Taking public transit to go shopping used to be a matter of a simple bus ride. Now it’s a convoluted detour that takes twice the time.
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Re: “Some commuters may be relieved about REM network’s latest delay” (Allison Hanes, Nov. 18)
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Allison Hanes hits the nail on the head when addressing the expansion of the REM system. Her comment that it “defies logic” not to include space for the REM on the new Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge, for instance, stands out when attempting to figure out the rationale behind the REM’s implementation.
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As a senior couple on the South Shore, we enjoyed free transportation using the RTL bus system outside peak hours. We had absolutely no problem with paying to use the REM to get to Montreal, as we strongly support the adoption of public transport. But what happened was that the local RTL bus was no longer routed to the Panama station. Bus routes on the South Shore were “reorganized” and many users like ourselves lost service along traditional routes.
Now, to go to the same area for shopping, banking or physio appointments, a simple bus ride is no longer possible. We must bus to the Brossard REM station and then travel one stop to arrive at Panama. This takes double the time and includes a walking connection of approximately one kilometre versus 300 metres before. We use the car more often now than we did for many years.
I don’t know why the decision was taken to end the local route. It would seem Exo users are right to worry about possible changes to their services once the REM becomes operational in their area.
It looks like the REM trumps local systems regardless of the logic and, as Hanes puts it, is “cannibalizing” public transport instead of complementing it.
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Mary-Jean Henderson, St-Hubert
Mount Royal drive merits preserving
Re: “City sued over mountain route’s closing” (The Gazette, Nov. 28)
California has the Pacific Coast Highway, Italy the Amalfi Coast and Montreal has its own scenic route over Mount Royal.
There is something special about the change in view as you travel over the mountain and see the other side: sunrise going east, sunsets to the west, twinkling city lights at night, and the quiet calm of the cemetery on one side and the beautiful landscape of Beaver Lake/Lac-aux-Castors on the other — a breath of fresh air in the middle of our metropolis. I’ve always loved the link between our two solitudes.
I hope that, with its lawsuit against the city, the administration of the Mount Royal Cemetery can keep our charming passage open.
Sharon Cohen, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Where is ‘bravo!’ from our premier?
Re: “John Abbott students in France for literary panel” (The Gazette, Nov. 29)
Well, would you look at that! For the first time, a prestigious French literary prize judged by students includes participation from a school outside France — students from John Abbott College, an English-language CEGEP on the West Island.
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Where are the celebratory comments from our esteemed premier?
Victoria Jonas, Beaconsfield
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