The CAQ wants to investment on roads

Archival Photo Simon Clark
“It is absolutely unthinkable to believe that a long-term upkeep ensuring the safety and comfort of drivers can be done with as little budget envelopes,” said deputy caquiste Benoit Charette.

Pierre-Paul Biron

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 16:01

UPDATE
Tuesday, December 12, 2017 16:03

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The Coalition avenir Quebec amount the government to quickly invest in the rehabilitation of local roads and, especially, to put on foot a plan for long-term maintenance to avoid the need for municipalities to be taken to the throat by responsibilities on the road.

• READ ALSO: Little investment on the worst roads of Quebec

As did the CAA Québec and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM) on Tuesday, the CAQ points out the low government investments in the roads under municipal jurisdiction. For example, only$ 4.5 Million has been invested in the ten roads appearing in the list of the worst roads in the Quebec of the CAA, all of which are municipal responsibilities.

“It is absolutely unthinkable to believe that a long-term upkeep ensuring the safety and comfort of drivers can be done with as little budget envelopes,” said deputy caquiste Benoit Charette, recalling that the programme of assistance to the local road maintenance grants to only$ 87 Million annually, a sum which will be divided between the 1100 municipalities in Quebec.

Maintenance rather than repair

The deputy of deux-Montagnes wishes to see the government look to the longer term by putting in place a real plan of maintenance of the roads. He cites, in this sense, several reports, as many of the CAA Quebec that the department, which demonstrates that it is much more expensive to rebuild the roads than to maintain them as.

“It is difficult to make a deaf ear when the issue is also well documented. […] The neglect of the past decades in terms of maintenance leads to dramatic consequences on the state of the network. And in the end, these are the motorists who pay the price,” said Benoit Charette, adding however, that he had little hope that changes come from the current government.

“The ex-minister Lessard contradicting the figures of his own government on the issue. From the moment we do not even recognise the problem, it is difficult to tackle”, considers the elected representative of the CAQ.

Gifts election?

In full election year, the FQM hopes that the government remains the purse strings for investing in the municipal road network. President Richard Lehoux believes that the winning conditions are currently met.

“At the dawn of an election campaign and with the election of elected municipal officers set for the next four years, all the conditions are there to advance the case. Because that one is ready to assume the responsibility of maintenance, but we have to bear,” asserts Mr. Lehoux.

For his part, Benoit Charette refuses to get carried away with potential investments fast. He intends to remain wary. “It always becomes a topic politicized, partisan, and that is unfortunate. We must have a global vision, and not referred to purely electoral. I’m going to be wary of advertisements for a government in power for 15 years and who has done little in this folder”, lets hear the opposition member of parliament.