The City of Laval is looking at possibly improving its public transit service offering to the population.
During the June 8 municipal council meeting, the council received a recommendation to authorize an Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) project to allow a connection of the Blainville-Saint-Jérôme train line to the Mont-Royal tunnel.
"The suburban train offers a good service, but it could be vastly improved," said Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt. The AMT, which will soon become the owner of the tunnel, is looking to replace its current wagons with two-story wagons, complete with bathrooms and Internet and radio service. Hybrid locomotives will also replace the current ones. "This initiative will allow users to save 15 to 17 minutes of transit time. This is the equivalent of adding a second metro in Laval," said Mayor Vaillancourt during the presentation of the proposal.
The Comité de citoyens pour des transports collectifs dans l’est de Laval (CoCiTCEL) intervened during question period to file a petition of 5,000 names requesting once again a suburban train through the eastern part of the island of Laval.
"This train (Mascouche-Laval-Montréal line) would be the fastest and least expensive to implement. This line would allow to go from Saint-François to downtown Montréal in 37 minutes, said CoCiTCEL president Benoît Turgeon.
"The City of Laval announced it position during the BAPE consultations. We are still asking for a train in the east (of Laval)," the Mayor said. He promised to forward the petition to all concerned parties.
Meanwhile, CoCiTCEL member Gilles Proulx asked for specifications regarding a project for articulated buses that would use Pie IX Bridge from Montreal to Laval. He was told that the AMT is favourable to this project and is currently studying the possibility of implementing a parking lot near Highway 440 to prevent any congestion that this new service could cause. More details about this initiative will be released in the fall.

An active question period
The citizens' question period during the council meeting was once again taken over by members of the two opposing parties to the PRO des Lavallois: Mouvement lavallois and Parti au service du citoyen.
Of the 36 written questions given to the clerk, 14 were from six candidates who lost the last municipal elections. Assembly president Francine Légaré struggled to restrict the duration of these interventions and to maintain a certain level of decorum.