Chelsey St. Pierre – The Suburban LJI Reporter

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (SABD) Mayor Paola Hawa has collaborated with the Montreal police services (SPVM) and the Quebec Ministry of Transport to deter congestion in the municipality for the safety of its residents. In previous years, intermittent closures of the Île aux Tourtes bridge caused hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic in the narrow streets of SADB’s village by the water from the Lakeshore to Highway 20 causing major inconveniences for both drivers and residents.

“My issue is less about the inconvenience. This became a safety issue as emergency vehicles had no access. The congestion was so severe that residents could not get in or out safely in the event of a emergency,” Hawa told The Suburban.

Police vehicles are now stationed at all major turns, deterring traffic and even ticketing drivers using the roads unnecessarily to avoid using the highways. The exit to Highway 20 West from the south side of SADB is now completely closed off during peak hours.

Drivers who try to avoid traffic by moving through the village’s streets will be detoured back around the loop. According to Hawa, although traffic may be slow on Highway 20, drivers are better off being patient rather than trying to cut through traffic in SADB.

“We put these measures in place to deter drivers from using our roads. They have been advised not to use our roads during peak hours, unless they reside here, for the time being, as it poses a risk to the safety of residents. If they somehow manage their way in, they will lose an extra hour when they realize, at the end, that they won’t be able to access the westbound highway from here. They will learn.” n