City faces a locked down winter
The progression of the pandemic here was shaped by how it started in late winter and moved through spring and summer. Now the city’s facing a winter at least partly locked down and has to make plans to get people outside a little and moving around.
Tuesday’s update: Quebec broke 80,000 cumulative cases with 1,364 new cases over the last 24 hours. Seventeen new deaths were added to the tally, although they didn’t all occur within that 24‑hour period.
Tim S. 11:36 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
I remember when Plante was running for the Project leadership one of her proposals was an urban network of cross-country ski trails. In normal situations I can’t see how that would be practical, but maybe this is the year. I’ve often wondered what the de Maisonneuve path would look like if we just left it unplowed for the skiers. And cross-country gear is cheaper than a bike…
I like the idea of leaving some corners here and there unplowed to make mini-sledding hills and play areas.
I worry, though, about the idea of warming stations and hot chocolate kiosks, given how much of a role ski resorts played in spreading the virus. Though we definitely should have more of those scattered around the city in a normal winter.
A better plan would probably just have lots of space available for people to be able to get out, and spread out, during the less cold days.
Meezly 12:33 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
They should close off some streets and make them ice rinks. People can skate to work. No one will complain because bikes aren’t involved.
Dominic 12:33 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
@ Tim, where did you hear about ski resorts role in spreading? I enjoy skiing at the local hills, but Im not a big fan of the chalet or cafeterias at the mountains. I thought that would be one of the things I could count on this winter. (Already bought my season pass!)
jaddle 13:11 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
I love the idea of cross country trails all over the city, but I don’t see how it could work – every time you cross a street, you’d have to take your skis off, or else chew the bottoms of them all to bits on the bare pavement.
Tim S. 15:23 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
Dominic: Nothing in Quebec that I know of, but Igschl in Austria is being blamed for superspreading the virus throughout Europe in February/March, some citizen’s group there is suing the government for acting too slowly, and I read somewhere (the New Yorker?) about people at a resort in Idaho that spread it throughout the US West Coast. How much of the spread happened on the slopes and how much at the aprés ski scene, I don’t know, but I’d be very careful sharing a lift…
Jaddle, yeah, I know. It would have to be somewhere with few crossings – de Maisonneuve west of Atwater, maybe. St Urbain? Cote Ste Catherine?
Tim S. 15:29 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
Here’s a story about Igschl: https://www.politico.eu/article/the-austrian-ski-town-that-spread-coronavirus-across-the-continent/
And Idaho: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-an-idaho-ski-destination-has-one-of-the-highest-covid-19-rates-in-the-nation
nau 16:23 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
Not so sure about the rest of the city but a x-country trail network would be workable in the southwestern part of Montreal. Verdun, Lasalle and Lachine already make a trail along the riverfront. Trails could also be made along the Lachine Canal (hello Parks Canada?) and alongside Boul. Champlain/Canal de l’aqueduc (only a few street crossings, locals already ski this making their own trails). The riverfront and Canal de l’aqueduc/Angrignon Park could be connected through the Douglas Hospital grounds. Reaching a bit more, Angrignon Park could be connected to the Lachine Canal using the bike path along Rue Senkus and the Lachine Canal linked to Canal de l’aqueduc along the La Verendrye bike path (of course they might want to plow these for the winter cyclists). Similarly, it might be possible to have a trail over to (and then around) Nuns’ Island using a portion of the bike/pedestrian path on the bridge. It has to be said though that often our winters here aren’t consistently cold (or rain-free) enough to have great trails.
Alex 09:19 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
@nau there is also an unofficial track traced by whoever gets up first after a big snowstorm along the CP train track that separates the Plateau and Rosemont
nau 18:28 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
Cool. I imagine that holds in various other parts of the city as well. The rail right-of ways would definitely be useful in constructing a larger network, but unfortunately we know they’ll never voluntarily get on board.
Alex 07:49 on 2020-10-08 Permalink
Just realized I made it out to be along the track, whereas it is actually along the ‘reseau vert’ on the de carrieres bike path which runs alongside the train track. Some space to have one along side the rail would be great though, there is a lot space where they uninstalled the 3rd track that could be used
nau 10:46 on 2020-10-08 Permalink
From what I understood about the CP’s attitude in that area, that makes more sense. In an alternate reality, where the railways were accessible, one could imagine a network taking that rail line down to rue Notre-Dame, then along that to the east to what looks like an under-used rail-yard that would take one up to within walking distance of Viau and Assomption metro stations and Maisonneuve park, where one could go north-east through the golf course and on through Bois-des-Peres and Francesca-Cabrini parks. Going back to that rail-yard, looks like one could also then go east along Boul. Souligny and even possibly access Radisson and Felix-Leclerc parks to the northwest and Bellerive park to the northeast. Also looks like there’s a bike path that sneaks through the interchange with Autoroute 25 to keep heading out along Souligny. Some of that is undoubtedly already skied informally.