New road safety measures in Ville-Marie
The public space and the cycle path linking rue de Rouen between rue Gascon and rue du Havre are very popular with the local population. This section was once a street open to car traffic.
As of the end of the 2023 school year, the Borough of Ville-Marie will put in place new road safety measures with the aim of reducing car traffic. This redevelopment plan includes the closure of certain streets for their conversion into pedestrian spaces, the change of direction or the one-way direction of five streets in the borough as well as the installation of 110 new speed bumps to slow down cars .
“We have seen, in recent months, a major upsurge in road collisions on our territory, immediately states the person in charge of transport and mobility on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Sophie Mauzerolle. We all remember the tragic death of little Maria last December, and we want to speed up the deployment of road safety measures as requested by the local population. The measures announced today are temporary, but we want to consult with citizens to make them permanent arrangements.”
Limit road traffic
Among the streets that will be affected by these changes, rue Larivière, between rue De Lorimier and rue Parthenais on the edge of Parc des Royals, will be closed to automobile traffic due to the dangers caused by the heavy traffic on De Lorimier. Parc Médéric-Martin has served as an example for the redevelopment of this street because of its success with the local population.
We chose Parc Médéric-Martin in Centre-Sud for today’s announcement because it’s a project close to our hearts. Formerly divided into two parts, it is now connected by a much appreciated public and cycling space. We are going to do the same thing for the Parc des Royals by closing the street to traffic, which complicates the road safety measures in this sector deemed unsafe for pedestrians.
Sophie Mauzerolle, responsible for transport and mobility on the executive committee of the City of Montreal
Executive committee advisors Robert Beaudry and Sophie Mauzerolle presented the new road safety measures in Ville-Marie at Parc Médéric-Martin, in Centre-Sud. Photo: David Beauchamp, Metro
Eight other streets are affected by these measures, including Ottawa Street, between Queen and Prince Streets, and Sussex Street, between Hope Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard. These will be closed to traffic this summer to avoid too abrupt impacts in the daily lives of motorists.
In addition to the closure of Larivière Street, there are several changes in street direction or one-way transformations. This is the case for Fullum streets north between Ontario and Sherbrooke, Parthenais north between Rouen and Sherbrooke, Rouen east between Fullum and D’Iberville, Peel north between René-Lévesque and Sherbrooke , as well as Hope and Sussex to the south between René-Lévesque and Tupper.
A new approach
“We brought this culture of security to Ville-Marie when our administration arrived in place and there, we are taking the next step, supports the head of urban planning, citizen participation and democracy on the executive committee, Robert Beaudry. The reality of Ville-Marie is multiple: it’s a residential area, transit and very popular with tourists, and that’s one of the reasons why we will put speed bumps in priority places where there are traffic, such as near schools or community centres.”
This “new culture” with regard to security measures will also involve the redevelopment of streets: sidewalks will be widened and projections will be planted will be installed in about ten street corners. These redevelopments will serve to reduce crossing times, fight against heat islands and promote better management of rainwater.
In addition to the measures already announced, Mr. Beaudry specifies that faithful to the Plan Local de Déplacement (PDL) in Ville-Marie, other measures are planned, such as securing bike paths with the addition of bollards and reviewing the trucking network based on streets with local traffic.
