Vanier residents say city buses speeding, driving dangerously down residential street
Major construction on Montreal Road is forcing increased traffic through Vanier neighbourhoods.
OC Transpo buses have been rerouted and a number now drive down Deschamps Avenue regularly.
"I support public transportation, I understand why the buses have to use our street but it’s just to make it more tolerable for us who live here, just to reduce the number of busses, not have as many of them, and have the drivers be more respectful to the people who live here," said Varvara Lobanova, a resident of Deschamps Avenue.
Lobanova says the increase in bus traffic has been dramatic.
"I’ve seen buses go back to back, two three at a time, they’re running empty because there’s not as many people taking them. It’s created a lot of issues for us; safety, health, pollution, noise," Lobanova said.
Residents on the street have captured video of buses not stopping at stop signs. They say it's creating a dangerous situation on what used to be a quiet street.
"They go through the stop signs, they almost hit me and my dog. There’s so many kids around here, somebody’s going to get hit," said Aline Nicol, another Deschamps Avenue resident.
Coun. Mathieu Fleury says he’s heard from a number of residents about the issue.
"We are going down Deschamps Ave, we are going down Marier Ave, we are going down Montfort Street; they’re traditional bus routes. Obviously, I recognize that because of the detour that the 15 is carrying a lot more buses than what the residential streets would typically have outside of a construction period," said Fleury.
"OC Transpo needs to make sure that their bus operators respect the rules of the road. When you’re in a residential street and there’s a stop sign, we’re expecting you to stop."
Among the concerns is the frequency with which the buses are arriving. Bus signs on the street indicate a 15-minute frequency, but residents say that’s not been the case.
"It’s not happening at 15-minutes intervals, it’s happening back to back, or five minutes or less," Lobanova said.
In an email on June 25, the Montreal Road Revitalization Project Team wrote, "Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we are currently seeing decreased traffic volumes causing Salome trips to run ahead of schedule."
Friday, in a statement to CTV News, Pat Scrimgeour, OC Transpo Director of Customer Systems and Planning said, "There has been no increase in bus volumes. Frequencies vary though out the day from every 7-8 minutes during peak periods, 15 minutes during midday and evening and 20 to 30 minutes later in the evening. While some variation in arrivals may be observed due to traffic conditions, the total number of busses has not changed."
Still, Fleury says he’s hoping there are other steps that can be taken to reassure residents.
"We need to do a better job of putting in the right traffic calming measures and we’re pursuing that with staff for the time being," Fleury said.
The route detouring buses on to Deschamps Avenue is expected to be in place until construction finishes in late 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.