Extended road closures for cycling events raise concerns for Montreal businesses, residents
Posted September 14, 2026 3:21 pm.
As Montreal plays host for two major international cycling events this month, business owners along the race routes say they are concerned about the impact of the extended road closures.
Several streets in Montreal’s Plateau–Mont-Royal and Ville-Marie boroughs were closed or are scheduled to be closed for traffic during the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and the UCI Road World Championships cycling tournaments.
Marika Moshonas, who owns the wholesale kitchen supply store on Park Avenue, said she has noticed a slowdown since streets near her business were closed more than a week ago.
“A lot of my clients on Saint-Laurent (Boulevard) or Saint-Denis (Street), they’re having a little bit of difficulty coming,” Moshonas said.
Moshonas says that the restaurants she sells to are looking at the cycling championships as an opportunity to take advantage of the increased foot traffic. But, in her own case, she says it would be difficult to know how the next few weeks will affect her business.
“80 per cent of our business is commercial, 20 per cent is retail, it’s just walk-in,” Moshonas said. “I’m not sure how that’s gonna be affected.”
Park Avenue was closed on Sept. 5, ahead of the cycling Grand Prix tournament held last weekend. However, street parking has remained available so far.
But as the city prepares for the UCI World Cycling Championships scheduled to begin this weekend and street parking set to be banned for eight days, Moshonas says she is worried about the impact the restrictions will bring.
“It may dissuade more clients from venturing out here,” she said. “We do have a parking lot, a lot of our clients know, but some of them don’t.”
About 1,000 cyclists and half a million spectators are expected to participate in the UCI Road World Championships Montreal 2026 between Sept. 19 and 27.
The race will also force the complete closure of the west side of Park Avenue, Pine Avenue and Mont-Royal Avenue and the west side of Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road, between Mont-Royal Avenue and Park Avenue, until Oct. 4. The east side of these two streets will reopen on Sept. 30. Highway 10 (Bonaventure), towards downtown will also be closed on Sept. 19, 20, 21 and 22, between 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The extended street closures affecting some of the most populated zones in downtown and Plateau neighbourhoods have also raised concerns for residents with disabilities and those who care for them.
“It has impacts on home care workers that go to deliver service to people who need services at home,” said Steven Laperrière, executive director, Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), an non-profit advocacy agency for Quebecers with disabilities.
During traffic restrictions, paratransit users will need to use the nearest intersection as a pick up or drop off point, according to STM.
Advocates say that it can make everyday tasks like getting medications, groceries or home0care services much more difficult for people who can’t safely travel on their own.
“If it was just for a weekend or two you can pretty much get around to it,” Laperrière said. “But for now, it’s for a month, so it’s very complicated.”
Urgences-santé says it hasn’t seen an increase in emergency calls since the road closures began. But it is asking Montrealers to limit their outings when possible — to avoid adding even more traffic to already-congested roads.
“It’s not the first time that we have events in Montreal that are big,” said Alexandre Sapone, chief of operations at Urgences-santé. “It’s just that this one is going to be (particular) length wise.”
Drivers can turn to real-time information before and during their trips, including Quebec 511 and electronic highway signs. The cycling championship’s website also has interactive maps with real-time information for each race and affected regions.
