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

Allow through traffic all the time to mitigate construction bottlenecks that contribute to pollution and global warming

My wife are both seniors. We have been driving up to the parking lot at the top of the mountain from the Cote Des Neiges Side for many years on weekends. We park there, pay $6 to $9. and walk all around the top of the mountain on the road ending up at the chalet. Enjoy, the walk, fresh air , seeing all the people, watching the piano players and groups of tourists as well as newcomers to the city.

We do not have bike capabilities.
in 2018 we were obliged to drive all the way around to Mt Royal to get to our parking place. We ended up going 3 times instead of almost every weekend.
When we got there the parking lot was never more than 50% full. I am sure if the politicians were honest about it they would admit that parking revenues are off at least 50% or more.
In the past one had to wait for a parking spot.
The amount of newcomers at the lookout were dramatically reduced this summer.

THE CITY SHOULD GIVE BACK THE MOUNTAIN TO THE PUBLIC .\

The politicians should not be spinning the great FAILURE as a success. A success for 3000 young bikeriders???
What about all the taxpayers who enjoyed the mountain?????

What this administration is doing is insanity!!!
Stop behaving as if cars and traffic didn’t exist in Montreal!!!
Keep it open!!!

It is known that cyclists use the mountain for race training purposes. I would like to express that the cyclists using the mountain road must NOT use it as a means for racing training purposes. Racing on the mountain is extremely dangerous for all users of the mountain. Cyclists must respect all traffic signals, traffic lights, signs including stop signs and speed limits. And should cyclists not follow the rules of the road, fines must be given as would any motorist. There are no exceptions for cyclists regarding following the rules of the road.

Thank you.

In line with the principle of sharing roads throughout the city (whereby there are sidewalks for pedestrians, and the road is shared by cars, buses, and bicycles), I firmly believe that the road crossing the park/mountain should follow this same principle and remain accessible to cars as well as buses, bicycles and pedestrians. As a link between the central and western portions of the city, the road encourages citizens to reach all parts of the city for shopping, recreation, and cultural activities, while enjoying the restful and spectacular beauty of the park. In my case, living in NDG, the closure of the road across the mountain this summer made it both complicated and cumbersome to access eastern parts of the city (such as the Plateau and Mile End) and greatly restricted the number of times that I shopped, for example, at the Jean Talon Market. This situation was further exacerbated by the innumerable infrastructure projects throughout the city that forced me to continually drive through quiet, residential neighborhoods (surely, not a desirable alternative) and constantly to alter my route. Over the years, I have frequently taken out-of-town visitors to Mont Royal, some of whom were elderly and were only able to travel by car, and all of them repeatedly told me that these visits were the highlight of their Montreal visits.

My opinion is that there are many other alternatives to the future of this road than simply closing it to cars, and that these alternatives should be fully explored and considered. Since, for example, many streets throughout the city are being adapted to accommodate a variety of users, with dedicated cyclist lanes, the road across the mountain could be similarly modified. In light of decisions made in other cities, where a portion of a major thoroughfare is temporary closed to allow pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy it, I would strongly support the idea of closing the road across the mountain on, for example, one or more Sundays a month in the year.

In summary, I feel that the road across the mountain should be treated in exactly the same way as all the streets in the city and that the principle of "sharing the road" should be consistently maintained.

Camillien Houde Parkway must stay open and shared safely by pedestrians, bicycles, and cars!

The decision to cut a road for cars to drive through the mountain was taken in 1958 because there was far too much congestion on surrounding streets by people looking to get to the other side.. Today, traffic is of course several times what it was 60 years ago and therefore the need is not merely important, but necessary.

Denying cars access will do nothing to "protect" flora and fauna. The use of the word is biased; flora and fauna are not in danger of extinction, whatsoever. While I am a great supporter of the environment, this administration seems motivated by an alarmist attitude that fails to adhere to common sense. The fact is that for so many Montrealers, one of the great pleasures is driving over the mountain. That will now be taken away, and that is terribly sad. Congestion on surrounding streets will be even worse and it is already terrible.

The fact is that people shop with their cars. We should be making things easier not more difficult for them. Two major streets, St. Laurent and St. Catherine, display a remarkable and unacceptable amount of "à louer" signs. How is it that a one of the worlds major cities has at least 30 often beautiful store fronts sitting empty within only a few blocks!?! Part of the reason is that taxes are simply too high, yet the other is the difficulty for cars to drive and park.

I have spoken to an abundance of store owners and employees and they, almost unanimously, feel that the elected officials and administrators are making decisions that ignore the people they are affecting. It is a terrible thing when one group, (in this case politicians), who have no or little experience in an area (what it actually takes to create a business and employment and maintain said business), nonetheless make the decisions. These business owners have their boots on the ground. Everyday they are at the street level. They see what is happening and what is needed. It is imperative that the decisions taken reflect their experiences and opinions.

