The discontent of residents and traders on Île Bizard continued to be felt Thursday. The latter have suffered revenue losses of 15 to 20% since the start of the week.
Due to traffic jams from morning to evening, traders and residents have had a taste of it since the beginning of the week. While residents take more than two hours to return to their homes, small businesses have seen their turnover suffer significantly.
They all point to the traffic filtration system to explain this frustrating situation as much as possible.
“A disaster. I suffered losses of at least 15% per day, explains Tommy Nicolosi, owner of Pâtisserie de L’Île-Bizard, which is located a few meters from the bridge which gives access to the island. My only customers are the police officers who come to buy coffee every day.
“With the presentation of the tournament, I should make more money, but I make less.”
During an interview with colleague François-David Rouleau a few weeks ago, Nicolosi predicted that the traffic filtration system would be a failure.
“When I saw the stickers arriving, I knew that customers would be rarer,” adds the man who has received around ten cancellations for cakes and several UBER orders since Monday. On Wednesday, after 9 p.m., some residents needed 2.5 hours to return to their homes.”
Successes in the past
Daniel Brouillard has been the owner of La Frite de L’Île for 18 years. It experienced an approximate 20% drop in turnover.
“It’s rotten,” he says about his income in recent days. In 2007, the last time the Presidents Cup was presented here, it was much better even if there were not many economic benefits.”
Before Thursday’s announcement (see other text), he could not receive his deliveries of cheese and potatoes, which are crucial for the smooth running of his restaurant.
“It’s a headache for inventory management because we don’t know how many customers we’re going to have,” adds Mr. Brouillard.
Same thing for Abdellah Sadellah’s walk-in hair salon.
“Usually, I have around ten customers per day. There, it’s two or three. It’s not easy.”
Residents on edge
Since the start of work on the Île Bizard bridge, residents have had to demonstrate exemplary patience. However, the presentation of the Presidents Cup added another layer.
We can imagine that many of them, even if they are proud to host an international event a few blocks from their residence, are eager for the tournament to end.
“You prioritized the event, the golfers and the spectators above the well-being of the families who live on the island,” wrote Michael Morganti on the official page of the borough of L’Île- Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève.
Comments like these can be found around a hundred on the district page. We will have to see if the new measures put in place on Thursday by the City of Montreal will alleviate the discontent which is at its highest level since the start of the week.
– With the collaboration of Benoit Rioux
