hour and an hour and a half in this portion, “laments Oliver Senechal, truck driver for a company in Ripengney, in an interview. Newspaper.

Normally he can make three trips every day, but with current jobs he only makes two.

“I get paid by the hour, but I know some who get paid by the trip and some don’t want to go to Montreal anymore because they are losing money.”

One of them complained that the truck stop was “everyone wasting too much time” on Quebec’s Facebook site.

“I’ll definitely take it tonight for that,” another adds.

“On average, I lose between 2 and 3 hours a day,” said one trucker.

From another era

When Newspaper Traffic jams stretched for several kilometers until the Anjou Interchange last Thursday afternoon.

“We live with this every day,” said TFI International boss Alain Bedard, the country’s largest trucking company.

“The road network in Montreal is, for sure, an old network with little funding. We ended up with the Metropolitan Boulevard from the 1950s and a tunnel from the 1960s and they have to invest heavily to bring it up to standard, ”he analyzed.

Waiting time in traffic jams and increased fuel costs have a major impact on transportation costs.

“We have to raise the bill for the customer, he will pass it on to the customers,” he said.

According to Benoit Therian of Truck Stop Quebec, transport companies will soon be able to charge more to translate lost time in Montreal.

“Companies can charge at least $ 100 per delivery to cover their expenses related to 25 congestion. And as the work intensifies, the bill will be even higher,” he said.

Montreal did not think properly

“Montreal is one of the worst cities in North America to go for delivery. For example, I know people who are very frustrated when they have to go to Saint-Laurent, “said Benoit Therian.

Alain Bedard is less categorical, but admits that Montreal is worse off than Toronto.

“They made different decisions there, but you have to remember that Montreal is an island, so getting there is not so easy. It’s like Manhattan in New York,” he said.

In addition, Montreal ranks seventh in North America and second among the busiest Canadian cities after Vancouver, ahead of Toronto, which has almost twice the population.

In all, by 2021, 65 hours of traffic had been lost on the Montreal network. This number is likely to increase this year with the expansion of construction sites.

“I dare not imagine … seriously, it’s going to be hell in that corner,” Oliver Senechal said.

Skip the city

Truck stop for Quebec Benoit Therian, most American cities have highways that allow trucks to escape downtown areas.

“Also, the warehouses are on the outskirts, so it does not interfere with traffic at major centers, which allows for more liquidity.”

In the meantime, there is a risk that the situation will become even more depressing if young people do not become truck drivers.

“When you have a guy leaving Quebec for Toronto and stuck in traffic for two hours in Montreal, if he pays with mileage, it’s far from his business,” Alain Bedard explained.

Traffic, epidemic that puts pressure on drivers, changes in mentality .. Many of these reasons are losing a career.

“It’s less and less popular as a job and it’s leading to a shortage of workers in our sector. It’s very problematic,” Mr. Bédard continues.

The tunnel is a brothel

Motorists will have to be patient on Auto Route 25 as work on the 25 will be in full swing.

In principle, the work should be completed by 2024, but the Ministry of Transport is already reviewing the schedule.

Teams are working on the tube repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Bridge-Tunnel to the south and the reconstruction of Highway 25 in the same direction.

“Travel time on Highway 25 is 3 to 6 times longer than usual […] Depending on the days of the week, hours and events and breaks, ”the ministry confirms.