I have lived in Montreal my whole life and have many fond memories of going up to Mount Royal either on foot, by public transport or by car. It was one of my favorite destinations as a child for skating and toboganning in winter or pick-nicking in summer. As a young adult..date night would often include the look-out. I have participated in many 5 km races around the chalet. And now as a senior with significant mobility issues, I depend on my car to get out and about around the city. Driving over the mountain on a spectacular fall day is one of life's pleasures.
In conclusion I feel that the mountain needs to be easily accessible to all montrealers..of all ages and physicalities. Priority should not be given to one particular group. For safety reasons the speed limit needs to be reduced and regularly enforced. There needs to be a dedicated bike path for cyclists and clearer signage as to no u-turns permitted at any time. I'm sure we can find a way to share the mountain with all montrealers without having to shut down both ends of it.

I would like to see though traffic on Ch Camillien-Houde and Remembrance from Cote des Neiges to Mont-Royal.

There should be speed bumps and more stop signs to slow down the traffic but the route should be open for cars to drive between Cote des Neiges and Mont-Royal.

The bicycle lane should be widened and become a dedicated lane for cyclists.

This is one of the most beautiful drives in Montreal and should not be closed to cars but the speed should be controlled to ensure safety for all.

I believe that through traffic should be allowed through the park Mont Royal as in the past. There was too much congestion on the city streets this past summer for traffic going both east and west.

I am a Montrealer - born here, raised here and continue to live here. I was very disappointed by Mayor Plante's unilateral decision to close Voie Camillien Houde Way. I have used it, most my life of 70 years, as an occassional method of giving visitors birds-eye tours of Montreal and as a convenient access route to the Outremont and the Plateau. Often, for example, when my wife and I would take our children from Montreal West to Mount Royal to cross-country ski, afterwards we would continue east down to Park Avenue and then on to St. Viateur to pick up the week's supply of bagels. I saw no reason for this closing action, no public desire to make this happen. All the people I have spoken within in my circle and in my Town of Montreal West of acquaimtences are upset by the closing of the avenue of access to Mount Royal. I feel it diminishes the the citya and makes it more exclusive and less accessible. I see it as the caprice of one person. I voted for Mayor Plante; I will certainly not do so again.

Under what conditions would you consider it acceptable to allow through-traffic on the mountain?
-create a safer passage for cyclists and more crossing points for pedestrians (full stops with lights, not just pedestrian crossings) while keeping current road

Under what conditions would you consider it acceptable to ban through-traffic on the mountain?
-I think that this is a terrible idea - the road links the two sides of the city; driving around is impractical and creates unnecessary traffic on already busy roads. It is also a great way for people (tourists especially) with reduced mobility to access the mountain

In your opinion, what would be possible alternatives to removing through-traffic? What would be the conditions for their application?
-install bike lanes along chemin Remembrance/Camilliene-Houde - the real danger is having cyclists and cars sharing such a narrow, winding road
-create turnaround points at Beaver Lake and the Lookout

Parking
With a view to reducing the number of vehicles on the mountain, what do you think of the idea suggested by some participants to make parking lots adjacent to the mountain available to users of the mountain? Either by improving the traffic signals in their vicinity, for example for pedestrians, or by establishing a shuttle linking them to various points of interests or other nearby parking lots?
-I think that parking lots adjacent to the mountain with shuttles is a great idea!

Many participants mentioned on the online consultation platform and during the creative workshops that drivers are still making U-turns around the entrance and exit of the Camillien-Houde lookout. In your opinion, what measures could be implemented to prevent U-turns around the lookout?
-Create a turn-around zone - they are going to do it either way, it should be made safe

Everyone I know has at some time taken a visitor by car over the mountain to show Montréal at its best.

Living in the eastern part of the city, I meet friends coming by car from the western part of the city on the mountain for a walk. Then we often go from the mountain to somewhere else east or west, for lunch. This simple act is no longer possible if the road over the mountain is blocked.

Traversing the mountain by car, with a short stop for a walk, or a sit down, somewhere on the mountain, is beneficial to the psyche. A blessing that gets more important as we all get less mobile with age.

Any number of alternative solutions to reducing rush hour or speeding vehicles are available: reducing the speed limit, photo-radar, or perhaps the most logical is some type of automated toll that increases in cost the more often a vehicle traverses the mountain in a certain time period.

Please keep the road open.

