Thousands sign petition against closing race track to cyclists
Opposition party Projet Montréal accused the city administration on Monday of “chaotic,” poorly planned management following the decision to close the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to cyclists and other users this summer.
The fact the city announced the closing of the only training surface for high-speed cyclists just two weeks beforehand speaks to the city’s improvisation and lack of regard, Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante said. Since the news was announced Friday, almost 3,000 users have joined a Facebook page decrying the closing and 4,000 have signed a petition.
“Already in three days we’ve collected 4,000 signatures to assure the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve remains open for cyclists,” Plante said. “For us that is irrefutable proof to what point Montrealers, be they cyclists or in-line skaters or families, enjoy the athletic facilities on Parc Jean-Drapeau and want them to stay open.”
Mayor Denis Coderre responded during Monday’s city council meeting that the racetrack had to be closed for the safety of users, and that the $70 million in upgrades planned for Jean-Drapeau Park will eventually benefit all Montrealers.
“There will be after this, above all, first-class installations for all Montrealers,” he said. “Until then, my responsibility as mayor, our responsibility as an administration, is to ensure, on the part of Parc Jean-Drapeau, that the security of children, of all people is assured, and that is the reason why we are taking all these actions.”
The Société du Parc JeanDrapeau confirmed last week Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will be almost entirely closed to cyclists, in-line skaters and pedestrians from May 8 to Sept. 4 this summer because of construction work.
Major music festivals like Osheaga, normally held on Île Ste- Hélène, will be shifted to Île NotreDame, where the racetrack resides, forcing the closure to the general public. The 4.3-kilometre track, popular with recreational riders as well as racing cyclists as one of the few smooth training surfaces in Montreal, is open until May 7 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For the summer, organizers will set up a 2.5-kilometre training circuit on weekdays, open only to training bikes from 6 to 9 p.m. It will be closed during the set-up and takedown for major events.
The Société will maintain the South Shore bike lanes that connect St-Lambert to Jean-Drapeau Park and Montreal, but it will be closed during the set-up and running of the Grand Prix from June 2-11, as well as during the Metallica and Guns N’ Roses concerts July 19 and Aug. 19.
The Aquatic Complex on Île Ste-Hélène is also closed for the entire 2017 season because of the $70-million renovation of JeanDrapeau Park, which includes adding a riverside promenade, creating a walkway linking Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome to Alex Calder’s renowned sculpture, and most notably, building a “natural amphitheatre” to accommodate up to 65,000 people.
Work on the amphitheatre has been criticized as well because it will involve cutting down 1,000 mature trees, although organizers say another 1,050 will be replanted over five years around the amphitheatre and park.