MAYOR CLIMBS DOWN ON RESTRICTING CARS ON MOUNT ROYAL

Montreal’s new government is backing off a plan to immediately limit car access to the city’s Mount Royal Park after thousands of citizens signed a petition criticizing the move. Opposition leader Lionel Perez says Mayor Valérie Plante’s decision to hold public consultations before going ahead with her pilot project is a victory for democracy. Plante and her director of big parks, Luc Ferrandez, initially said they wouldn’t bend with regard to their plan to limit access to the mountain road. They said the thoroughfare, which stretches along a cemetery and Beaver Lake and offers gorgeous panoramic views of the island, was never meant to be a main artery. But the decision was opposed by thousands of citizens who signed a petition demanding the city hold public talks before any action.