The Guardian (Charlottetown)

Montreal to hold public talks before limiting cars on iconic Mount Royal

- Www.belvederef­h.com

Montreal’s iconic Mount Royal Park, the three-headed hill in the centre of the city that offers panoramic views of the island, has become the latest flashpoint in the battle over the role of the car in Canada’s urban centres.

The city’s new administra­tion, beloved and reviled for its policies perceived as anti-car, angered thousands of Montrealer­s when it announced in February that access to the mountain by vehicles would be limited under a new pilot project.

Opposition leader Lionel Perez claimed victory on Tuesday, however, when the city said it would hold public consultati­ons before launching its controvers­ial plan.

Perez said in an interview he believes Mayor Valerie Plante and her director of big parks, Luc Ferrandez, have it out for the automobile.

“I think Mrs. Plante and Mr. Ferrandez have clearly indicated they are anti-car,” he said.

“I think there has been a cascading effect regarding this file, and that Ferrandez didn’t properly evaluate the opposition that would come from their proposal.”

More than 26,000 people signed an online petition demanding the city abandon its pilot project and a group of citizens filed a request to force the administra­tion to hold public talks.

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