Boulevard Champlain: a “race track” afflicts the citizens of Cap-Blanc

Two police operations carried out last month, at the request of citizens, revealed a speed problem in the Cap-Blanc sector, in Quebec. Already denouncing the disturbance caused by noise and trucking, they are demanding changes from the City and the establishment of a working committee to calm traffic.

Two separate surveillance operations were carried out in mid-October, near Brown Cove. In both cases, the reports were not made public by the police authorities. The data was instead corroborated at the request of -, having learned of the two campaigns.

A first mainly targeted truckers. Over two days, 66 heavy vehicles were inspected. Of these, 50 received a notice of non-compliance. However, no statement of offense was given to them.

The police took advantage of this first campaign to measure the speed of motorists, another problem raised by area residents. In total, 56 tickets were handed out to road users during the road safety operation.confirms SPVQ by email.

Nearly half of the offenses concerned speeding.

During the same week, a second surveillance campaign was carried out using a mobile photo radar. This time, no less than 320 motorists were caught at fault over a period of 70 hours, according to data obtained by the Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–Parliamentary Hill neighborhood council.

The results confirm the problem, according to the president of the board, Jocelyn Gilbert. He regularly receives complaints from citizens, he says, exasperated by this race track in the heart of this residential area.

Last September, citizens submitted a set of proposals to the City of Quebec in order to reconfigure Champlain Boulevard. Some residents also demonstrated that it was dangerous to leave their parking lot facing Champlain Boulevard due to the speed of the vehicles traveling there and that they even felt uncomfortable walking along the sidewalk.we can read there.

According to Mr. Gilbert, several measures could be taken in the short term, such as lowering the speed limit to 30 km/h on the residential portion.

Working committee

In addition to the neighborhood council, the Citizens’ Committee of Old Quebec also puts pressure on the City.

Its president, Michel Masse, returned to the municipal council this week to raise his concerns once again. We suggest that the City create a working group to identify the necessary fixes to ensure the safety of families.proposed Mr. Masse.

The desire of citizens is to bring together the City, the Port, the Ministry of Transport, the Quebec police and residents around the same table in order to find long-term solutions. The citizens’ committees recall and insist that Cap-Blanc, Petit Champlain and the Old Port are the front door of a heritage site recognized by theUNESCO.

The district’s municipal councilor, Mélissa Coulombe-Leduc, promised to address the issue. The next neighborhood council meeting is scheduled for Monday.

The case of trucks

The police operation was carried out at a time when many residents of the Cap-Blanc, Vieux-Port and Petit Champlain districts are also denouncing the disruption caused by trucking.

Road safety issues have been raised several times in recent years. These fears were exacerbated by the death of a pedestrian in September 2019, struck by a heavy vehicle in front of the crossing area.

- recently reported the grievances of two citizens’ committees, including the neighborhood council. According to them, the problems experienced in the past have not calmed down, despite a tightening of municipal regulations in 2022.

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The City of Quebec then attacked transit trucking, in response to the fatal accident in 2019. The driver of the heavy vehicle, now convicted, was only passing through the neighborhood on his way to Charlevoix. Its presence was therefore prohibited in the local delivery area.

However, residents believe that the trucking problem still exists. According to their findings, supported by the recent police operation, transit traffic is only a fraction of the volume of heavy goods vehicles, mainly generated by local deliveries.

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According to Quebec police, all of the truckers intercepted in October were making local deliveries at the time of the checks, meaning that their destination or origin was in the area stretching from Côte Gilmour to Boulevard Jean. -Lesage.

The 4 km section is closed to heavy trucks, with the exception of local deliveries.

The Port of Quebec, in particular, would create a significant flow of heavy vehicles, both in the residential (Cap-Blanc, Vieux-Port) and tourist (Petit Champlain) sectors.

No fine

Figures obtained by - under the Access to Information Act seem to confirm citizens’ impressions. According to data from SPVQno statement of offense was issued for violating the transit traffic regulations adopted in 2022.

The Quebec police themselves admit that transit trucking is not a significant problem. For example, in 2023, out of nearly 40 interceptions, only 3 trucks were in violation (in transit), the others were making deliveries in the sector. However, the police did not take action, since no offense report was submitted.

During its presence in the territory, the SPVQ noted few violations related to the transit ban.

Faced with these observations, Jocelyn Gilbert, president of the Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–Parliamentary Hill neighborhood council, is once again calling for changes in practice.

This entire residential and hotel sector […] and visited by 3 to 4 million visitors per year can no longer tolerate being stormed by intensive trucking on an urban boulevardhe decides.

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The Port of Quebec estimates that 500 truck passages take place every day, on average, to all port sectors, from Anse au Foulon to Beauport Bay, via Pointe-à-Carcy (silos of G3). The data includes entries and exits at the various port sites.

According to the City of Quebec, 250 trucks travel on Dalhousie Street every day.

In 2023, some 420 heavy goods vehicles traveled east of the Gilmour Coast daily, according to the Department of Transport. However, this is only an average, with no possibility of determining peak periods or the exact destination of these vehicles.