BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

The operator of the Hudson-Oka ferry has seen a marked uptick in the number of users seeking to find an alternative route that allows them to bypass the traffic backlog caused by ongoing repair work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge, but has confirmed there are no immediate plans to put another boat into service.

As the warm weather kicks into full gear, this could spell a long summer for residents living on Bellevue Street in Hudson, as commuters drive past their door on the north-south artery that provides direct access to the water-crossing.

“It’s tangible,” said Claude Desjardins, owner of the ferry service, describing the increase in the number of vehicles arriving to cross the Lake of Two Mountains by boat.

Although he could not provide exact figures, Desjardins said the jump in the number of users is noticeable during weekday rush-hour periods.

Desjardins said he was contacted about two weeks ago by an official with Soulanges MNA Marilyne Picard’s office inquiring about the prospect of eliminating the fee for motorists using the ferry while work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge continues. But has not heard back after he asked if the provincial government would cover the cost of the $14 fee per vehicle.

But deciding to build and put a third boat into service to increase the number of crossings across the lake is a costly investment that he is not going to make this year. Two years ago, his company spent about $100,000 to expand its parking area to permit more vehicles to queue as they wait to get on the ferry. The move was co-ordinated with the town of Hudson’s initiative to add an extra lane to the north end of Bellevue and along a short stretch of Main Road just east of the ferry yard entrance designed to alleviate congestion at the site.

“It works,” said Desjardins, explaining how the traffic backlog in the vicinity of the ferry has been diminished.

But it has done little to slow speeders travelling up and down Bellevue and along Main Road, said Hudson town councillor Douglas Smith.

Smith says he regularly hears from residents of Bellevue who complain about the speeding.

“They’ve got a legitimate complaint,” said Smith on Monday, explaining that the problem for residents is not just the volume of traffic, but the “excessive speed up and down the street.”

“The people living on Bellevue are being subjected to unfair amounts of speed and noise,” he said.

Adding to the problem, Smith said, is the fact that more than a month after the ferry service opened for the season, the bollards that are usually installed on Bellevue that delineates the pedestrian and cycle path along the street and serve as visual cues to drivers to slow down have not yet been installed.

“It’s not being given the attention it needs and deserves,” he said.