Les voies d'accès au mont Royal (Camillien-Houde / Remembrance)

Do not restrict access to the mountain to a few elite cyclists.

Consider the elderly, families who want access to picnic sites and recreation, all who want access to the cemetery.

Provide shuttles from distant parking lots if necessary.

Do not remove east-west access for cars as long as Wilder Penfield and other streets are involved in construction projects.

I do not consider it to be acceptable to ban through traffic. It is extremely discriminatory - and basically discriminates against all except those training for bike racing! If it is not possible to get the bikers to obey the speed regulations and to prevent motor drivers to not complete U-turns, then put a central barrier along the route. It would prevent the "accidents" that are due to lack of adherence to the law. That would also open a key component of Montreal. I missed my occasional drives and visits to the summit. I also missed being able to take visitors to see the beautiful view of the city that so many of us pay taxes to support but then are banned from enjoying.

Mme. Plante,
I believe that closing the access to the mountain is not in the interest of Montrealers. This closure benefits only some cyclists and not the majority. The death of a cyclist was a very tragic event, but, I think that closing the mountain is an overkill solution. We can no longer drive through this park to access beautiful views over our city without going way out of our way. Families living in the eastern section of Montreal cannot easily access the Beaver Lake area. This is a popular area for families with children who want to come for a picnic.

If parking is unavailable on the Beaver Lake side, one has to drive all around the city to access the other parking lot where one can only hope, after all that effort, that there will be a parking spot available.

I don't know how you can say that the pilot project was a success. You had four times as many Montrealers opposed to this closure as were in favour of it. I think that sent a pretty clear message, but it was ignored by your administration.

Please, give us our mountain back!

I am against closing Camilien Houde to through traffic.
Je suis contre la fermeture de Camilien Houde au traffic.

I am an avid cyclist and a car owner. The closure of the road did not enhance my cycling experience on the mountain but did do mayhem to my driving experience. The extra time i spent in traffic did not do the city of Outremont any good or the buring of extra gasoline did not do the environment any good. I do understand that a cyclist was killed by a driver of a car but that does happen often in Montreal and we do not close all the streets where that happened. I generally go up to the mountain twice a week during the summer, this year I went up to the mountain a total of 1 time. Your closure of the road had the opposite effect on things and it was definitely not a positive one. Please keep the roadway open all year long. Thank you

As a resident of Westmount and a frequent visitor to Mount Royal Cemetery, closing of the Camilien-Houde/Remembrance Road is an unfortunate method of controlling traffic and limiting access to all.
Motorists and cyclists can learn to use the roadway together and in harmony.

I feel that the trial project that was completed this summer was not well thought out, but rather a knee-jerk reaction to an accident. It is not a very inclusive approach as it seems to cater to only the cycling audience.

The people that were inconvenienced the most and thought of the least were the families who regularly want to visit the two major cemeteries.

There are better ways to offer this view, convenience and panorama to all constituents and could include:

traffic calming measures
protected cycling route, etc

Why are professional traffic consultants not given the task of creating a solution for everyone. And we don't need the loose cannon preconceived propaganda from Luc Ferrandez. Every time he opens his mouth, he reduces the credibility of the project.

I strongly believe that ramming through this project "as-is" will show the same pedantic attitude that sunk the Coderre admisitration's single minded ramming through of the E-Grand Prix and granite tree stumps with fabricated preconceptions and not being open and honest with the population.

Valerie Plante's administration should do what is right for everyone in an open and forthright manner or face the same fate of Coderre's one term wonder.

Sincerely,

Bruce Campbell

Under what conditions would you consider it acceptable to allow through-traffic on the mountain?

It is acceptable in my opinion to allow through-traffic under all conditions on the mountain. We have really, sincerely missed visting so much and accessing other parts of the city...while actually enjoying the beautiful scenic drive! I don't feel that having through-traffic is problematic at all, there have literally been 0 situations in my 20 years of living in this city that traffic on the mountain has been an issue - until it wasn't allowed. It makes very little sense to me to allow this road to be used soley by cyclists when the terrain allows for only serious athletes to train there. It's a really tough ride and definitely excludes a lot of people! What about all the elderly people who love a country drive in the city and have limited mobility? What about all the people who go to work in the morning to support our economy and have been re-routed yet again to wait in - read - even more traffic! Please don't tell them to take public transit until you address all the issues surrounding public transit - read - have any of you actually taken the 105? I voted for this administration, but I DID NOT VOTE FOR THIS.

