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

I am very much opposed to blocking the road over the mountain for several reasons. First, it will not help keep cyclists safe in the future. It is unfortunate that a cyclist was hit by a car, but speeding down a steep incline on a bicycle will always be dangerous. Drivers need to be cautious about sharing the road, whether they are just going to the summit or crossing the mountain.

We live in Montreal West and do not cross the mountain often. Perhaps twice a year we visit friends in Mile End. Recently, we took Cote Ste. Catherine Road, which was very fast on a Sunday afternoon, but it angered me that we did not have the option to take the scenic route over the mountain.

Several years ago, a cousin from New Zealand came to visit and I took her to see the view from the lookout on Mount Royal. It was fun and she was very impressed. I could not have done that if the road had been closed because she is not very mobile. She could walk to the lookout from the parking lot near Smith House, but not from Beaver Lake, and it would have taken too long to go all the way around the base of the mountain to get to the Smith House parking lot.
Finally, many of my family members are buried in Mount Royal Cemetery and I expect to end up there some day. The road over the mountain is the easiest way to get there from the western part of the island.

It makes no sense to block the fastest route from one part of the city to the other, and the route with the fewest traffic lights. Blocking that road just puts more traffic on Cote Ste. Catherine and Sherbrooke Street, and causes more pollution from traffic delays.

I am very concerned about the environment, and worried about the future for our children and grandchildren, but until electric cars become more mainstream, I don’t think that complicating access to a beautiful park on the mountain – one of the jewels of the city – is going to make any difference. Building more nature parks in other parts of the city (Meadowbrook, the new Turcot park, the Falaise St-Jacques,) would take the pressure off Mount Royal Park, and the road over the mountain.

The roadway across the mountain has been free of fatal accidents since it's inception as far as I know . . until young Clément Ouimet’s bicycle struck the rear door of a unilingual American driver's SUV - that he struck the REAR door and died is proof that the young racing team member was travelling way too fast.

However the driver of the SUV probably wouldn't have tried to make the U-Turn in the first place if there'd been the typical graphic no-U-turn sign rather than the non-standard, textual French 'no u-turn' signage that was the sole indicator in place at the time.

COUPLE THIS WITH the fact that the young bicycle race team member was speeding at rates well beyond his ability to react to his environment happened along just as this happened.

Bicyclists do not pay for roads in the way that motor vehicle owners and drivers do and they comprise a tiny fraction of the public - I do not believe that the public, which comprises the majority of the population should be inconvenienced by the tiny minority. And half the year there are pathetically few cyclists on the road by comparison with the numbers in the summer months.

The argument that the roadway splits the park in as I've heard half is patently false - while there is some park on the 'north' side of the roadway almost no one ever goes there. For all intents and purposes the park is South of the road.

Traffic shunted from this roadway would, by definition be forced to use residential streets to get around the mountain - it is a very important artery for car drivers needing to get from Park Avenue to Westmount.

The road was ALWAYS intended by the designers of the park to be used by the public as a through road.

Any argument that this is a move to make it safer (or greener) is completely obviated by the fact that busses, which are a LOT less efficient than automobiles when you factor their AVERAGE load with the fuel consumption (you don't only run busses filled to capacity and they need to be run all day, even when empty) nor the fact that a speeding cyclist could just as easily collide with a bus - in fact MORE easily, given it's size.

If anyone should be excluded form the public roadway, it should be cyclists who take significant risks and require no formal training.

If the intent is to protect cyclists, then allow both motor vehicle and cyclists, but install a curb to provide a separate a bicycle lane from the roadway - put that on the north (westbound) side of the road so that tourists wouldn't need to cross the bicycle lane to get to the various parking lots.

If the intent is to prevent illegal u-turns, install a barrier between the east and westbound traffic lanes.

But do NOT exclude passenger vehicles from the Camillien Houde Way.

The road should NOT be closed to through-traffic for cars.
The recent problems on the road are primarily a result of congestion, due to construction
on roads surrounding the mountain, and cyclist who have appropriated it as their training track.
The knee-jerk reaction to close the road, because of a cyclist’s accidental death, is inappropriate
and unfairly punishes all Montrealers for the mistakes of a few careless individuals.
The fact that the cemetery has banned cyclists from their property, speaks volumes about a problem
on the mountain, and the problem is NOT through-traffic or cars.
The simplest solution would be ‘Jersey’ barriers down the center of the road to prevent U-turns,
and bike lanes for cyclists . . . that is, bike lanes, not a cycling track for a select few, to use for
high-speed road-race training.

Please re open the access to Mount Royal. I would often head to the mountain for a walk to enjoy some time in nature and to visit the cemetery. My friends and I did not go once this summer because of the closures.

