But with the project in its infancy, the youth council is calling for temporary solutions, such as dedicated bus lanes on Sherbrooke and Notre-Dame Sts.<\/p>\n
As it stands, the group says, the average student relying on public transit to reach downtown universities spends more than 12 hours a week on the bus and m\u00e9tro.<\/p>\n
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Young people in Montreal\u2019s east end, like Alexandre Fabien Gagn\u00e9 and Darlene Jean Jacques, are speaking out against limited public transit options. \u201cIt\u2019s as if I lived off the island,\u201d Jean Jacques says.<\/p>\n
Gagn\u00e9\u2019s commute to McGill University is about an hour and 20 minutes each way. While it\u2019s bad enough during the day, he said, it\u2019s especially painful after night classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s almost a kind of humiliating aspect to being from the east end, because it\u2019s so complicated and so long to get anywhere,\u201d said Gagn\u00e9. \u201cWe spend our lives on the bus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report also raises security concerns, with students often forced to wait up to an hour at poorly lit bus stops in what they describe as \u201cunfrequented, unprotected, or isolated areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of young people who are left in vulnerable places,\u201d said the youth council\u2019s co-president, Darl\u00e8ne Jean Jacques.<\/p>\n