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

Access to traffic must be available at all time. last year there were 36000 responses to keeping access open. There were only 8300 responses that were against. As elected officials you must listen to your fellow montrealers. the mountain is for everybody. not just for elected people who are not listening to the population.
keep access open

I cannot walk more than two blocks without severe pain. Normally, when I have visitors from out of town, I drive them up to the lookout. This year, that was impossible, and unwelcoming to non-Montrealers.

I also gave up trying to shop on the eastern side of the mountain, since most access roads were either under construction or blocked by traffic.

When I used to be able to walk, and enjoyed the mountain, the most dangerous vehicles were the bicycles careening down the east side , which is steeper than the west side, and they were usually going faster than the cars. I always downshift to avoid riding the brakes when descending the east side to stay at the speed limit and successfully manage the turns.

Incidentally, in the past three years of driving around the city, I have only seen three bikes which were not Bixis which had all the necessary lights, and often going the wrong way on one-way streets. I only saw two bikes who stopped at traffic lights, and only one who knew his hand signals. Most cyclists are a menace to pedestrians - I, and several of my friends at various times have been run down by cyclists not obeying the rules of the road or riding on sidewalks, even where there is a bike lane.

I don't agree with the administration's unilateral decision to have closed the road across Mount Royal to cars. As a frequent user of Mount Royal as a pedestrian I do not find that automobile traffic detracts from my experience. On the other hand I do find it far more dangerous to face the many cyclists who not only bike too fast and often have no regard for what paths should be used only by pedestrians. I f you want to limit automobiles you should also consider designing the routes to ensure that cyclists also respect the security of pedestrians.

More parking areas at the perimeter of the mountain would reduce the traffic. There should be an increase the number of buses and shuttle buses to facilitate access by families with young children, the elderly etc.

I am completely in favour of the proposals put forward by Heritage Montreal. The proposals put forward by Les Amis de la Montagne also deserve serious consideration.

I truly believe closing off Ch. Camilien Houde was a terrible idea that accomplished nothing and impeded the enjoyment of the mountain by numerous people. This especially applies to large families and people with reduced mobility who have great difficulty now finding parking space in the parking lots that are now severed from one another.

I truly object to the fact that the city never consulted the population before blocking the road. That's completely undemocratic and makes a sham of consulting the population only after the blockage was enacted.

Montreal governments have a tendency to espouse democracy and consultation when they are running for election, then turn into autocrats once elected, and act as if only they know what is good for the city.

There is nothing ecologically advantageous to blocking the mountain road. In fact it is ecologically disadvantageous if a motorist cannot find a parking space in one lot and must travel around the mountain, spending more time driving, to access a lot from an opposite direction. And it is just as unsafe for elite cyclists as before.

Please do not block this road again and show some consideration for the many people, abled and disabled, who rely on the mountain for respite and recreation.

Under NO CONDITIONS should full automobile access to the Park Road be blocked. It was Olmsted’s purpose that the park be open to all non commercial transportation. This today includes recreational vehicles. The through road should be maintained with enforcement of speed limits and modifications where necessary to protect pedestrians. Speed limits for all vehicles including bicycles can be enforced- speed cameras should be used for automobiles. It is vital to maintain full automobile access, especially important for seniors who otherwise will not have access as a practical matter. Blockage of this route is neither necessary nor wise.

I think blocking private-vehicle through-traffic from Camillien-Houde Way and Remembrance Road is terrible. I used that road so often to get the Notre Dame Cemetery to visit my sister buried there. Now I have to go all the way around. It's the same if I want to get to Beaver Lake I can't go directly from my house on the plateau anymore. I make big detours to get to Cote des Neiges. It was also a scenic drive I would always take guests from out-of-town.

To solve the problem I would put a proper asphalt median up between the lanes when leaving the look-out so that cars cannot turn left. But blocking traffic altogether is silly, unproductive and cruel.

Sincerely,
Nadine Neemeh

I don't remember the last time I drove over the mountain, but I'm pretty sure is was while driving around with someone from out of town, giving them a tour of the city. Our daughters are older now, so they no longer get excited about skating on Beaver Lake or having a chance encounter with a horsie carrying a member of the security personnel.
The thought of families with young children having their access to the mountain restricted, or that Montrealers would no longer be able to take visitors through one of the most scenic areas of the city disturbs me greatly. Especially if this is being done to provide cyclists with a fabulous training area.
The mountain should remain open to automobiles, and the opposition party seems to have offered some interesting suggestion to help moderate the flow of traffic.

I think through traffic should be allowed so citizens can drive through it because it is very scenic and promotes healthy living. It seems like an unnecessary closure because there will still be cars in this area anyway.

