Survey aims to quantify impact, seek redress
Anyone who takes the Île aux Tourtes Bridge on a daily basis knows exactly how much time the lineup of traffic that snakes its way along Highway 40 at all times of the day is costing them. But how much is all the commuting chaos costing the Vaudreuil-Soulanges economy?
That is the question the region’s economic development agency, DEV Vaudreuil-Soulanges, is aiming to quantify in a survey being launched this month.
Businesses are being affected, said Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon in a brief interview with The 1019 Report last week. “Damage is being created,” he added.
And business owners are paying the price, said Pilon, who is also president of DEV Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
The regional economic development agency has contracted the Léger marketing research firm to contact businesses in the region to measure the impact of the ongoing traffic headaches associated with the bridge repairs and complete closures have had on their revenues.
The next move will be to seek compensation, Pilon said.
The economic costs are real, Pilon says, claiming three businesses in the Dorion sector of his city have recently closed due to a drop in the number of customers walking through their doors as people attempt to avoid the traffic hassles that the area has seen as commuters have flooded the streets to access the Galipeault Bridge along Highway 20 instead of attempting to take the Île aux Tourtes span.
He expects as many as 15 more business closures in the coming months.
“There are consequences,” Pilon said, displaying his frustration with the situation that he has railed against since the provincial government ordered a complete emergency closure of the Île aux Tourtes back in May of 2021 for 12 days.
Many businesses have seen revenues shrink by 30 to 40 per cent, he said. The survey will quantify these losses, and once the report is completed, the goal will be to demand compensation from the provincial government.
In the past years, Pilon has made no secret of his criticism of the CAQ government’s failure to address the transportation needs of the region.
“No one wants to come to Dorion because it takes too long,” said Alexandre Viau, the owner of the IGA outlet on Harwood Blvd., which is paralyzed by traffic gridlock for much of every weekday as commuters seek an alternative route to avoid the Île aux Tourtes span as they attempt to travel on an off the western tip of the island of Montreal.
And on weekends when the span along Highway 40 is closed, it’s worse, Viau said. Customers from Île Perrot and areas like Les Cèdres have stopped coming to his store.
His revenues have dropped between 10 and 12 per cent, he told The 1019 Report.
But that is just part of the impact on his business. His 155 employees struggle to arrive at work on time. Several of his employees clock in late by anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour every single day. The impact of that is not only monetary. It adds to his struggle to retain workers in an already tight labour market.
Pilon also points to businesses along Highway 40 that are closest to the bridge. Accessing these locations directly has become torturous for customers, and almost impossible on the weekends when the bridge is completely closed, as Transport Quebec reroutes traffic completely from that section of Highway 40. He admits back-road routes are available, but the bottom line is that many customers don’t bother.