On Saturday Montreal begins its five month long pilot project banning through traffic from Mount Royal.

Drivers from the west side of the mountain will be able to reach the Beaver Lake parking lot, while those coming from the east side will have to stop at the Smith House parking lot.

STM buses, school buses, emergency vehicles, and bicycles will be able to cross from one side of the mountain to the other, as will pedestrians.

City officials say their hope is that the pilot project -- which it's calling a Cyclovia -- will make the mountain safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Last year one cyclist died when a driver near the lookout made an illegal U-turn into the cyclist's path, and 18-year-old Clement Ouimet was unable to stop before hitting the other vehicle.

Montreal's public consultation office will hold sessions in the fall to hear from citizens how they felt about the project and whether or not it should be made permanent.

Meanwhile on six Sunday mornings this year cars will not be allowed on the 2.1 km stretch of Camillien Houde Way at all, from the eastern entrance to the mountain to the entrance of Mount Royal cemetery.

The road closure has been met with criticism since it was first announced, with 30,000 Montrealers signing a petition against it. Roughly 800 cars use the road every day at rush hour and on Friday, some motorists were anxious about the traffic to come. 

"I live in the west, I go to my shop in the east and I take this morning route to decompress. It gets my morning started in the perfect way, I see sunrises and it's being taken away from me," said Richard Bernett. "It's pretty difficult when you're in business and you're a citizen of Montreal to get around."

Other worried that the move could fray the already tenuous relationship between Montreal's motorists and cyclists even further.

"As a cyclist, of course I'm in favour, I just don't think it's going to be so welcome," said Kianoush Missathi. "It may just accelerate the tension that's already between cyclists and car users."

Plateau-Mont-Royal Mayor Luc Ferrandez did not reply to several requests for comment about plans to redirect traffic.