Starting this spring, it will no longer be possible to cross Mount Royal from end to end by car. The pilot project, announced Tuesday by the city, comes after 18-year-old cyclist Clément Ouimet was killed in a tragic accident after a car made an illegal U-turn on Camilien-Houde.
Cars coming from the West will now need to stop at Beaver Lake parking. Cars from the East will need to stop at Smith House. Parking spaces on the mountain will remain unaffected by this new rule.
The road itself won’t be modified; paint will be added to indicate where cars need to exit the road. This means that both STM bus lines that take Camilien-Houde, the 11 and the 711, will not be affected.
Many drivers were upset with the decision yesterday, claiming it would worsen traffic in other parts of the city, and restrict leisure access to the mountain. Cycling activists said the measure doesn’t address what happened to Clément Ouimet – motorists can still make illegal U-turns on the section of the road where he died.