People look out over the skyline of Montreal from Mount Royal park on New Years Day in Montreal, on Jan. 1, 2024.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Montrealers can get a bit touchy about their “mountain.”
Peaking at just 233 metres, Mount Royal has nothing on the Rockies or even the Laurentians to the city’s north. It looks more like a big green pimple springing out of a concrete jungle than a mountain per se.
But the summit that emerged millions of years ago, likely from the remnants of magma chambers that once fed surface volcanoes, is a beloved city landmark and carbon-storing oasis in the heart of a metropolis of 4.5 million people. The views from its Kondiaronk Lookout – named after the Wendat chief who signed the 1701 Great Peace of Montreal – are so spectacular that tourists come from afar just to get a shot for their Instagram pages.
Yet, for thousands of drivers, Mount Royal is also an east-west shortcut through the city that allows them to avoid getting snarled in downtown traffic. A daily average of around 10,000 vehicles use the two arteries that cross Mount Royal Park, often at twice the official 40 km/h speed limit, to shorten their commute across the city. And for decades, Montreal mayors have been promising to do something about it. Not only does the traffic disrupt the serenity the park is meant to provide, but it has also been the source of endless conflict (and collisions) between drivers and cyclists who train on Mount Royal’s steep slopes.
Indeed, thanks to its challenging climbs, Mount Royal is the site of one of only two North American races (the other is in Quebec City) on professional cycling’s UCI World Tour. Le Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, held each September, is a gruelling 209-kilometre race that consists of 17 laps up and around Mount Royal for a total ascent of more than 4,500 metres. Last year’s winner, Slovenian sensation Tadej Pogacar, also won the 2024 Tour de France.
Riding on Mount Royal is dangerous, however, for pro and amateur cyclists alike. Most drivers still do not like the idea of sharing the road with bicycles, especially the ones in a hurry. Their disregard for speed limits and other rules of the road is the main cause of dozens of serious accidents every year. In 2017, 18-year-old competitive cyclist Clément Ouimet was killed when he ran into an SUV doing an illegal U-turn on Camilien-Houde Way, the main artery that ascends Mount Royal from the east. A white “ghost bike” installed at the site of the accident is a constant reminder to cyclists, like myself, that Camilien-Houde can be a death trap.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who came to office shortly after the accident that took Mr. Ouimet’s life, has now promised to fix the problem once and for all. This week, she announced plans to proceed with a proposal to permanently close Camilien-Houde to motorized traffic and transform the artery into separate pedestrian and bike paths. The $90-million plan will involve planting thousands of trees and restore Mount Royal to its vocation as the urban park envisioned by its creator, Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York’s Central Park. The city has awarded an initial $12.8-million contract to two local firms to draw up plans, with a completion date set for 2029.
Under the mayor’s plan, cars and buses, including vehicles adapted for disabled persons, will still be able to access the summit of Mount Royal from the west side, enabling locals and tourists alike to enjoy the park’s amenities without having to climb the mountain on foot or bike. But through traffic across Mount Royal Park will no longer be allowed.
The uproar against Ms. Plante’s plans has been predictable, and depressing. To be sure, the mayor, who is not running for re-election in November, has a reputation as an eco-warrior whose obsession with bike lanes and pedestrian avenues has been the defining feature of her two terms in office. She is accused of ignoring the recommendations of the city’s public consultation bureau, which called for the preservation of a road for cars through the park, albeit one with reduced traffic.
Ms. Plante insisted this week that she is “on the right side of history.” And on this, she is right. Mount Royal should never have been allowed to become the site of an autoroute that disfigures its verdant landscape and destroys its integrity.
One caveat: It is unclear whether the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal will still be held when the project is completed. “We’re confident that we’ll be able to continue to play host to this event once these roads have been remodelled,” city councillor Alex Norris insisted. But that remains to be seen.
Still, unless Montreal’s next mayor backtracks, Mr. Ouimet’s sad death will have served as a catalyst for the remaking of Mount Royal into what it was always meant to be.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Frederick Law Olmsted's surname.