Please build a sequestered bike lane like on deMaisonneuve and call it a day.

It makes little sense to close this thoroughfare as a means to protect cyclists, as only competitive cyclists use the route for training practice, and their safety can be assured with proper placement of concrete barriers at the eastern lookout.
Cutting off the Maison Smith parking area from western approach is unfair, as a detour through Outremont becomes necessary.
Protection of flora and fauna is being efficiently accomplished by the park authorities.
Camilien Houde must be reopened to through traffic all year. If speeding is a problem, traffic speed cameras can be installed. In the United Kingdom they work most effectively.

I think that Camillien-Houde Way and Remembrance Road should remain OPEN to auto traffic. There are too few other routes from the West Side to the Plateau, and closing the road increases congestion on other routes. The only conditions under which I think the road over Mont Royal should be closed is AFTER public transportation around the city has improved to give people who currently rely on their cars a plausible alternative. This would involve expansion and improvement of the metro system, and increasing the frequency of the metro and the buses. Until then, KEEP THE ROAD OVER THE MOUNTAIN OPEN, PLEASE! Closing the road seems primarily to benefit ultra-fit young male cyclists. I don't see why this extreme minority of the population should be privileged over everyone else.

I believe the Camillien-Houde Way/Remembrance Road thoroughfare across Mount Royal should remain permanently open to car traffic.

Closing this road is an unnecessary impediment to getting from one side of the mountain to the other and does little, if anything to secure the safety of cyclists.

I am an avid cyclist, use the mountain all summer long, but I am more than happy to share the road with vehicular traffic.

Closing the route over the mountain to cars is just a dumb idea. If you want to protect cyclists, a separated area (similar to the protected bike path along De Maisoneuve Boulevard) would be the way to go. Cyclists could still navigate their way over the mountain in safety, and cars wouldn't be prevented from crossing the mountain.

You had your pilot project... you pissed off a bunch of people... chalk it up to a learning experience, put in the protected bike path, and stop this nonsense. Construction already makes this city hell to navigate, don't go adding to it on a totally voluntary and avoidable basis.

I have lived on and around the mountain (Mont-Royal) and Westmount most of my 73 years. I know the area well and have spent many, many enjoyable hours skiing and skating in the winter and biking, walking, picnicing and folklore dancing in the summer.
Though my husband and I (and our family) love biking, we are not professionals nor are we able to handle the "over the mountain" path. I realize that there are probably 3,000 - 4,000 Montrealers who are fit and like to use the mountain road to practice biking for competitions. Living on Ridgewood for the past 8 years, we see many of them bike up and down our street in teams of 4, 5, 6 and more. I understand these "professional/competitive" bikers would like to feel safe going on the mountain road -- but then again, I'm sure they want to feel safe on ALL Montreal roads!!! Dozens of bikers AND pedestrians have been killed on other streets in Montreal but the City didn't close those streets.

I hope there is a way we can all continue to enjoy crossing over the mountain road just as in the past and feel safe. Let's not sacrifice the pleasures of a couple of million people for 3,000-4,000.

Plus ... we visit both cemetaries regularly ... what a shame to deprive people of "easy access" bringing flowers and plants to loved ones!

Thank you for your consideration.

Leave the automobile trans mountain access alone.
Monitor BOTH automobile and cyclist speeds with photo radar and one police
live speed trap.
If you do more than this it will not
improve the Mountain’s Enviroment for Anyone But it will contribute significantly to Project MONTREAL being voted out of office in the next election .

I believe that closing the mountain to through traffic is not reasonable. The ostensible reason for the closure, the accident involving the cyclist last year, does not justify closing the road. Accidents happen everywhere, and roads cannot be closed simply because of that. Camillien-Houde is much too important an artery in our city, much too important to east-west traffic, to be closed off. I personally don’t think that the existing configuration needs to be changed. The changes made a number of years ago eliminated what was, to me, the most dangerous aspect of the road, which was that it was frequently used as a speedway. That no longer happens, or can happen. That being said, I’d certainly be willing to consider changes proposed by people who understand traffic dynamics better that I do, but the road must remain open as a reasonably accessible route over the mountain, to connect the two sides if the mountain, and to provide convenient access to the mountain from both sides.

Keep the road open to through-traffic both directions all day every day.

In all the discussionsame there was no mention of traffic surveys and impact on the surrounding areas forced to pick up the re routed traffic.
The premis that it opens the other half of the mountain, which is a cemetary
is laughable.
The road was no less safer for pedestrian's or cyclists due to traffic on east side tuning into lookout across east bound lanes.

