Photo cred - elijah s.
The Plateau will be seeing a lot less traffic this coming Spring thanks to new plans to block car access on certain roads and forced direction reversals.
Borough counselor, Marianne Giguère, says they’re looking to make the area friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists by linking some of the green spaces in the area while also reducing automobile circulation. Included in the proposed plans is blocking a certain portion of Saint-Joseph by forcing drivers coming from the north to turn right if they're cutting through using Chambord or Fabre Streets. For the moment, they will place temporary traffic bollards to indicate the change pending more permanent road work. Subsequently, Giguère says they will open Saint-Hubert Street to ease traffic flow.
A couple of street directions will also be reversed between Marie-Anne Street and Mont-Royal. To divert motorist seeking to avoid traffic on Papineau, both Marquette and Fabre Streets will now send traffic in the opposite direction.
Giguère notes that parallel streets such as Marquette actually sees three times more traffic than expected for a residential road, with roughly 3000 drivers using the side street to get to René-Levesque during rush hour.
While this all sounds swell on paper, making the area’s residents and pedestrians alike safer and happier with less traffic clogging up their streets, merchants and drivers are concerned it will mess with their day to day. Only time will tell.
Street Reversals
-Marquette between Marie-Anne and Mont-Royal
-Fabre between Marie-Anne and Mont-Royal
Streets Closed To Traffic
-Clark between Saint-Urban and Arcade
Street With Forced Right Turn
-Saint Joseph at the Chambord and Fabre intersection
Photo cred - Globalsiteplans