The road over the mountain is a glorious way to see out city and visit "the country" at the same time.

Is there a person who has visited Montreal who has not been driven this way to see both our wondrous mountain and an exceptional view of of our city?

I take this route twice a week or so and it never fails to bring me joy. I even drive over with my 94 year old mother with bad eyesight and she is delighted just by the memory of the road to the mountain where she and my father brought the family for most summer Sundays of our childhood.

Slowing down or limiting traffic is fine with me but please do not close this access. Almost no one is an exceptional cyclist who can climb Camilien-Houde or Remembrance road to enjoy the mountain.

Personally, I cycle the Chemin Olmsted frequently and consider myself a lover of our mountain. I hope we will not make access to it more difficult.

Thank you

Please keep Camillion-Houde open to cars. I think the closure was a big failure and caused many hassles with no benefit.
If you want to protect bikers - speed limit 40h/hr with photo radar for enforcement.
Thank you.

I believe that the pilot project was a success, though a partial one, in that the lack of any permanent redesign of Camillien-Houde limited Montrealers' ability to perceive the full potential of transforming the current road from a quasi-highway into a true "park road." Such a road would be one where pedestrians, cyclists and electric public transit (hence quieter and cleaner) would clearly predominate, where the wide expanses of asphalt would make way for a narrower, tree-lined path that is in harmony with the park rather than slicing through it, and where clean air and tranquility would reign.

I wish to make several points in response to the arguments that I hear coming from opponents of the pilot project. All seek to highlight the nature of opponents' arguments as being fundamentally individualistic (when not explicitly selfish), anti-social, and empirically harmful to the collective good.

- There is by nature a direct conflict between the efficiency of motorist traffic and the efficiency of public transit, as the resulting congestion prevents buses (or an eventual shuttle or tramway) from passing through. A reserved transit lane to remedy this would only serve to bifurcate the park further. As a society, we need to choose, and it is essential given the imperatives of climate change and Montreal's international commitments to prioritize public and active transit. This means accepting the tradeoffs required, even if they cause short-term pain for those with less sustainable habits.

– There is equally a direct conflict between ensuring the free-flow of car traffic on one side (individualistic wants), and ensuring less noise and air pollution for everyone who frequents the park on the other side (collective goods). Restricting car access also allows us to open those spaces for collective activities and usages, such as the lookouts and terrasses installed during the pilot project. To restore car access would amount to prioritizing the individual over the collective, once again.

– As a society, we should always be focused on protecting the vulnerable first. Bringing our policies in line with Vision Zero and Quebec's newly reformed Highway Code thus require us to prioritize pedestrians first, then cyclists, far before cars.

- Quebec is failing to reduce its emissions, with our society's car addiction the principal challenge. It is imperative, therefore, that we shift paradigms and begin to challenge car predominance. Public and active transit must become the PREFERRED means of reaching the park, and the preferred means of travelling through the city. The city must increase transit access through the mountain, perhaps with an electric shuttle, for example. But at the end of the day, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs, goes the saying, and there may well be short-term pain for some while people begin to adapt their habits.

– In sum, the overriding social imperative is to send a strong message to motorists that cars are no longer king: that driving is a destructive privilege, which comes with enormous costs to society, the environment, and plant and animal species destroyed by climate change. The community has the right and responsibility to limit their use in order to encourage public and active transit, improve public health, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, protect the vulnerable, and embellish an oasis from urban life so as to improve the quality of life in our cities and thereby lure families back from the suburbs.

It's time we as a society stopped pretending that we could tackle climate change without ruffling any feathers. The common good must prevail, or humanity will not.

Vote to allow cars on Mt Royal without restrictions.
We visit the cemetery and want easy access from NDG.

I believe that through traffic should be permitted on Mt. Royal. Speed limits should be strictly enforced with speed bumps and photo radar, with hefty fines. The road should be closed for special events only.

Created over a century ago to allow citizens to access nature, Mount Royal belongs to all Montrealers. For decades, I have enjoyed it: watching my children participate in school runs, walking my dog, visiting the lookout, skating, and cross-country skiing. I have family members buried in both Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and Mount Royal cemeteries.

I think it is wrong to ban through-traffic on the mountain. A very tragic accident was the catalyst for this decision. This accident was unfortunate and I sympathize with family and everyone involved. A number of items could have contributed to this accident: a tourist making a U-turn who may not have understood the “demi-tour interdit” sign (signage has since increased) or perhaps the speed of the bicycle. Proper signage and enforcing speed limits for all would improve safety and reduce the chance of accidents.