What a stupid stupid Idea.
I show my friends from out of town the most beautiful part of Montreal by this road.
There are zero regular Cyclists that can go up that hill. It is too steep and dangerous for normal cyclists, never mind with children. The very idea of closing that road shows how out of touch some people in power can be.

If the road closures go ahead it will also show how that this department is not needed as it would be going against the public that it is supposed to be there for.
Thank you. Merci.

Ivan Dow 514 918 1501 i.dow@videotron.ca

Malheureusement il semble de plus en plus que M.Fernandez a saisi le volant.La grand majorite des Montrealais et ce qui vient de l'extérieur sert des autos et ca vas demeurer comme ca pour longtemps.Plus qu'on decourage ce monde moins que notre ville vas avancer.

Keep Camillion Houde road open all year round. Elite cyclists can train elsewhere. This experiment served no one but them

I think the attempt to sever the connection between east and west travel over the mountain is misguided, since in many respects it has effects opposite of what is intended. If we are all concerned about environmental quality on the mountain, creating traffic bottlenecks, in single lane traffic by cars that are attempting to park, creates considerable carbon dioxide fumes. The aim of traffic management should be to encourage the most fluid flow of traffic to parking areas. This last summer and Fall, we have several times turned and driven away from the mountain due to the long waits that we encountered.

I am also a cyclist and pedestrian, and approve of facilitating their safe and secure passage. But by blocking vehicle traffic, neither aim is served.

In order to decrease the danger cyclists may encounter if vehicles make illegal U-turns, the most effective response would be to create more extensive road dividers that would make U-turns impossible, and to create a traffic circle where the current Bus stop lies, to facilitate vehicles safely reversing their direction.

If the problem is the speed with which cars travel across the mountain, then a series of traffic bumps would be effective at creating a deliberate but slow pace of traffic.

Please reverse this policy, and in addition open up the alternative route that connects the two parking areas, to make vehicle traffic smooth, creating access to the park for those who cannot cycle or walk, and who wish to use their precious time to enjoy our extraordinary mountain treasure. Creating traffic jams by limiting the number of lanes available and blocking smooth traffic is counter-productive. I support creating distinct bike lanes and facilitating pedestrian flows, but the current policy only limits access to the mountain, which should not be the goal of this administration.

Thank you for pursuing this consultation; I encourage you to follow the guidance it provides.

The Camillien-Houde Way should remain open and accessible to the benefit of all Montreal users and not just a select few of cyclists. The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few.

Please keep the road open. I love the mountain but do not want to restrict access to cars. The road can be shared. The majority of montrealers won’t bike over the mountain. It’s only for the young and very fit. The majority of us including healthy seniors will lose out.

KEEP THE ROAD OPEN TO CARS

No one will argue that Mount Royal Park and the mountain cemeteries are a priceless heritage that must be safe-guarded. However, the road that passes through this area does not inhibit these green spaces, as it is positioned on the side of the park between the two separate zones made up of the cemeteries and the park area. The through road does not limit park goers' access to the green spaces; to the contrary, for those who are less mobile, it greatly enhances it.

Moreover, the closing of the mountain through-road has universally caused distress for all those I have polled who fall into the senior age group or who have obstructions to mobility. Older Montrealers such as my parents take great pleasure in driving over the mountain, one of the only ways they get to experience nature because of their physical limitations. Is it fair to deprive so many of Montreal''s citizens and visitors of this simple pleasure? Is not the mandate of the Plante administration to serve the needs of as many as possible of its constituents? I certainly hoped so when I voted for the present team.

In my opinion the effect of cars passing through the mountain environment would be mitigated and improved if a traffic light was installed instead of a stop sign at the point where the entrance to the Mount Royal cemetery intersects with the bus stop near Smith House. The present stop sign appears to be the major cause of bottle-necked traffic, and the gas-powered cars that consequently have to stop and start multiple times are lowering the air quality more than they would if they could move more smoothly through this point.

My recommendation is that the through road remain open year round, with appropriate management aimed at reducing environmental damage while retaining functionality.

The road closure preventing access to Mount Royal cemetery by the south gate proved to be a great problem for me, preventing me from visiting family members and tending to their graves. I was not looking for a fast way around the city of Montreal but rather access to the resting place of relatives. Living in the West Island of Montreal and being 74 years of age driving a bicycle to the cemetery is either safe or practical.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to voice my opinion.