Under no circumstances should the road be closed to normal vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It is clear that the anti-car administration with its number one cheerleader, Mr. Ferandez, denies the reality of 21st century urban life. At every opportunity another measure is announced to make life more difficult for those of us who do not live in the suburbs.
Access to Remembrance road was restricted to allow a tiny minority, the elite cycle racers, to have their training ground.
Typical of this administration's disregard for the democratic process, an overwhelming 4 to 1 opinion poll was ignored when the pilot project was implemented.
The autocracy also had the gall to declare the project a success, again before public opinion was taken into account..
In conclusion, I can only say that I regret that I voted for Mme.. Plante and she will never get my vote again.

The Mountain is a thoroughfare that belongs to all Montrealers and those who hail from Montreal. Not only should we have easy access just to enjoy it but we have all our loved ones buried up there on the mountain and we need to be able to go visit the place where they will rest for eternity. Please do not take this away from us.

I do not think that the road should ever be closed. It should remain open and accessible all year long.

It is essential to be able to access and leave the park from whatever direction you chose and you should not be limited to one. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful place in the middle of our city, why are we trying to make it less accessible? I also believe that ease of access to both cemeteries should be respected.

I currently reside in the Plateau and work downtown - I commute to work via cycling, walking or public transportation. I use my car when I bring my dog and 1 year son to visit my mother, father and sister, who all live in NDG. My experience on the mountain road is that cars are not the only problem. I have been passed by countless cyclists going down Camellien-Houd, I have seen cyclists almost hit pedestrians crossing the street because they aren't stopping at the stop signs, and I rarely ever see cyclists stop, let alone slow down, for the stop signs.

Because of the road closure this summer I visited the park only twice, a record low, which I find so disappointing because sometimes my stops are an afterthought as I'm driving by. And it’s always such a pleasure to enjoy that space spontaneously.

Sharing the road is vital - and responsibility of all parties should be stressed. The two times I made my way up to the mountain, not one cyclist that I witnessed stopped at any of the stop signs, including the new stop sign that was added at the top of Camellien-Houd. I wish I had gotten video footage of this because it was almost comical.

This road should be considered the northern road access to the park, but it's main purpose should not be limited to that. Park avenue is the eastern border access, Pine and Cedar are the southern border access and Cote-des-neiges is the western border access. The ability to drive along this road allows important access to the cemeteries, lookouts, beaver lake and important east and west access.

Montreal is continuously growing and this push to remove cars from an essential east/west road is penalizing people and families for choosing to live downtown. This move will only encourage people to live in the suburbs, which in turn will negatively impact downtown businesses. Remember that it's not always possible or convenient to use public transportation. I have a baby and a dog, and getting on a bus is not something I can simply do (or want to do).

Adding stop signs and proper signage for where cyclists can ride, along with a reduced speed limit between the two parking lots, are all solutions that should be explored first.

I would also like to mention as a side note that the pilot project “structures” that were placed along the road up to the mountain were a real eyesore.

Following the tragic accident and death of a cyclist,
the STATED purpose of closing the Camillien-Houde Way and Remembrance Road (Parkway) was to make the route safer for cyclists.

The STATED purpose had NOTHING to do with a total closing/ban on cars/visitors to the mountain.

I want to see:

1. Sharing the road
Use permanent concrete curbs/barriers to create a safe lane for cyclists. These do not have to be very high: one foot or less.

2. If you have to, then close the Parkway ONLY DURING WEEKDAY RUSH HOURS. On the approaches, have large signs that flash yellow lights when the Parkway is about to be closed. This might be awkward because some young families who must leave the mountain during the rush hours will be trapped, unless you keep open all exit ways from the mountain.

3. Full time access to the Parkway for visitors to the cemetery.

4. Integrity and responsiveness - not bull-headed implementation of hidden agendas - from our Mayor Plante.

I absolutely reject the proposal to ban thru traffic over the mountain, to essentially benefit several hundred cyclists a day. this is an outrage for several reasons. it deprives Montrealers of the beautiful drive over OUR mountain, whether as a quicker way to go west/east or vice/versa. I personally have driven many out of town visitors on a sight-seeing tour which they all universally enjoy. access to the lookouts or the cemetery and beaver lake are super-important! regarding the safety concerns, prompted by the unfortunate accident last fall where a cyclist struck a tourist from the US as he was making an illegal u-turn, a simple solution is a full unbroken median so that manoeuvre would be impossible. gaps for emergency vehicle can be created with a simple barrier gate system, remotely controlled. speed bumps in pedestrian areas can slow all traffic. one more comment: the signs advising that no u-turns are permitted are in French only! the American motorist involved in last year's accident would scarcely understand that advice! to sum up, I find it massively undemocratic to have a municipal party who was NOT ELECTED ON A MANDATE TO CLOSE THE MOUNTAIN, and who is well aware that the petitions involved in this discussion show an almost 5 to 1 opinion against closing the road, is very obviously planning to do this even against public opinion. if this is the end result, it will be a travesty of large proportions which I can assure the mayor will result in her enjoying a single term in that position!

