Pedestrians forced to take to the streets (and possibly penalized for it!)

"Gatineau residents will be walking in the streets until the end of winter because the city has given up on plowing sidewalks.

The city says there's simply too much snow for them to remove, so they will be plowing the snow that has been clogging streets since the weekend onto the sidewalks."
- Ottawa Sun, March 13, 2008

However, in a separate article in “La Revue” (March 12, 2008 edition) Gatineau Police have announced that they will be ticketing pedestrians that they consider to be unsafely walking in the streets.

While I understand the role of Police in ensuring safety for the citizenry of Gatineau, this seems like a bit of a cash grab. I think Police should be enforcing on-street parking regulations and ticketing cars that are parked in already narrowed streets, where those cars create a dangerous situation for drivers and pedestrians - especially on main roads and near schools.

As an example, on-street parking on Boulevard de la Cite has effectively narrowed the street width to one lane. On 2 occasions this week alone, traffic has been backed up along this street as only one car can pass at a time. The focus could also be in areas near schools where children are forced to walk on the street, and on-street parking makes it difficult for one car to pass in certain areas, let alone a car and a pedestrian.

While I hope next winter won’t present similar problems, hopefully city council will enact legislation that protects pedestrians rather than penalizes them. Ticketing poor pedestrians forced to take to the roads because of winter weather while not enforcing things that have been shown to save lives (like mandatory bike helmet laws) seems a bit hypocritical to me.

Traffic at la Verendrye and Greber

I have said it before and I will say it again … does anyone do traffic impact studies in Gatineau?

For those of you who may have noticed the traffic increase at Greber and La Verendrye and wondered why, there is a new Government of Canada office (Passport Canada) located on Greber just north of the la Verendrye intersection. I have heard the final number will be somewhere between 500 and 1000 new employees, on shift work.

La Verendrye is already saturated, and not properly designed to deliver the number of vehicles that use it now. This new office is creating such congestion that the North (left) lane of the East-bound side of La Verendrye can get backed up for 3 to 4 traffic light cycles because of left turning traffic, and because of a 3-4 car turning lane, that stops traffic that is trying to go straight through. The option is to veer into the South (right) lane to get by the turning traffic (and then quickly veer back as that lane ends just past the intersection!) … and I am sure that will cause traffic accidents soon enough.

If you can find an alternate route to avoid this intersection, do it!

New Road Laws in Quebec - Drivers be Aware!

These new Road Laws aren't a Gatineau thing, but I sure hope we see them enforced in the Gatineau community.

I know the traffic problems in Gatineau are bad, but using your cell phone while driving in bumper to bumper traffic is ridiculous, especially with the recent bad weather. Yesterday I was cut off TWICE on the 50 by people on cell phone. Come on, have some consideration for other drivers!

Here are the highlights:
1. All vehicles registered in the province must have winter tires on between Nov. 15 and April 15 beginning next year (Nov 2008).
2. The new law bans the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers beginning Jan. 1, 2008 (except hands-free)
3. New drivers must take a certified driver's education courses.

Also, Quebec Minister of Transportation Julie Boulet said a pilot program of installing photo radars and cameras at traffic lights in 15 communities would also begin next year. The move to lower the legal alcohol limit from 0.08 to 0.05 did not pass (STUPID!!) - I think it's time for ZERO alcohol tollerance. I f you do drink this holiday season, remeber the number for Nez Rouge is 819 771-AUTO (2886).

Happy Holidays!

Is anyone in charge in Gatineau City Hall?

I don't want to go on a rant here, but some days I wonder who makes the decisions in the City of Gatineau Town Hall.

A few times a year, the Gatineau Optimist Club set up traffic cones and begs drivers for spare change for charity. This is usually done on a Saturday at non-major intersections and is a minor nuisance.

This morning, during my commute to work, the Gatineau Firefighters and local media set up traffic cones at MAJOR intersections (for example St. Joseph and the 5/Montbleu and at St. Joseph and Montclair) causing a traffic slowdown and delay of over 15 minutes on my commute – which is already over an hour to travel 15kms because of poor traffic planning (please see other posts).

I support firemen, I think they are heroes. I also support charities through annual donations and I feel most charities are deserving of support. However, slowing down and stopping rush hour commute traffic in a city whose roads are already slow and over-burdened is beyond idiotic.

