Montreal unveils plan to make downtown safer for pedestrians
By CTV Montreal
Sasha Teman
CTV News Montreal Videojournalist
The City of Montreal is redesigning 13 of its downtown streets to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
From street closures to reorienting traffic, the Ville-Marie makeover's main goal is to reduce the number of cars on the road.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing in the past months, in the past year, a lot of collisions in our neighbourhood," said Sophie Mauzerolle, city councillor for the Saint-Marie district.
The plan comes four months after a seven-year-old Ukrainian refugee was killed in a hit-and-run at the Parthenais and Rouen Street intersection.
The tragedy prompted locals to demand change, and the city says it's coming.
"There's a lot of pressure because we have the impact of the [Jacques Cartier bridge], we have a lot of infrastructures that are important for transit. But we really want to reduce the transit in the neighbourhood," said Mauzerolle.
The project prioritizes areas with a heavy presence of children, seniors and community groups.
One way it plans to make things safer is by adding 110 speedbumps across the borough's three districts.
"There's an increase of cars in the metropolis; cars are bigger. That's why we're trying to offer more options as possible," said Mauzerolle.
The city voted to close part of Lariviere Street this summer, between De Lorimier and Parthenais. The plan also hopes to make the area more appealing to pedestrians by adding benches and plant life.