Park users mixed over project to restrict Mount Royal access
Some say it’s not realistic while others say historic area ‘not a detour for traffic’
A pilot project to block through traffic over the mountain via Remembrance Rd. and Camillien-Houde Way got mixed reviews from Mount Royal Park users Wednesday.
Executive committee member Luc Ferrandez announced Tuesday that the city will be launching a pilot project this spring to make Camillien-Houde Way safer for cyclists, joggers and pedestrians.
Ferrandez said the road was designed as an access route to Mount Royal Park and should be used as such, not as a high-speed shortcut through the city. Last fall, 18-yearold cyclist Clément Ouimet was killed by a motorist making an illegal U-turn on Camillien-Houde Way.
The pilot project, which is to begin in April or May, will make it impossible for motorists to traverse the mountain by taking Remembrance Rd. through to Camillien-Houde, or vice versa. Those coming to Mount Royal Park by car from the west will be able to access the Beaver Lake parking lot from Remembrance Rd. Those coming from the east can access the Smith House parking lot via Camillien-Houde. But through-traffic will not be permitted, except for city buses.
With Wednesday’s snowfall, most users of Mount Royal Park came on foot, on skis or by bus. But still, some said they didn’t like the idea of losing the option to drive across the mountain via Remembrance Rd. and Camillien-Houde Way.
“I am not convinced it’s a good idea,” said Daniel Amireault, who normally takes public transit to the mountain from his home in the Village to meet up with his weekly hiking group.
“It’s not just because there’s an accident once that you close the road. If they want people to slow down, they can put the speed limit at 30 kilometres an hour and station police officers there to hand out tickets.”
Said Renaud Paré: “I want to keep it as a thoroughfare. When I was working, I lived in the Plateau-Mont-Royal and my office was off Côte-des-Neiges Rd. I found (Camillien-Houde Way) a very rapid route. I find it’s not a realistic idea” to block the shortcut.
But others disagreed.
“I find it’s a good idea to stop the through traffic,” Richard Lecuyer said. “I take that route once in a while just to cut over the moun- tain, but it’s true that it is not necessary and people drive too fast.”
Jean-Paul Simard said what the city is doing makes sense.
“Mount Royal is a historic and natural park, not a detour for traffic.”
Questioned by reporters on the pilot project Wednesday, Mayor Valérie Plante said it is consistent with her party’s promise to prioritize mobility and safety for cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers. She said traffic experts have been recommending this measure for years because of frequent accidents, and other administrations have ignored that advice for fear of displeasing some motorists.
“Let’s not forget that a young man died on Camillien-Houde. This is something people have been talking about (solving) for years, but ... nobody took action. In this particular case, it is the right thing to do.
“This is about protecting our mountain. It is about protecting lives. It is about making sure that cyclists and pedestrians can use that road without being scared of being hit.”
Executive committee spokesperson Youssef Amane said Wednesday the administration is studying how the measure will affect traffic elsewhere in the city and seeking ways to mitigate any problems.
He acknowledged that the parking lot at Beaver Lake is small, but he said the administration intends to ensure that drivers coming from the western part of the city to the mountain will have an access route to the larger lot at Smith House when the lot at Beaver Lake is full.
He also acknowledged that Camillien-Houde Way offers beautiful views of the city, which is why some people enjoy driving that route. But he said the problem is not the Sunday drivers looking at the views.
“The problem is that a lot of people use this road as a transit road to go downtown or to the West Island or to the Plateau-Mont-Royal, and they are often taking it when they are on a tight schedule, at rush hour to get to work, or to get home when they are tired,” he said, adding that the road is windy and dangerous at high speeds.
It’s true that it is not necessary and people drive too fast.