This morning, Ville-Marie borough mayor Benoit Labonté announced that the experimental pedestrianization of Ste-Catherine street between Berri and Papineau this summer was an overwhelming success.
The numbers weren’t hard to crunch: 95% of the residents of the Village neighbourhood were pleased with the project and a full 86% of the business were also happy (Commercial associations have protested against pedestrianization of other streets such as Mount Royal avenue). Furthermore, 100% of terrace owners felt the benefits of the vibrant street-life that pedestrianization created.
While the number of people who flowed through the neighbourhood increased last summer, complaints from local residents went down by half, according to a local borough councillor. The project was seen as an improvement to the environment, air quality, cleanliness, and noise, as well as traffic and accessibility problems.
With this success in mind the Table de concertation du Faubourg Saint-Laurent, met with several groups including the Commercial association of the Faubourg Saint-Laurent neighbourhood, the Habitations Jeanne-Mance, UQAM and the Jazz Festival, and suggested that the city examine extending the pedestrianized area Westward to Bleury. This segment of the street was already closed during 55 days over the course of the last summer for various festivals.
However, the coordinator of the Table de Concertation pointed out that the context is very different in this neighbourhood, which does not have the continuous store-front and lively terraces that characterize the Village. In order for the pedestrian street to be vibrant, some other form of animation would have to be introduced. I have no trouble picturing a buskers’ festival by Berri Metro, a skate ramp outside of Foufounes, improv theatre spilling out of Theatre Ste-Catherine and plenty of other ideas to fill the few days that aren’t already programmed by the Jazz Fest, Comedy Fest, etc.
Meanwhile, the Tremblay administration is considering putting a tramway in place on Ste-Catherine street – despite the fact that the metro already runs along this exact route – rather than on Réné-Levesque as had originally been proposed in the Transportation plan. And Labonté has wasted no time in hinting that popular pedestrianization project could one day extend all the way to Atwater.
5 comments
I agree with the Mayor on putting the tramway back on Ste Catherine street. Yes, the metro runs beneath it, but I think it would alleviate a good deal of user crush in the green line; people could easily jump on the tram to get to either Berri or Atwater metro stations. I think R-L boulevard should be left as a grand boulevard for car travel. I mean, with de Maisonneuve cut substantially with the bike lanes, and Sherbrooke street pretty narrow in relative terms, Montreal needs one major east-west artery. I would even go as far as nixing parking on R-L to improve the flow. I think a tram line could and should go on St Antoine or better yet, St James street, therefore hitting Griffintown more in the west.
Restricting car use is generally a good idea, but the problem with pedestrianization is often bikes are banned too – like on Prince-Arthur.
Prince-Arthur is a really great way to get to the métro from the McGrill ghetto. The alternatives? Die on Sherbrooke or go all the way up to des Pins.
The pedestrian area becomes a “mandatory fun” zone – a spectacularization or suburbanification of the city. More serious uses (like me going to school) are banned.
It’s not clear either why a pedestrian street needs constant “animation”. If there are not enough stores on the street, maybe the city can use its expropriation or tax powers to encourage the construction of street-level shops.
How about infill on some of those parking lots?
I’m skeptical of the tramway plan too. You can go back and see the old metro plans — all of these streets where tramways are going were supposed to have metro lines. Metro lines are more energy efficient and I’m willing to bet more pleasant to wait for in the winter. Why don’t we ask for metro lines instead?
désastre!
We can’t even get a mile of train tracks built from the Dorval lines to the airport so I am not sure of any of this will see the light of day.
Pedestrian streets are great. However the way we approach it in Montreal only serves to “suburbanize” the city, with the newly created “Patios” in pressure treated lumber complete with plastic chairs and coloured parasols sporting beer logos. Please, No more ! In true Montreal fashion, it’s the “Festival de la rue Piétonnière”, subsidized by Labatt.
Let streets be ! Make the sidewalks clean and walkable. Create sensible crosswalks with proper signage. Allow terrasses without the need to “patioize” the heck out of it until it looks like a backyard deck in Brossard. Walk around any great city, look at street life!