Projet Montréal plan for Mount Royal has major flaw
Luc Ferrandez may be trying to do the right thing in announcing he wants to stop motorists from using Mount Royal as an express route across the city.
But the way he is going about it is going to create more problems than it solves.
As the member of the city executive committee in charge of parks, Ferrandez announced a pilot project this week that would allow cars to reach the summit of Mount Royal from either the east or the west, but block them from going through. So visitors could drive up and down from the west on Remembrance Rd. as far as the parking lot near Beaver Lake. Or they could drive up and down from the east along Camillien-Houde Way as far as Smith House. But no farther shall they venture.
In Ferrandez’s mind, this would eliminate traffic through Montreal’s landmark park that is just using it as a conduit from A to B — something that has become particularly problematic in recent years when alternative east-west arteries like Sherbrooke St., Pine Ave., Doctor Penfield Ave., Côte- SteCatherine Rd. and Van Horne Ave. were under construction. But, he says, it would still allow families who want to skate, ski or toboggan to come by car, rather than try to schlep all their kids and equipment on the bus.
But the major flaw in Ferrandez’s pilot project — which seems to have been drafted without consulting anyone — is that it will limit access to parts of the mountain depending on what neighbourhood people live in.
So a parent from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce trying to take their child to day camp at Smith House in the summer would have to park and walk for 10 minutes to reach their destination. And a family arriving from St-Michel to go skating in winter would have to lug all their gear from the eastern parking lot to Beaver Lake. Unless they want to take a circuitous route around the mountain and enter from the opposite side, that is. What a pointless headache.
But it will also needlessly complicate entry to the cemeteries for those visiting graves and make it difficult to reach the belvedere that offers sweeping views of Montreal’s east end. These are also integral parts of Mount Royal.
And the pilot project will do absolutely nothing to address the safety of joggers, cyclists and cars on the roadway, a risk that was tragically highlighted in October when 18-year-old Clément Ouimet died after slamming into a vehicle making an illegal U-turn on Camilien-Houde as he made the steep descent on his bike. So what’s the point?
Predictably, Montrealers are already reacting with consternation and outrage over the prospect of being prevented from reaching parts of Mount Royal. It is at once a backyard for many city dwellers, a green oasis in an urban environment and a beloved destination for those without the means to travel.
An uproar seems to be about the last thing the new Projet Montréal administration needs as it struggles to get a handle on running the city, deals with a backlash from higher-thanexpected tax hikes and sinks like a stone in public opinion polls. And for a party that pledged not to draft policy on the fly and to consult stakeholders, it is disappointing that the ideas of those who know the mountain best have not been taken into account.
Les amis de la montagne also wants to prevent Remembrance Rd. and Camillien-Houde Way from being used as a shortcut between parts of the city. The guardians of Mount Royal have identified 13 areas of concern when it comes to safety, mobility and access. According to its vision, the passage over the mountain should be transformed from an arterial road into a scenic route with a significantly reduced speed limit to promote a more harmonious coexistence between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. But the plan would maintain the east-west corridor, augmenting visitors’ ability to experience Mount Royal by car rather than restricting it. Think of the road that allows vehicles to wend their way through Vancouver’s Stanley Park, albeit at a snail’s pace.
Hélène Panaïoti, the director of communications, advocacy and engagement for Les amis, said these proposals now need to be analyzed by experts. And she said she looks forward to having constructive discussions with the city on this important matter.
Mount Royal is not an expressway and should not be used as one. That’s something Montrealers are going to have to accept to protect this iconic site and its many users.
The man who dreamed up Mount Royal, famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, would surely object to Ferrandez’s plan to disconnect the passageway through the park.
In addition to preserving the city’s natural beauty and giving Montrealers a refuge from the stress of urban life, Olmsted put a high priority on the accessibility of Mount Royal to people from all walks of life, socioeconomic backgrounds, age groups and ability levels. Creating an artificial dividing line between east and west, through a place that is supposed to bring Montrealers together, is an affront to his vision.
Ferrandez’s ill-conceived plan won’t fix anything. In fact, it threatens to do more harm than good.