Rue de la Commune pedestrianization delayed
The city would like to fully pedestrianize rue de la Commune, but the Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal keeps coming up with new obstacles to the plan. There are details here but we shouldn’t be surprised that it boils down to the same old song: parking.
DeWolf 10:55 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
The federal government runs the Old Port like a low-rent theme park instead of the historically significant public space that it is. They have one objective — profit — and so they’ll never back down on access to their very lucrative parking lots, even though they have very negative external effects on the rest of Old Montreal (constant summer gridlock).
Joey 11:20 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
Why isn’t the Old Port like every old central area in every town of every size in Europe – totally pedestrianized on some streets, restricted parking/driving on others, and lots of parking lots on the margins? Thrown in delivery times (7-11 every day) as well… would make a lot of sense, at least from May to October.
DeWolf 11:32 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
The Old Port does have lots and lots of parking on its margins, not to mention *three* metro stations and a special bus line. The problem is the vast parking lots on prime waterfront land bring thousands of cars right into the heart of the neighbourhood and there’s nothing to stop them. It’s insane when you go on a summer weekend and all the streets are clogged by cars with out-of-province licence plates. I remember one afternoon when Notre-Dame was gridlocked from Place d’Armes to McGill and I could count the number of Quebec plates on one hand.
We need better messaging so tourists who insist on driving know that they can park around Victoria Square, the Palais des congrès, Complexe Desjardins, Gare Viger, etc., rather than all piling straight into the Old Port. And of course more pedestrian streets and streets restricted to local traffic.
Kate 12:13 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
It would be so much nicer for photo ops in Old Mtl if cars were banished, all else aside.
Joey 14:52 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
Exactly! The carrot isn’t working so it’s time for the stick. If you don’t have a car registered to an address in Old Montreal or are not making a delivery between 7 and 11 or are not an Uber/taxi, you should not be allowed to drive in Old Montreal in spring and summer.
Kevin 19:33 on 2025-04-23 Permalink
Signs for parking lots in and around Old Montreal really need to be much more obvious, and love ’em or hate ’em, multi-level parking garages work well and tourists know to look for them.
Em 09:51 on 2025-04-24 Permalink
I don’t really understand why Commune would need to be pedestrianized, when there is already lots and lots of walking space along the water, and wide sidewalks on Commune itself. It’s not that nice of a street either (the street itself, not the waterfront.)
St-Paul is the one that should be pedestrianized in my opinion. It is too narrow and crowded for sidewalks and cars, and is far more quaint.
DeWolf 10:53 on 2025-04-24 Permalink
“It’s not that nice of a street either.”
Exactly. Why should the street that runs right along the Old Port be anything but nice? It’s already lined by restaurant terraces, it’s the closest thing Montreal has to a corniche style promenade.
And the city’s plan isn’t actually to pedestrianize de la Commune. There would still be buses and some local traffic, and the mysterious gap in the bike path between St-Laurent and the clock tower road would be finally filled. But it would make de la Commune a much more pleasant place to be. I don’t see why this very prominent and beautiful street should be sacrificed just because St-Paul is a block away.
Ian 18:43 on 2025-04-24 Permalink
Get rid of all the people and photo ops would be even better. You should have seen how free of cars (and people) it was in the 80s.
Orr 22:14 on 2025-04-25 Permalink
If we’re going to get ride of something ugly that destroys the Old Montreal historic landscape, why can’t it be the giant ferris wheel?