Residents over the northern sector of Ste. Anne de Bellevue are frustrated over the quality of one of the two ways out of the area, Industriel Boulevard, and it looks like things are going to get worse before they get any better for them.
“Industriel Boulevard has become terribly dangerous with the snow and everything. People don’t have sidewalks. The street is really narrow. With trucks and everything, it has become very dangerous for people who walk along the boulevard. And a lot of people walk on that boulevard. Plus, there are cars parked on the street. It’s beginning to be chaotic especially when trucks pass by,” complained resident Lucie Marceau at the council meeting last Monday.
The city voted on a $700,000 loan to pay for street refection on that day and Marceau asked how the money was going to be used. Mayor Francis Deroo told her $200,000 was reserved for L’Anse à l’Orme Road and the rest would serve for other projects. That led Marceau to suggest the remaining $500,000 be used to revamp Industriel Boulevard.
“Maybe we should think about enlarging Industriel Boulevard as it was always supposed to be, put a sidewalk, make this secure because a lot of our kids walk there, a lot of adults walk there to take the bus and it has gotten to the point where it isn’t safe anymore. My request is being made on behalf of a lot of people: we want a safe Industriel Boulevard and maybe then it will be interesting for factories to come and set up shop in the industrial park,” she added.
Another northern sector resident, Sylvie St. Arnaud, also used the question period to voice her concerns about the problematic boulevard. She reminded council of how they had added sidewalks for École du Bout de l’Isle recently and wondered if the same could be done for Industriel Boulevard.
“Right now it is very dangerous for pedestrians. I’ve lived it on many occasions. I have kids that go to CEGEP that walk every day on the side of the boulevard. I’ve also noticed that on Meloche Street (the other way out of the northern sector) it’s the same problematic: there are lots of walkers and it’s very dark. I would like to know if there will be more sidewalks projects on either of these streets?,” she asked council.
She was told there wasn’t. Asked by The Chronicle what would be done with the remaining $500,000, Deroo said his technical department would evaluate priorities and make recommendations as to what is best to do.
“We will choose projects by priorities. Our technical department will make recommendations by priority. There are lots of streets to be done. We’re looking at the whole picture. We listen to our citizens. But all residents would like their street to be revamped tomorrow morning. I think we must choose according to the priorities of what is most urgent to do. If that street is the most urgent, we will revamp it. If not, it will be next year.