With the temporary closure, it was impossible to access the lookout from the western part of the city, and difficult to go to Smith House. Access to Mount Royal Cemetery was complicated. Similarly, those from the east who wanted to go to Beaver Lake or Notre-Dame-des-Neiges had a longer route. Without doubt, some people decided not to visit because of this, effectively reducing their ability to access the mountain.

Cycling the mountain is strenuous and outside the abilities of most Montreal cyclists. Closing the access roads has given elite cyclists the priority over the general public who simply want to enjoy the mountain. Mount Royal should be easily accessible to all citizens.

Getting from Atwater to the Plateau was outrageous this summer. Dr penfield was jammed or closed and all traffic forced to Sherbrooke. When the mountain had a road going in either direction it was amazingly fast to commute. Then it was reduced to a single lane where buses can't pull over. Was that supposed to increase traffic and make people avoid the mountain. This city's urban planning is backwards. You had a good thing and then slowly ruin it. You can't take away one of the only ways of efficiently moving from one end of the city to another without creating a solution. When it was 2 lanes on top of the mountain I rarely experienced traffic. Then it became jammed on the weekends when it was reduced to one lane. It's liked you tried to fix something that wasn't broken, made it worse and then shut the whole thing down because of the mess you made. Who makes these decisions?

Open the road as it was over the mountain to both cars and bicycles. Place safe concrete barriers between the cars and bike lanes. Widen the road where possible. Lower speed limit but allow automobile access! I often took the route to go to the montreal Jewish hospital and many appointments on cote des neiges. Do not allow space for a uturn at the lookout. Block the way from the opposite side. Allow only entering and exiting on the side of the lookout. Absolutely no shuttles from adjacent parking lots idea. Waste of money.

The mountain has been an integral part of my life in Montreal for 79 years.



I strongly believe that a through road needs to exist, albeit redesigned as a scenic route, with lower speed limits.

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Experts with vision, such as Dinu Bumbaru, should be consulted . We need to put a program in place that will protect and sustain our mountain vegetation long term..

Ohe park is for the benefit of citizens and visitors, and it shouldn't be made more difficult to access.




Thank you, .

Keep the road open. It is integral to this city and gives clear access to all

Keep road as it was.
Improve bike, pedestrian and car safety!!
ENFORCE speed limit for both cars and BICYCLES!
Parking shuttle is a very impractical idea.
Absolutely no U-turns allowed. find a way to make that impossible.
Create a safe and secure path for bicycles, preferably separated.
The lawlessness and disregard for traffic rules it a big problem with Montreal bikers.

BTW, I am an avid biker !!

I feel that through traffic should be allowed on the mountain, however, a speed limit of around 35 km/hr should be enforced so that commuters would be less likely to use it. Perhaps install cameras and have substantial penalties/fines to prevent people from speeding.

If possible have separate lanes for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
Provide free handicapped parking and cheaper parking for electric (less polluting) vehicles.

Make the signs clearer. Visitors to Montreal often don't know how to access the mountain This summer in particular many parties from the USA and other provinces asked me how they could get to the lookout.

Provide more frequent/better public transportation for those without cars.

I definitely want through-traffic on the mountain and feel a shuttle bus to take tourists from parking areas in Old Montreal and major hotels would reduce overall traffic making it safer for pedestrians and bicycles.

I have found driving over the mountain as spiritually refreshing as walking into a down town church for a moment of peace. Please do not take this away from me.

The change of scenery from the concrete lined streets, and the elevated perspective is a mini-vacation which I have found so regenerative.

I think equitable access for all people to drive over the mountain is the correct manner to serve the public best interest. I would like to see better traffic speed management (speed camera's, strategic obstacles, speed bumps) as first steps to public space management. The ban was stupid.

I think it’s a good idea to allow cars to access the road over the mountain because it is very difficult to get to the top of the mountain when he road is closed.

The idea that through traffic degrades the quality of the park is untrue. The park is not divided by the roadway; the park is on one side and cemeteries are on the other. Much of the road is in a cut that effectively reduces traffic noise.

The death of a cyclist at the hands of a driver making an illegal U-turn could have been prevented by dividing the roadway with continuous Jersey barriers from the mountain parking lots to the Mount Royal Ave. exit. In addition, signs should be placed on both sides of the roadway at the Camilien Houde outlook parking advising motorists of the distance to an available U-turn (at the parking lots and at a location near Mount Royal Ave. (which would be the only new construction required). Free access to all should not be impeded by artificially blocking the roadway. People, including tourists, make wrong turns. Failing to tell them how to get to where they want to degrades the appeal of the mountain.

Reducing car access will not work; just ask anyone who wants to take a large picnic hamper to the mountain or to transport several children and a couple of toboggans, or someone with limited mobility how they would travel by bus: it is not possible.