Pedestrianization worries Old Montreal
Plan to permanently pedestrianize part of Notre‑Dame in Old Montreal inevitably has some merchants worried and there’s the inevitable claim that they were not consulted. That’s what they say, but as always, it’s a preface to saying they don’t want to adapt to change.
DeWolf 11:23 on 2024-09-28 Permalink
To be clear the part of Notre-Dame that has been pedestrianized is the area directly in front of the basilica. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to be able to walk from the centre of Places d’Armes up to the church without dodging cars and trucks. It’s very nice, I recommend everyone go check it out if they’re in the area.
DeWolf 11:32 on 2024-09-28 Permalink
Also, this is bit like the bit of ginned-up outrage about St-Zotique. Everyone cries that the sky is falling the moment that the change is implemented. Nobody told them it would happen! And yet the details of this specific plan were released several months ago, and the overall plan was announced more than a year ago. St-Zotique was announced five years ago, changed in 2020 after public feedback, and then specific details of the new plan were announced earlier this year. Do people expect a personal one-to-one consultation? Do they not read the news or pay attention to the notices delivered directly into their mailboxes?
CE 08:15 on 2024-09-30 Permalink
When Place d’armes was renovated about a decade ago, the street, square, and sidewalk in front of Notre-Dame were built level with each other with the intention that cars and pedestrians would share the space. That idea largely failed. Banning vehicles from that block was a natural next step because the previous configuration just doesn’t seem to make sense to drivers in North America. Pedestrianizing the block very quickly made that space much more pleasant and safe for the very high number of people that use that space.