Camillien-Houde: barriers returning
The city is making Camillien-Houde cyclists only on Sunday mornings and is bringing back the barrier that stops motorists from zooming through near the top.
I think Projet is being unwise here. They need to reopen the road to motor vehicles completely and maybe even consider banning cyclists. Messing around with Camillien-Houde again is only going to give their opponents more populist ammunition.
Ian 19:45 on 2020-06-23 Permalink
Seeing that it feeds into Mont Royal it actually kind of makes sense to me, and I say this as a driver. Taking Cote Ste Catherine is a better choice now for sure as long as you don’t get lost in Outremont construction trying to get back into the Plateau.
As a pedestrian I hope the cemeteries open soon. I didn’t like walking up the winding path on the east side of the mountain even before covid, it was crowded, poorly shared with cyclists, and inconsistent. I haven’t walked up all summer and I’m missing it.
Kate 20:19 on 2020-06-23 Permalink
I too miss the cemeteries. Missed seeing Mount Royal (cemetery) with all the crabapples in bloom, this year. They’re just great places for a walk.
John B 21:00 on 2020-06-23 Permalink
They shouldn’t be closing it off to cyclists, it’s the only real hill in the city, so many people who cycle for sport use it to practice hill climbs.
It’s not even that abnormal to shut down areas of roads, even this road, at some point in the weekend. It’s also been done on Monk and on St-Hubert. Ottawa closes large sections of roadway every weekend for cyclists & runners and has since the 70s.
Having Sunday Mornings be for active people should be a decent compromise that allows the road to stay open to cars most of the time but gives cyclists a time when they know they won’t be killed by a driver pulling an illegal U-turn.
Ian 21:02 on 2020-06-23 Permalink
The catholic cemetery next to it in lilac season is so heart wrenchingly pretty, totally missed it.
Dhomas 08:37 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
I’m pretty sure the cemeteries have been open since Monday. The one close to my house, Le repos Saint-Francois d’Assise, certainly opened then. @Ian, I think you missed the lilacs, though. I have some in my front yard which finished blooming last week. They’re pretty, but it’s the fragrance which greeted me when I returned home that I love most.
Bill Binns 08:57 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
Even I have been taken aback by the furious opposition to closing this road to cars. I try to engage my friends who have lived here all their lives in conversation about municipal politics and usually get nothing but weary apathy. This issue had a whole dinner party of friends pounding their fists on the table in anger last year.
It’s hilarious that PM is doubling down for another year. They better hope that Spandex goons are reliable voters because old farts that like to walk their dogs on the mountain every morning surely are.
Kate 09:21 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery says this on their website: “The cemetery site is open to persons wishing to pay their respects on the grounds in front of the burial site of a relative or loved one […]. In order to minimize the risks for the families paying their respects or attending a burial and thus preserve our primary mission, no leisure visits will be permitted (walking, running, etc.).”
Now, how they can tell whether someone is visiting a specific grave vs. taking a stroll I do not know, but that’s the official line. I suspect they may feel that serious visitors will be in a car.
The supposed link to opening hours on the Mount Royal cemetery site isn’t working, but I pried into the page source and found the PDF file that says “Recreational visits continue to be restricted” – again, whatever that means. If you’re quietly walking through, I don’t know why they would stop you.
Kate 12:15 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
Bill Binns, I’m told on Twitter that “spandex goons” is wrong and offensive.
MarcG 12:22 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
I call them bikeholes
Chris 13:31 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
Twitter thinks everything is offensive. You can also call them MAMILs. 🙂
CE 17:24 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
I think it’s best to try to remember that, despite what many of its users think, Twitter is not real life.
Ian 21:56 on 2020-06-24 Permalink
Nor is anything on the internet, but even Twitter has its uses – I have carefully groomed my twitter to be a news feed for local, tech, and design news. It took about a year to manipulate the algorithm but it’s actually pretty useful to me now on a professional level.