The city vs the car, take eleventy-one
The Journal’s Danièle Lorain drew the “we hates Montreal” straw this week, so she writes a piece laced with sneery sarcasm – you know when they begin a column with “Madame la mairesse” that you’re in for a bumpy ride – about driving difficulties in town.
She starts off with a list of highway closures that can’t be blamed on city hall because they’re ordained by the Quebec transport ministry. Then she slams the pedestrianization of a few streets for summer as if every major artery in town has been shut down, even though the popularity of these streets is evident.
I bet this gets a lot of people in Joliette really steamed, though.
bumper carz 13:16 on 2023-05-29 Permalink
For all those frustrated drivers who live in bungalows that have replaced forests, this video might be a wake-up call. A text analysis would reveal that the victim says “car” more than any other word.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2216491075972
DeWolf 14:35 on 2023-05-29 Permalink
Mont-Royal was slammed all weekend. Busier than I recall it being any previous summer. Pedestrian streets are extremely popular but they’ll always be a convenient boogeyman for people who never actually come into the city.
Aineko Marcx 14:43 on 2023-05-29 Permalink
Securing some minimum guaranteed readership by hitchhiking the “hatred towards cars” topic seldom fails. After all vehicles are our sacrosanct avatars in the asphalt-concrete subuniverse.
I always expect new products of such specific variety cultivated from the Journal.
shawn 15:26 on 2023-05-29 Permalink
BTW Le Devoir article gets it slightly wrong? While St-Denis is indeed pedestrian-only during the comic fest, Mount Royal Ave. is once again pedestrians and slow biking… https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/791899/urbanisme-les-pietons-ont-conquis-le-plateau-mont-royal
Ian 17:08 on 2023-05-30 Permalink
I was just down by Mt Royal and Papineau, most of Mt Royal in there is closed fir the installation of street planters and soforth, everyone is walking AND bicycling on the sidewalks. It’s a bit of a log jam in spots as nobody wants to walk their bikes and pedestrians are refusing to give up their right of way.