We also had out of town guests in twice this summer and the lookout was always a must do for us. The view of Montreal from the top is spectacular but one that we did not share with our visitors this summer.

Yes it is sad that a cyclist was killed on that road. Accidents happen all the time and we are not stopping air travel or closing major highways. Let the people of Montreal get back to enjoying Mount Royal and easy access to the cemetery.

Keep it open!!!

Completely open!!!

Last Saturday it took me 2 full hours to get from St. Henri to St. Laurent/St. Joseph !!! 2 hours!!! Rene levesque was not moving at all.

It takes 25 minutes over the mountain.

We are a major urban centre, not a training facility for bicyclists. We need the mountain road OPEN.

It took generations to unite east and west Montreal -- traffic will separate them again. Keep it OPEN!!!

I visit Montreal’s Mont Royal Park almost everyday of the year, and it is usually at the early hour of 6:00am. I live along the Cote-des-Neiges not far from Remembrance Rd. My favorite walk in the park is from Maison Smith to the Mount Royal Chalet and then the full Olmstead Trail circle walk that passes by Mt. Royal Cross and circles back to Maison Smith. This is my favorite walk because I feel as if I am walking through the woods, and I can loose myself for a short period to time. It is the perfect respite to my otherwise busy city life. I just turned 70 years old this year and in the last few years I have been driving from my home to the Maison Smith parking lot where I begin and end my morning walks. Of course, my driving to the Maison Smith parking lot came to an end on June 2nd. For the past five months my walks in Mont Royal Park have been limited to the area around Beaver Lake, as I am no longer able to walk the added distance from the Beaver Lake parking lot to Maison Smith and back, in addition to the Olmstead Trail Circle. I guess my age has caught up with me. Yesterday, with the reopening of Camillien-Houde Way, I once again drove to the Maison Smith parking lot and resumed my favorite morning walk. I was absolutely thrilled and so was my dog, Frankie.

Frederick Olmsted, who designed the park, wanted it to be assessable to all Montrealers young and old, rich and poor. Let’s keep it that way… and making allowances for the elderly and infirm should be as important as making allowances for bicyclists.

And for the record, Camillien-Houde Way does not cut through the middle of Mont Royal Park. It is the dividing line that runs along the Park’s northern edge and the Cemeteries southern edge, and it affords access to both.

Open the road from one side of the mountain to the other. Mount Royal belongs to all the citizens of Montreal and it should be accessible to all.

I believe that the mountain road should be opened all year. There is never very much traffic through this area. I do not believe that a whole city should be punished for one very unfortunate accident. Perhaps some kind of barrier could be installed so that a U turn would not be possible. Closing the road at the same time as having so much of Montreal’s streets under construction is simply counter intuitive.
For many years cyclists and cars have shared the road without any problems. There will always be someone not abiding the traffic laws. Perhaps more police coverage is in need.

The mountain access road should accessible to cars. Closing it will only create more traffic on the other roads that surround the mountain.

Sherbrooke, Decelles, Dr. Penfield access will become too congested .

When the mountain road was closed this summer, it took me an average of 15 minutes extra to get home to Park Extension from downtown by car. That's about 45-50 minutes in total. 15 minutes, times the thousands of cars that would use that road, and you can imagine the environmental consequences, not to mention lost time, extra fuel costs, and frustration added to Montreal motorists who are already frustrated, and will be for many years to come.

The city has a mountain in the middle of it, and the roads around it are limited in speed, and lanes...Decelles, for example, is only one lane wide, and had to handle all the traffic detoured from the mountain. The only logical choice is to cross the mountain, not go around it. The road is there, lets use it.

We need the road that crosses the mountain, not just to save time and money, but for those with limited mobility, or large families and groups, that can't use public transit. Access to the cemetery was limited by the closure, and the cyclists that actually can get up the mountain are only the elite and most fit...the mountain is for everyone, not just the strongest and fittest.

Also, the city should reopen the two lanes that were closed a few years ago. Back then, the traffic flowed smoothly, and when buses stopped, they didn't block an entire lane of traffic, such as is the case now.

I spend many hours up on Mount Royal...once you're in the park, you can't even hear the traffic go by. It's not made better by closing the road, only more inaccessible to more people.

To sum up: Open up the road, there will be more access for everyone, less pollution, less stress, and many more happy people.

Thank you for your time.

