The mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier, is satisfied with the statements made by the mayor of Quebec after a controversial exit on the third link at the end of the week during his mission abroad.
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As Mayor Bruno Marchand drove through Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, he hinted to journalists and columnists who were following him on a mission that he was in favor of a third connection, reserved exclusively for public transport.
The mayor of Québec was visibly enthusiastic about the subway project – in a tunnel – to connect Sweden with Denmark without highways.
On Sunday, however, he corrected the situation, specifying that he is primarily committed to efficient public transport in the future Québec-Lévis tunnel (instead of a temporarily reserved lane), without commenting on the fate of cars. “I don’t get involved with the freeway part (…) The government decides what to do with it,” he nuanced.
Nothing new for Lehouillier
For Gilles Lehouillier, the statements made by his Quebec counterpart on Sunday are fully consistent with the exchanges he says he has had with him so far. He relies on this version and did not want to comment on what he said the day before, which could be interpreted differently.
“The last conversations I had with Mr. Marchand were very clear: he was waiting for the results of the studies before deciding on this project. I think it’s the position that he seems to tentatively confirm (…) I understand his position very well at the end of the week. From our point of view, this does not change the current dynamic,” he reacted to a press crowd on Monday.
Still so confident
The Mayor of Lévis is eagerly awaiting the Quebec government’s unveiling of the studies, which are expected in the coming days, and remains confident that the project will include a highway component.
“I’ve always said: Yes, we can improve public transport between the two banks, but that won’t be enough, we have to act on both points. In the west of the city, at the bridgehead, by 2036 I might be able to go from 3,000 trips to 6,000 daily tram trips? Even if I double my number of trips, it’s still a drop in the bucket from motor vehicles crossing bridges. »
“Let’s wait and see what the studies reveal, but for now we’re very confident that the government will move forward. Remember that during the last election campaign the government said: study or not, we will continue the project,” recalls Mr Lehouillier.