I absolutely reject the proposal to ban thru traffic over the mountain, to essentially benefit several hundred cyclists a day. this is an outrage for several reasons. it deprives Montrealers of the beautiful drive over OUR mountain, whether as a quicker way to go west/east or vice/versa. I personally have driven many out of town visitors on a sight-seeing tour which they all universally enjoy. access to the lookouts or the cemetery and beaver lake are super-important! regarding the safety concerns, prompted by the unfortunate accident last fall where a cyclist struck a tourist from the US as he was making an illegal u-turn, a simple solution is a full unbroken median so that manoeuvre would be impossible. gaps for emergency vehicle can be created with a simple barrier gate system, remotely controlled. speed bumps in pedestrian areas can slow all traffic. one more comment: the signs advising that no u-turns are permitted are in French only! the American motorist involved in last year's accident would scarcely understand that advice! to sum up, I find it massively undemocratic to have a municipal party who was NOT ELECTED ON A MANDATE TO CLOSE THE MOUNTAIN, and who is well aware that the petitions involved in this discussion show an almost 5 to 1 opinion against closing the road, is very obviously planning to do this even against public opinion. if this is the end result, it will be a travesty of large proportions which I can assure the mayor will result in her enjoying a single term in that position!

Make proper bike and walking paths on the mountain that are safe and beautiful esthetically and CONTINUE TO LET PEOPLE DRIVE THROUGH AT A REDUCED SPEED - WE LOVE TO USE OUR MOUNTAIN AND SHOW IT OFF!

over †he mountain is an essential thoroughfare for automobiles.
cyclistes should be protected by solid barriers on their own lanes.
cyclistes should obey speed limits and traffic sighns

I think that a physical barrier should be installed to prevent u-turns where necessary.
I think cyclists should respect their limitations on the road.
I think everyone should be allowed to crossover the mountain in all seasons!
The mountain is not only for cyclists but for the elderly and the less mobile. I drive over the mountain for the view and the inspiration Nature gives me.

I am completely against the closing to through traffic. It is a hysterical overreaction to a problem that can be solved in other ways. It causes hardship to those with reduced mobility and needless inconvenience to everyone except elite athletes. Motorists are citizens, pay taxes, and have rights as well, and closing the road should be a last resort AFTER studying all of the alternatives. It should definitely NOT be done on a whim by an anti-car fanatic without regard to what anyone else thinks. There have been cars traversing Mount Royal for many decades and it has not destroyed the park. This is the opposite of democracy.

I would keep the Mount Royal road open all year. If U-turns are an issue, a divider all along the route would stop cars from making U-turns.
I would like to see more trees planted on the mountain.

The closure of the mountain actually leads to MORE POLLUTION because cars would take a much longer route (therefore burning more fuel) to get from one side of the city to another.
Taking a more roundabout way leads to a MUCH LONGER driving time to arrive at a destination; causing MORE CARS to be on Montreal roads at any given time.

The recent bicycle accident on the mountain road precipitated the temporary closure of this artery to through traffic. While this accident was indeed tragic, there have been very few instances over the years when this type of tragedy has occurred on this road. Since there are numerous important arteries in downtown Montreal where serious accidents occur on a regular basis, should we be closing these arteries as well? Perhaps we should take an example from New York City, which has far more automobiles and continues to allow uninterrupted traffic to flow through Central Park between the east and west entries to the park?

Much can be said for maintaining through traffic on Camillien Houde/Rembrance Rd. It serves both as a valuable connection between communities to the east and west of Mt. Royal, as well as an access to Mt. Royal Park. In addition, it provides a wonderful opportunity for tourists to experience the beauty of our entire City while passing over the mountain. During the recent temporary closure of this artery, the majority of automobiles using this east-west route were obliged to travel to their destinations via the already-saturated downtown area.

If we are concerned about safety, our suggestion is to post clear, bilingual signs and pictograms. As well, the placement of a continuous barrier along the route, except for emergency vehicle openings, will prevent U-turns. The strategic placement – at these openings - of well-identified, motion-activated cameras to photograph traffic offenders would be a major deterrent. A barrier-protected bicycle path (possibly with 2-way bike traffic) would be a highly preventive measure against accidents.

Please keep this jewel in Montreal’s crown accessible.

I am very much against the closure of the Camillien-Houde Way to cars during the summer time or at ANY OTHER TIME. Many bikers in my family and according to them if there is one road with wide enough shoulders for cars and bikers together this is the one. I was saddened for the boy that got hit by the car on that road but that is no reason to make everybody's life miserable as to environmental concerns you surely have bigger fish to fry. The closure of the mountain took away one of the biggest pleasures that this city offers,seeing how long,hard and difficult our winters are let us little citizens enjoy one incredible pleasure in the summer.