Once summer break ends for Montreal's students it'll mean even more people on an already overcrowded road network. The province is hoping a new plan can help make your drive less of a nightmare.
On Thursday the government announced $46 million in measures that will hopefully reduce traffic.
Transport Minister Andre Fortin said his ministry will work with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to offer a 30 per cent reduced fare on monthly and annual passes for the frustrated users of the Deux-Montagnes commuter train.
The train line has been hit with major delays and cancelations since work began on the province's billion REM rail system.
The government will also be implementing additional bus lines in Longueuil and Laval, and creating a new park-and-ride lot for commuters in Mont-St-Hilaire.
The move which could have the biggest impact on how quick you get around town is Montreal's 'mobility squad,' which the provincial government will be helping fund with half a million dollars.
Among its tasks, the squad is expected to improve communications between the city of Montreal and the Transport Ministry.
"The city has a work site at Cote-St-Luc and Decarie and they've agreed to suspend their work site between early September and mid-September where we'll re-open some of the exists, the Sherbrooke St. exit off of Decaire," Fortin said. "Really it's just a collaboration on how we can make traffic flow a little bit better."
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said the mobility squad won't solve every traffic problem overnight, but it will be out patrolling and helping in the areas that really need it.
"It's about discussing with the different entrepreneurs or people doing some work, right at the beginning, and just to tell them ... 'please move the work you're doing right now and wait until after the traffic jam,'" she said.
Some of the most welcome news is that the work on the Mercier Bridge that reduced it to one lane in each direction all summer long is on schedule, meaning the bridge will be completely reopened on Monday.