I am an habitué of Mount Royal Park as a pedestrian, hiker, cyclist and motorist. The closure of the east/west and west/east accesses over the mountain this summer did not afford many of us any advantages. When showing off Beaver Lake to tourists with limited mobility, a herculean effort was required to showcase the wonderful belvedere on the other side. The cyclists still bomb down Camillien-Houde Way at breakneck speeds....nothing has changed. You may want to consider keeping the artery open on weekdays and restricting the "crossover" on say a couple of weekends per month. This new paradigm could then be tweaked based on user input. Cyclists must realize that the mountain cannot be used as a training ground...it is not a controlled atmosphere. If the speed limits were to be enforced by a plethora of police officers lining the descent, some elite cyclists, I suspect, would not be smiling. When the culture of respecting the speed limits has been instilled and firmly implanted, only then will cyclists, motorists and pedestrians be able to live in harmony.

I am nearly 70 years old and walk through the park in the morning every single day of my life.
Restricting access to some of the parking by cutting the park in half has posed a real inconvenience
and hardship for me. The road does not actually cut through the park, but skirts the park and cemetery.
I hear no noise from cars while walking, but do hear the hum of the city itself from many locations in
the park. The closing has also been a major inconvenience for me when I want to reach the other side
of the city and causes a real waste of gas, creating more pollution. The closing is an ill-conceived
idea and seems to be for the pleasure of a handful of fit, male summer cyclists. This horrible plan
should be completely forgotten in the future. A separate bike path along Camilien-Houde should
instead be considered.

I have lived in Montreal for 57 years. Any time that I have a visitor in town, the first thing to show is the beautiful drive and view over the mountain.
To close this road is a travesty to the citizens of Montreal. The argument that it is not safe for bicycle riders is absurd.
If we use that argument, then no bicycles should be allowed on roads where there are far more accidents! Please don’t take away one of the most iconic and beautiful things about living in Montreal. Not everyone is a biker, walker, skier, snowshoer or skater. The mountain must be accessible to all including drivers.

Please keep it open to cars 12 months a year.

Increase security if necessary.

Let tourists enjoy the view.

Infractions are given to motorists if they deserve it, but almost never to cyclists and so many need to be reminded of the rules.

Please keep the road open to cars, using traffic reduction methods if necessary. It is an important roadway for residents and tourists.

The Camillien-Houde Way/Remembrance Rd. Thoroughfare should remain open all year long to motorists wishing to cross the mountain or simply to access it. Young families and seniors cannot ride bicycles to the mountain!!! They need a car to access the mountain!! Bicyclists
Should pay for a license and stay on bicycle paths.

I believe that you should leave the mountain open to cars. I have often seen cars and bicycles break the law, make it safer for both,. Put up a median so there will be no u turns and make the bike path larger. And Perhaps have more security on the mountain.

You are restricting access to many people, eg: elderly , infirmed, there are some people who cannot get on a bus for whatever reason and would like access by car to get over the mountain to see the scenery and to get to the east side of the city,

Christine Marlow

As a resident of the Mile End, I found that the closure of Camilien Houde this summer was a great loss.
Closing this cross city route to cars is another step backwards for Montreal. Rather than be progressive and improve traffic flow, the solution proposed simply stunts circulation in Montreal. Rather than spend money to add a lane for bicycle traffic, you steal a lane from automobiles. The traffic flow over the mountain is not the problem, the problem is the city lack of planning to ADD AND IMPROVE the situation for ALL Montrealers. Quit pandering to bicycles and treat all Montrealers as equals. Acts such as closing cross mountain traffic will only augment the animosity that automobilists already feel for cyclists. Recognize that both are valid and real modes of transit for urban Montrealers and plan for it accordingly.
Additionally, this summer, when I went to the mountain with my family, the divide between east and west, English and French, was distinctly felt up on the mountain. In previous years, free flow of traffic allowed people form the west to easily access all parts of the mountain for bbqs and picnicking. This year, they clearly stayed only on the west side, once again underlining the great divide that exists in this province - French- English, East-West. Shameful that our municipal government should act to reinforce such barriers.
Open Camilien Houde and the cross mountain road to through traffic and plan infrastructure projects to IMPROVE the situation for all Montrealers, not by giving drivers a kick in the pants.

PS This webpage is very badly done - the two statements below, required to be ticked off for submission of my comment, are only in English. What the heck are you guys doing?

Je reconnais que je suis responsable du contenu de ce texte et que si ce dernier contient des extraits d'oeuvre ou des illustrations protégés par le droit d'auteur sans autorisation, l'Office de consultation publique de Montréal ne pourra être tenue responsable du litige.
Publication *
J'autorise par la présente la publication de ce texte sur le site de l'Office de consultation publique de Montréal.

