Presidents Cup: Montreal adjusting traffic rules around Île-Bizard
Posted September 26, 2024 1:31 pm.
Last Updated September 26, 2024 5:50 pm.
After two days of traffic headaches in the leadup to the Presidents Cup, the City of Montreal is adjusting its traffic plan in the hopes of keeping cars moving.
Those trying to reach Île-Bizard from Pierrefonds-Roxboro have been met with slowdowns and gridlocks.
“In the last few days, we noticed that there were congestion problems. So, there is recognition of the problems we had for the entrance, in particular, and the exit from Île Bizard,” said Phillipe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal.
Hoping to make the drive to the Royal Montreal Golf Club more smooth, the city will open the Jacques-Bizard Bridge’s central lane – which was initially reserved for emergency vehicles and chartered buses – to other vehicles, including school buses, depending on traffic.
“I want to thank the people, the citizens here in the area,” said the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante at the Presidents Cup on Thursday. “I know their habits are being changed and we we heard some not cool stories yesterday about some of the issues on the road.”
“I want to thank them for their sacrifice and for adapting to that,” she added. “I want to reassure them that we will continue to adapt, even today was already better.”
#WATCH: “I want to thank the people, the citizens here in the area,” said Montreal mayor, Valérie Plante on Thursday regarding the City adjusting traffic rules around Île-Bizard for the 2024 Presidents Cup.
— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) September 26, 2024
READ: https://t.co/Xh89XzF5s2 pic.twitter.com/FgPxIx8exV
During the afternoon peak, drivers will now be able to access the Jacques-Bizard Bridge from Pierrefonds Boulevard in both directions – and no longer just from the east.
“We asked citizens to use Pierrefonds Boulevard from Amel Street in an easterly direction,” said Sabourin. “What will change is that during peak times, at the end of the day, we will have the east and west directions on Pierrefonds Boulevard.”
The city also says it will suspend the “sorting system” that’s in place for the tournament once the day’s Presidents Cup operations are over.
“We will be able to lift the sorting, which will obviously speed up the entry of people onto the island after the traffic we have for the President’s Cup,” Sabourin added.
The Presidents Cup officially kicked off tournament play Thursday.
