The STO Officially Opens the Ligne verte
Gatineau, Monday September 22, 2008 – Accompanied by Benoit Pelletier, Quebec Minister responsible for the Outaouais Region and MPP for Chapleau, and by Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau, the Chairman of the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), Patrice Martin, officially opened the Ligne verte on Monday, September 22, in conjunction with international "In Town, Without My Car!" day.
The Ligne verte, the green bus route that runs along the corridor formed by Gréber, Fournier and Maisonneuve boulevards, is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making public transit even more attractive through initiatives to improve the speed and regularity of services and thereby increase ridership.
In addition to the new northbound and southbound lanes on Gréber, between Savane and St-Louis, and the new northbound section of Fournier, the STO has introduced a computerized automated system for counting passengers, priority for buses at seven strategic intersections in the corridor, 15 modern shelters of futuristic design bearing the Ligne verte logo, information modules at 22 bus stops along the Ligne verte, and has recently constructed the new De la Cité Park-and-Ride facilities in the Gatineau sector with 150 parking spaces, and will be installing a variable message system at the Promenades terminus.
"These initiatives are in addition to our experiments with two hybrid diesel-electric buses being compared with the seven regular buses on routes 67 and 77 that run along the Ligne verte corridor," explained. Patrice Martin. "The comparative performance of these buses and the ridership gains will be tracked until the end of February 2009, when they will be submitted in the final report on the experiment next spring," explained the STO's Chairman.
The STO's Ligne verte, developed at a cost of $8.3 million, is part of the Urban Transportation Showcase Program (UTSP), with $2 million in funding from Transport Canada and $4 million from the Government of Quebec. The STO project is administered jointly with the Société de transport de Montréal, which is developing a similar project in that city.
Mr. Martin noted the importance and role played by bus corporations in reducing emissions, traffic congestion in cities and relieving the pressure on highway infrastructure. "Projects such as the Ligne verte are essential to illustrate public transit's contribution to the mobility of our population and protecting the environment," he stated. "I would like to thank all our partners in sustainable mobility and GREEN transportation in the Outaouais, the provincial and federal governments who encourage and financially support such initiatives, and the City of Gatineau, which facilitates the implementation of these initiatives," added Mr Martin.
The STO took advantage of the opening of the Ligne verte to announce an upcoming contest for the public and public transit riders highlighting the diversity of shops and businesses along the Ligne verte corridor on Gréber.