The long-awaited Presidents Cup has just begun, but residents, merchants and local mayors are already fed up with the traffic chaos and long waits in Montreal’s West Island.
The professional golf event is being held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in the suburb of Île-Bizard, which only has a single bridge connecting it to and from the Island of Montreal.
Heba Armanious’ commute from Île-Bizard home to her Harvey’s business in the neighbouring Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough took about 50 minutes — up from the usual five minutes. The heavy traffic has been “long and exhausting,” she said.
“It’s affecting the business. It’s affecting the people,” Armanious said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s just chaotic.”
Only drivers with a special pass are able to access Île-Bizard until Sunday, when the tournament wraps up. Police are tasked with filtering cars, but residents say there are major flaws when it comes to the sticker system and how essential vehicles can access the island.
Île-Bizard resident Sonia Viel was prepared for some traffic when the Presidents Cup kicked off earlier this week, but she wasn’t ready for the absolute chaos it brought to her and her family’s life.
“My son with special disabilities, he needs medication. And, unfortunately, we couldn’t get the medication for him because the Jean Coutu (pharmacy) delivery truck couldn’t access the island because of lack of a sticker,” she said.
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Local mayors in the West Island slammed the City of Montreal for the mess, saying more consultation was needed for traffic measures.
Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève borough Mayor Doug Hurley said the current configuration is “causing more headaches than solving problems.”
“The problem we’re living right now is controlled by Montreal,” he said.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough Mayor Jim Beis shared those frustrations.
“What do you do when you have to take your kids to school? What do you do when your kids participate in sports?” Beis said. “What do you do when the businesses are suffering? Not only on my main artery here on Pierrefonds Boulevard, but Île-Bizard as well.”
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Hurley said the traffic measures need an overhaul because what’s in effect “is not working to perfection” and he understands why residents and merchants are frustrated.
“It’s only going to get worse because starting tomorrow 25 to 30,000 people are going to be here for the rest of the week, in addition to my 18,000 people in Île-Bizard,” Hurley said.
Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal, said it was “not an easy start for the Presidents Cup.” There was a vehicle stranded on the Île-Bizard bridge on Tuesday, which caused delays and then there was also a watermain break nearby in Pierrefonds.
The driving pass system for residents to get to and from their homes is meant to limit traffic from non-locals but there is always room for improvement, according to Sabourin. Montreal police are also working with the promoters to fix the heavy congestion.
“The idea of the filtration system was to help citizens and to keep the island of Île-Bizard as quiet as possible during this major event,” Sabourin said.
Presidents Cup players started practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tournament will tee off Thursday to tens of thousands of spectators, but residents and elected officials are hoping for concrete changes in traffic mitigation measures.
The City of Montreal is encouraging tournament passholders to take shuttles designated for the event.
“We’re asking every participant to take the shuttle,” Sabourin said.
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