Is Outremont becoming the new Plateau?
Borough continuing urban revolution against cars that began in the Plateau
Luc Ferrandez did not pop up in Outremont Thursday, though he loomed large over an announcement about the borough’s new parking plan.
Philipe Tomlinson, the Outremont borough mayor, was asked if he is the new Luc Ferrandez, the three-time Plateau — Mont-Royal borough mayor who quit politics recently.
And Luc Ferrandez is surely the reason Montreal’s media turned out in force to discuss parking in one city borough. (Although his name wasn’t uttered until the very last question in French.)
When Ferrandez abruptly abandoned his Plateau stronghold and executive committee post earlier this month, parking was one of the reasons cited for his frustration with Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante. According to Radio-Canada, Ferrandez was pushing a “radical” plan to tax parking in parts of the city in order to fund the purchase of green space, reduce the number of cars and fight climate change. It was repeatedly delayed and has not seen the light of day.
So was Outremont going to go it alone? Was Tomlinson going to open a new front in Ferrandez’s unapologetic war on the car? The lure was obvious.
The plan Tomlinson unveiled is radical ... for Outremont. It is introducing a street-parking permit system for the entire territory, which many Montreal boroughs already have. But there will only be one zone, meaning Outremont residents with a vignette can park anywhere in their leafy, genteel enclave.
Some will certainly call the plan a parking tax. But only
40 per cent of parking spots in Outremont currently require a tag, mostly on the denser eastern side. The majority of spaces in tony upper reaches are free. How is that fair?
Worse, Tomlinson said, people come from outside Outremont, park and take the bus, métro or Bixi to other parts of town. Some, he said, even leave their cars behind all week, generating complaints from residents and monopolizing scant spots.
So, much like Ferrandez took measures to prevent the Plateau from being a thoroughfare for drivers just passing through, Tomlinson is taking steps to stop Outremont from being the rest of the city’s parking lot.
The number of vehicles in Outremont rose 10 per cent between 2008 and 2013. Vehicle ownership has increased and half of all visitors come by car. More students are arriving by vehicle, a situation that could get worse when the new science campus of Université de Montréal opens and the new Réseau express métropolitain station is ready at Édouard-Montpetit. So something has to give.
Nevertheless, visitors will still be permitted to park for free for two hours, which is generous. Those staying longer can purchase a temporary permit for $10 a day or $100 a month, so no one is being turned away.
Paid street parking in commercial zones like Bernard or Laurier Aves. won’t change, so the impact on restaurants and merchants should be minimal. Private lots and residential garages or driveways will likewise go untouched.
Overall there will be an increase of 399 spots when alternate-day parking is eliminated, which now requires residents to switch their vehicles from one side of the street to the other. On some streets, parking will be moved to the side with the most spaces. On others, it will be allowed on both sides to deter speeding. This will both cut down on confusion and allow for better streetscaping, be it more bike lanes or shrubbery.
As in Rosemont — La-Petite-Patrie, there will be a sliding scale for the price of an annual vignette, depending on the type of car. It will range from $100 a year, for electric vehicles and those with engines under 2L, up to $140 for larger, more powerful engines (like the Ferrari that roared by the borough hall around noon). And the cost of additional vignettes will ramp up: $275 for a second permit and higher for a third or fourth.
“We have everything you need to leave your car at home,” Tomlinson said, citing Outremont’s centrality, density, walkability and access to public transit.
If Tomlinson is channelling Luc Ferrandez, it is certainly in his purpose.
The estimated $400,000 a year in additional revenue that the vignette system is projected to generate will fund the borough’s “ecological transition.” Outremont is already known for its lushness, but Tomlinson said many trees are old and fragile.
“In the last few years, we’ve actually lost more trees than we’ve planted,” Tomlinson said, 75 to be exact. “We’re at the point where we have to start thinking about replacing them.”
He also wants to green Outremont in new ways, turning asphalt into vegetation, grass into gardens and flowers into urban agriculture — to help combat the climate crisis and beautify the borough.
Outremont may not be the new Plateau. Outremont is Outremont. But in having the courage to put a price on parking, taking aim at car dependency and elevating the needs of residents, Outremont is continuing the urban revolution that started in the Plateau.