Abstract Manager

The City of Laval, the STL, and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) have conducted several studies over the past ten years to improve public transportation along the Notre-Dame/Concorde corridor, in the middle of the city. This led to the identification of the Notre-Dame/Concorde axis in the revised Land-Use and Development Plan as a structuring axis for urban development and public transportation, helping to achieve the metropolitan objective of directing 40% of new households to be located near a station of a reliable and fast transit network. The Concorde/Notre-Dame Boulevard is a vital artery crossing various environments (commercial, residential, institutional) and is heavily used by numerous bus lines transporting their passengers to downtown Laval and Montmorency metro station. Similar to the developments around the metro station, other developments focusing on alternative modes of transportation are planned on the outskirts of this corridor.

In 2022, the EXP/CIMA+ Consortium was commissioned by STL to carry out all the analyses leading to the development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concept along this axis. The mandate - carried out in consultation with all stakeholders (ARTM, exo, MTMD, STL, City of Laval) – identified potential solutions that respect the objectives and constraints of the environment while responding to current and future mobility, safety and sustainable development needs. These potential solutions are based on a notion of shared use of the street among different modes (public transit and active transportation infrastructure, automobile traffic lanes, parking, green infrastructure, etc.) in the limited available space, by converting one traffic lane in each direction and the boulevards' parking space into dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes.

To identify the best solution, while helping all stakeholders to better understand the different objectives, needs, and preoccupations, a multi-domain analysis was developed and introduced into the project. This multi-domain analysis allowed for an accelerated and consolidated assessment process that permitted to retain a central BRT. This solution increases the corridor's total capacity (as opposed to vehicular capacity). Moreover, it improves the reliability of the bus service and reduces travel time. The chosen integrated mobility concept optimizes public transit and active transportation modes to the detriment of private vehicles.