March 23rd, 2009
Photo du jour: Temporaiement défecteux
By Chris Erb // 12 Comments
Dirt, grime, leaking water, silverfish, and stalactites are just a few of the wonderful things that can be found in the Guy-Concordia Metro station, the 4th busiest in the system.
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Comments
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From what I understand, the STM refuse to do repairs on Guy-Concordia metro station until there is a formal agreement between Concordia and the STM for the proposed tunnel the university wants to build from the metro to the library building.
However, this tunnel may never be built, it is only an idea Concordia has been thinking about for over 20 years now. So it's irresponsible of the STM to refuse to repair a station that is so heavily used, and to ignore the obvious health and safety hazards that stem from improper station maintenance.
Some believe the STM is biased and expects more funding from Concordia than would otherwise be expected from, say, Université de Montréal, because it is an anglophone institution.
Simply put, Guy-Concordia metro isn't being maintained because the STM and Concordia University are fighting over funding. So while they fight the public has to deal with unsafe, unhealthy public transport.
Construction on the tunnel began a couple months ago and is slated to be finished before the end of the year. The station was renovated a few years ago but I think it was mostly aesthetic (whoever thought white tiles in a Metro station was a good idea has obviously never been in a Metro station before). The problem is much larger and I believe would require very extensive structural renovations which would require the closing of the station (as was done with Geroges-Vanier over the summer). Eventually it will NEED to be done but what the STM has planned I don't know.
Chris, do you have a link to a list of the busiest metro stations? I just love that kind of info and woudn't mind getting a glimpse at it. :) I know the STM publishes this from time to time in their daily STM chronicle in the Metro newspaper, but otherwise though, not quite sure where to find it...
Looks like there's http://www.metrodemontreal.com/faq/stations.html but it seems to be from 2006.
ps. Coudn't agree more about Frontenac! Also never quite understood why they put in a few pink tiles at Beaudry... Completely color clash with the rest, if you ask me.
I got the information on station traffic the metrodemontreal site so I really don't know any figures that are newer than 2006 although, I doubt the traffic changes that much from year to year. I hadn't been on the site in awhile and they've added some interesting historical photos of the station. It looks like it used to be a much more attractive station and the weird, wood shingle-clad kiosk where the CLSC Métro building is now was interesting to say the least.
Good to hear Concordia is finally building that tunnel. When I was in urban studies we were told by the prof (I don't remember who it was) that the intersection at MacKay and de Maisonneuve experiences the densest pedestrian traffic in Montreal. They didn't provide a citation and no one asked for any at the time.. so, is this in fact true?
ty. and ps. http://www.thelinknewspaper.ca/articles/749
Personally, I think the tunnel is a terrible idea and a total waste of money. Currently, the university is experiencing a deficit of around 10 million dollars, half of which could be paid off had this tunnel not been built. Also, 5 million dollars seems like quite the price to pay for a piece of infrastructure that will only be heavily used for a couple weeks out of the year and serves only to keep students out of the cold for a total of one block! The problem of overcrowding on the sidewalk on de Maisonneuve between MacKay and Guy can easily be alleviated with the construction of wider sidewalks, something which is central to the Quartier Concordia project currently underway.
Well.... It COULD be worse!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld4NGHHbISY
Hey, at least I've never seen rats in the Montreal metro system, a common sight in Paris, where I've been living for a year now.
I actually miss our fast metros! The ones here are slow as hell, although their coverage makes ours look like a joke.
I support extending Montreal's underground network and any new tunnels added to the network.
As for Concordia's new tunnel.. when I was a Concordia student I used to hate fighting my way from Guy-Concordia metro to the Hall building every day due to the immense pedestrian traffic between metro and school. Vehicular traffic and cold weather were almost an afterthought.
Concordia probably could have built an above-ground corridor between metro and school for a fraction of the expense but there just isn't enough room to accommodate it, not without appropriating a chunk of de Maisonneuve, which would cause vehicular traffic to detour onto Sherbrooke or rue Ste-Catherine, which would upset the grid every whichaway.
As for Concordia's financial state: Montreal's universities are flooded with cash and if any of them are in a deficit it's because they've been mismanaged not because they don't have enough money. Concordia specifically has a history of financial mismanagement, as does UQAM, as does McGill, as does Universite de Montreal. So..
lol @ Cdnlococo:
"Study for installation of waterfalls in the New York subway system."
I think the pink tiles in Beaudry station were meant to be a wink at the gay community.
Still looks better than Frontenac station. haha
I just don't understand why they can't just cover that stuff up... It makes the Metro look horribly antiquated and dirty.
Comment by Fray
March 23, 2009 | 7:28 am