City of Montreal to ban vehicles on Camillien-Houde over Mount Royal in 2027

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has announced plans to block all traffic on Camillien-Houde over Mount Royal in 2027 – except for emergency vehicles.

The details were unveiled by the mayor at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

“I know it’s going to ask some change of habits but this is what we need to do for the next generations,” mayor Plante said.

They will be converting the road into a promenade for pedestrians and a separate route for cyclists as part of a redevelopment project for the Mount Royal that will add 18,000 square metres of green space.

The goal the mayor said is to make the Mount Royal a safe, accessible place for Montrealers, and not a shortcut for motorists. As well as protecting the environment.

“We are definitely making a statement that we are moving forward with protecting the mountain and responding to citizens asking us to act strongly towards climate change and security. We understand that people are going to have to change their habits,” she said.

Vehicles and buses will still be able to reach the parking lots at Beaver Lake and at La Maison Smith.

The mayor said the projected timeline of 2027 is because of the current work being done on Remembrance road.

“If we start Camillien-Houde right now the mountain won’t be accessible and our point is to say the mountain belongs to everybody. Pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, everyone needs access to the mountain. So we would have started before if Remembrance was done before,” she explained.

The city says it is also working with the STM to make the Mount Royal more accessible by public transit.

“Montreal has been a strong voice advocating for the importance of cities as front line actors in the fight against climate change. Montreal has been leading by example, demonstrating how cities can successfully translate global goals, into concrete action,” said David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, who was present at the press conference.

In 2018, after a young cyclist was fatally hit by a vehicle on Camillien-Houde, the Plante administration held a pilot project blocking traffic on the road over Mount Royal, but later reopened it, following backlash due to lack of consultations with the public.

Public consultations were held in 2019 about the potential closure of Camillien-Houde, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) then recommended that traffic stay open but that the road be converted into a road with lower speed limits and more room for pedestrians and cyclists.

“We talked a lot with different partners but today we are saying that the mountain has to be greener and we’re doing it for the future generations. We believe this is the right way to go,” the mayor said about the move despite the OCPM’s recommendation, adding that a lot has changed since 2019 in regards to climate change.

The Montreal fire department assured the public this would not have an impact on emergency responders.

“Our recommendation to leave a pathway that is cleared of snow that can be used all year for emergency vehicles is part of the plan being presented today so for us it does not represent any impact on response times,” said Richard Liebmann, Montreal’s fire chief.