Please contact your representative in City Hall to find out which Public Servant or Elected Representative authorized this major inconvenience. That person should be demoted, fired, or at a minimum have all decision making authority removed from their position.

Contact e-mails:
Gatineau 311 Complaints : 311@gatineau.ca
Mayor Marc Bureau: maire@gatineau.ca

By Mail:
Ville de Gatineau
C. P. 1970, succ. Hull
Gatineau (Québec) J8X 3Y9
Canada

Pont des Draveurs - Load Restriction

Anomalies in the bridge structure of Pont des Draveurs in Gatineau is forcing the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec to ban the movement of heavy trucks in the right lanes. Starting a midnight Friday October 19th, buses, trucks and any vehicle with more than five tons can only move in the centre lanes of the bridge.

The ministry says it is necessary to carry out repairs to cracks on the concrete piers supporting the bridge, however, work on the bridge is not expected before next spring.

This information was released to French media outlets on Thursday Oct 18th. There are still no further details on the City of Gatineau website.

Gatineau to Get $40 Million for Infrastructure

Time to write to the Mayor and your City Councillor and demand that the Highway 50 and Highway 5 interchange be enhanced and the Alonzo Bridge and Verendrye from Greber to St-Louis be expanded to 2 lanes!

August 31, 2007

The City of Gatineau Receives an Initial Payment of $11,848,869 from the Transfer of a Portion of Federal Gasoline Excise Tax Revenues and the Government of Quebec’s Contribution

Gatineau, Quebec - The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Benoît Pelletier, Quebec Minister responsible for the Outaouais region and MNA for Chapleau, on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions, are pleased to announce that the City of Gatineau will receive $11,848,869 under the federal-provincial agreement on the transfer of a portion of federal gasoline excise tax revenues and the Government of Quebec’s contribution. This is the first payment for the City of Gatineau, which will receive a total of $37,027,716 over the next four years for major infrastructure projects. Also present at this event today were Stéphanie Vallée, MNA for Gatineau, and Charlotte L’Écuyer, MNA for Pontiac.

“We all know to what extent modern infrastructure benefits to all Canadians and is instrumental to the environment and the economy of the country”, said Minister Lawrence Cannon. “This is why our government works in partnership with the Quebec government to make cities and communities in Quebec the best places to live, study, work and visit.”

“The repair and modernization of public infrastructure is a high priority for the Government of Quebec. The funding announced today is a reflection of our commitment to improve the quality of life of residents. With this agreement, the City of Gatineau will now be able to rely on stable annual funding, which will facilitate planning the work that needs to be done,” said Minister Benoît Pelletier.

“I am pleased that the City of Gatineau can benefit from this governmental funding in order to modernize the drinking water treatment plan in the Aylmer sector,” added the Mayor of Gatineau, Marc Bureau.

The goal of the Canada-Quebec Agreement is to provide funding for the renewal of municipal and local infrastructure, and specifically for municipal drinking water, wastewater, local road system and public transit infrastructure, within a context of sustainable development. Canada’s new government will pay the Government of Quebec a total of $1.34 billion over five years, to which Quebec will add $475.7 million, for a grand total of $1.8 billion. Including contributions from municipalities, $2.3 billion will go toward renewing municipal infrastructure. The funds will be administered by the Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec (SOFIL).

Gatineau - the Traffic Problem

Gatineau 2007 is a result of the amalgamation of a few smaller cities: Gatineau, Aylmer, and Hull. The total population of the new city of Gatineau is about 250, 000 and about 1/2 of those live in the old city of Gatineau.

Despite being a city of about 100,000 people, Gatineau has a terrible traffic problem due partly to geography and partly to VERY poor city planning.

As you can see from the map below, Gatineau sector is bordered to the south and the west by the Ottawa and Gatineau Rivers.

There are only 3 bridges to cross the river - 2 street level (one 2 lane, one 1-lane) and one highway. As a result, leaving or returning to the district of Gatineau during rush hour can take approximately 30-45 minutes (to travel less than 5 kms).

In addition to the lack of street access, one bridge (the single lane bridge) is at a corner with a Subway, Mcdonalds, Tim Hortons and other stores and restaurants.

I really don't know who in this city is responsible for traffic analysis, but they should be fired. And the citizens of Gatineau should be demanding better transportation options from the over-paid municipal government.