Montreal opposition calls out Plante for closing hundreds of kilometres to traffic

Montreal's opposition party is challenging Valrie Plante's decision to temporarily close off streets to vehicles so people can get around the city on foot and bicycle during the pandemic.

Ensemble MontralDeputy LeaderFrancesco Mielesaid the closures should be carefully studied by urban planners and discussed with citizens and business owners before being put into action.

The party has tabled a motion calling for immediate public consultations and a clear date as to when streets will reopen.

"It's quite abnormal that this administration is putting everything on the back of COVID to be able to do some ideological changes and dogmatic changes simply to fight cars," said Miele, who representsCte-de-Liesse in the Saint-Laurent borough.

He said a total of 88 of the 327 kilometres of roads slated for complete or partial closure this summer were already being considered for permanent, pedestrian-only walkways as part of the Plante administration's effort to make Montreal more friendly to people on foot.

"Now they are using the excuse of the COVID crisis to fast track those projects and eliminate the public consultation process for those changes,"Miele said.

Closures create ripple effects through neighbourhoods, especially when arterial roads are narrowed or blocked off completely, he said.

Motorists end up zipping down surrounding residential streets and parking is displaced, forcing residents to park further away from home, Miele said. It can also disrupt bus routes, he said.

Projet Montralsays closures are temporary

Eric Alan Caldwell, thecity's executive committee member in charge of mobility,said the idea is to quickly install temporary measures that can be adapted as needed without jumping through time-consuming hoops like traffic studies and consultations that normally come with these types of initiatives.

"The plan will evolve with the evolution of this crisis and we will adapt every situation based on the feedback we are getting on the ground," he said.

Closing a section of Rachel Street drew strong public outcry and it was quickly reopened. A similar project proposal on St-Laurent Boulevard in Little Italy was canned before it even got started after people complained.

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The idea is to give Montrealers a safe way to not only get around the city, but also get some fresh air in a time when vehicular traffic is minimal and summer fun, like festivals and concerts, haslargely been cancelled by the pandemic, Caldwell said.

He said sidewalks needed to be wider around pharmacies and supermarkets so people couldrespect physical distancing guidelines while accessing essential services.

Now as the weather warms up, parks arefilling up with bored citizens and data shows an 80 per cent spike in bicycle traffic every weekend, he said.

Each street closureis done in collaboration withboroughs, merchants and citizens as the city looks to create a balance thatmeets everybody's needs, Caldwell said.

None of the temporary infrastructure, be it flexible postsor painted lanes, is intended to stay in place during the winter.

"These projects are temporary," he said. "We are getting all sorts of feedback and we are bringing change and evolution to our designs."