Traffic in Vaudreuil-Dorion became a hot-topic issue on social media after residents reacted to a post about a traffic bottleneck that occurred on Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes west of Avenue Saint Charles on May 14.

Many people said the incident which also affected Boulevard de la Gare shows how much traffic has increased in certain areas. Some even expect the situation to worsen as new residential and commercial projects take shape and more people move to the city.

Mayor Guy Pilon said he wasn't aware of the circumstances regarding the incident that occurred on Cité-des-Jeunes. "It could have been an accident," he speculated.

Pilon acknowledged that while traffic has become an issue in the city, most of it is caused by spillover traffic from Highways 20, 30 and 40 on weekdays.

"When people are stuck on these highways they use our roads and that causes problems here. For example, on Highway 30 when it jams up, people get off and take Cité-des-Jeunes or de la Gare," said Pilon.

The mayor said traffic on de la Gare is difficult on weekends when people head to the shopping outlets because it's a major commercial area.

"It's normal for it to be full on weekends. I know the business owners on de la Gare are very happy about it," said Pilon. 

He also acknowledged Vaudreuil-Dorion has become a major draw for many people throughout Vaudreuil-Soulanges because of its many big box retail stores which is another reason why traffic has increased.

"We've become the commercial centre for the entire Vaudrueil-Soulanges region," said Pilon .

Traffic is also an major issue around the Costco retail outlet north of Highway 40 and the city is doing what it can to put traffic relief measures in place, he added.

The mayor said the city is also in a quandry because some citizens insist the focus should be on building more bike paths and increasing public transit services while car users say the city should build more roads.

"It's a no-win situation. Yes there is traffic but only on some streets at certain times of the day. There is no traffic anywhere else. This is what happens when you have a city with over 40,000 people. There is no solution," said Pilon.