Concerns are growing overt the lack of investments by the Quebec government in the province's public transit systems. No new money was announced in the government's budget on Tuesday. Montreal's mayor says she fears service cuts could be necessary and insists ridership won't grow without more public funding.
“Look at Montreal. Montreal no longer works,” Fitzgibbon said. “On weekends, there are too many cars.” Fitzgibbon urged municipalities to act — such as with the recently adopted Bill 39, which gives, under certain conditions, the power to cities to hike licence renewal fees to fund public transit.But critics argue the Coalition Avenir Québec government is leaving people with little choice but to drive. Trajectoire Québec which advocates for better public transit, wants the province to step up.
Jérôme Laviolette, a McGill University department of geography post-doctoral researcher who studies sustainable mobility, said it’s good that Fitzgibbon acknowledged a problem.