With the persistent congestion of Sherbrooke and Docteur Penfield, the Mountain is a key road to cross the city.
Closing the Mountain will create traffic and will not accomplish the stated goals of protecting pedestrians and cyclists. The roadway and shoulders are for the most part unprotected.
A more practical solution would be to protect the shoulders with plastic bollards as well as placing them between the opposing lanes of traffic to prevent U-turns, but still allow for emergency vehicles. Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps can reduce the speed of traffic while allowing access for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

I agree with the proposals of Les Amis de la Montagne. These should be the guiding principles. Keep Camillien Houde open to all (cars, bicycles, buses) but turn it into a scenic route with lower speed limits, etc. If their idea of reducing the size of the parking lot on top of the mountain is accepted, then it should go hand in hand with parking by the old Royal Vic with frequent shuttle service from that parking lot to Smith House and Beaver Lake. But for those of us who want to head up to Smith House for a quick cross-country ski, the parking lot at Smith House is essential. And for those of us who have brought our young children--starting at age 4--for Les Amis de la Montagne's wonderful cross country ski lessons, being able to park is also crucial. It is hard enough to get a four-year-old with all his or her equipment to the Beaver Lake Pavilion on a cold winter morning. And for those who are not able to walk all the way up to Smith House to enjoy their lovely restaurant and terrace, parking is essential.
For those who want to walk or bicycle on the mountain, Chemin Olmsted is the obvious choice, not Camillien-Houde. Only "jocks" (including elite cyclists who use it as a training course for races which it should not be) want to, are able to, bike up Camillien-Houde. Why would anyone want to walk up Camillen-Houde when Chemin Olmsted offers such a beautiful winding pathway at a reasonable grade, with the wonderful network of paths off of it? Chemin Olmstead is the path designed by Olmsted for ordinary people to enjoy the mountain. Why is the City of Montreal trying to lure walkers and bicyclers away from Chemin Olmsted onto Camillien Houde?
The floating cafe and other new, although temporary, structures set up by the city this summer have no place on the mountain. They are against the spirit of the park which is to bring people close to nature, which is what the city claims it is respecting by closing Camillien Houde. Les Amis already run a lovely eating spot in a discreet location. Why did the city set up man-made structures at other spots which should be left alone?
Last summer, the day before Camillien-Houde was closed, I brought my 85-year-old cousin and her granddaughter up to show them the mountain. We parked by Smith House. My cousin could not walk out to the chalet for the view of the city, so she and I enjoyed tea on the terrace at Smith House while her granddaughter walked out to the chalet. Then I drove them to Beaver Lake and then up to Summit Circle. This is our tour of the mountain for guests--what a shame that this was taken away from us all summer.
My husband and I often choose to take the mountain route home from a movie night at Atwater. We live two blocks east of the mountain. We never cease to be thrilled to come around the corner to the belvedere and see the lights of the whole city below us. How we missed that last summer.
The City of Montreal's closure has made the mountain less accessible to the very people that it was designed for--ordinary people who might otherwise not have access to nature--for the sake of a handful of elite cyclers. It has become more difficult for multi-generational families, people with mobility issues, and others to access the mountain.

I miss being able to enjoy part of my MONTREAL. Please leave it open year round.

I am firmly against the closing of the Camilien Houde Parkway/Remembrance Road in any manner for any length if time. It should be left open year round for use by the Montreal public

I think that through-traffic should be allowed at all times. Speed mitigation (speed bumps, stop signs, traffic lights,...) should be used to slow traffic. This would also likely diminish volume as those who use the road to get somewhere quickly would think twice if it wasn't a quick route anymore. This would allow Montrealers who like the more leisurely aspects of driving over the Mountain the ability to do so.

Firstly and most importantly is my access to the entrance to the Mount Royal Cemetary. I live in the west island and my mother, grandmother, grandfather, aunt and uncle are buried there. I go there to plant flowers, clean weeds and water so I am carrying watering cans, plants and gardening tools. Parking across the road cost money and is to far to hike to the grave sites with all the above. After all, I am a senior citizen.
Secondly, you just have to put concrete barriers along the road to separate the cars from the cyclists or just put the barriers in the middle so no one can make U-turns. We have so many left over from the e-race. It would not cost much. You should not change the world because of an accident. Maybe when a pedestrian is hit crossing a street, we should close the street. What about trucks hitting people or bikes on roads, just ban trucks all together. You cannot punish a lot of people for a few people. There is better ways to secure safety on our roads without closing them.
Why are there so many questions above? Do you want me to do your job for you? Do you expect us, the citizens, to come up with ideas for you? We can, and then we can run against you since we are more capable than you are. Enough already. Try doing surveys or having consultations and open forum meetings BEFORE you make your decisions. You are treating us like children who don't know any better. You have to just do what you want and we will just get use to it. I use to do this to my children. "I know what's better for you" attitude.
Thank you for the opportunity of voicing my opinion.

I cannot fathom how you would deny access to 80% of the population willing to use it, to accomodate a miniscule group of bikers and "other". Where is your conscience? How does this make sense?