Down with the 'burbs!

>> There's been much speculation recently about building new bridges in Montreal--a monorail bridge, or a self-financed toll bridge--to help alleviate rush-hour congestion to and from the South Shore. But the city of Montreal has a different idea: eliminate bridges from your life by moving to the big city.

For the last two weeks, the city's "Adieu les ponts" (or "Goodbye, Bridges") radio ads have been airing on the Cite Rock (107.3 FM) and Rhythme-FM (105.7 FM) radio stations at precisely the time when the bridges are gridlocked. "On Monday we took about 100 calls from people stuck on the bridge in their cars," says city spokesperson Francois Goulet. "They all heard the ad, then called us on their cell phones."

Goulet admits the ads deliberately push the burb-dwellers hot button. "Polls show that most suburbanites don't want to live in the city, and that many of them want to move even further away--like to the Laurentians," he says. "But about 10 per cent of them are open to the idea. The ad seems to be finding them."

The ad campaign, which will cost Montreal taxpayers $65,000, ends Friday January 21. :

--Philip Preville

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