CSL-Côte des Neiges Road medical area transport alternatives to be studied

By Joel Goldenberg, September 19th, 2012

A feasibility study and survey will be launched tomorrow, Sept. 20 to ask Côte St. Luc residents for ideas about alternate means of transport between Côte St. Luc and the medical district on Côte des Neiges Road, which includes the Jewish General, St. Justine and St. Mary's hospitals, Councillor Dida Berku announced last week.
One idea could be a special bus that would travel from Quartier Cavendish (Cavendish Mall) to the medical district. This could be similar to the Navette Or 262 STM mini-bus line that caters to seniors and travels between Côte St. Luc and Carrefour Angrignon in LaSalle.
The launch will involve a press conference with Côte St. Luc and the Jewish General Hospital during the day on Sept. 20, and a lecture at 7 p.m. that same night at the Eleanor London Library in Côte St. Luc.
During the lecture, which is part of the Green Lecture series, “I'm going to give a presentation, and there will also be a speaker from the transport agency of the Centre local de développement (CLD), and we're going to explain the survey and invite people to give us their ideas as to what kind of modes of transport they would use as an alternative to driving solo in their cars, back and forth between Côte St. Luc and the hospital district,” said Berku. “We know that parking is very expensive and difficult, and there's always congestion,” especially along the Fleet Road corridor.
“Does the means of transport have to be door to door, will they walk a block to pick it up, what times do they want to use it, which hours of the day are more convenient - we will discuss all of these issues. Do the residents of Côte St. Luc want a circuit that's much broader or are they interested only in a direct Quartier Cavendish to Jewish General Hospital route? The clientele, the circuit, the timing - these are all issues that will come out in the survey and feasibility study.”
The Jewish General is conducting its own survey of its medical staff and employees, “many of whom live in Côte St. Luc,” the councillor explained.
“It's important that we manage this study, and once we manage it and get the feedback from the residents and Jewish General Hospital users, be they staff or patients, then we'll be able to go to the STM and tell them we want an express, shuttle or adapted bus, or collective taxi. We haven't determined the final mode of transport yet. There are many issues involved.”
The Côte St. Luc study is being supported by the CLD Centre-Ouest and the Jewish General study is being supported by the CLD Côte des Neiges-NDG.
Toby Shulman of the Social Action Committee of the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors says her organization has been talking about this issue for several years.
“I'm sure we will have some representatives at the Sept. 20 meeting,” Shulman said.n