A controversial Plateau-Mont-Royal bylaw banning homeowners from creating their own parking spots on their property won’t be adopted – yet.
The borough announced it would not be adopting the motion at a council meeting Monday night because they needed to rewrite a section of the regulation.
Plateau parking is famously scarce, and many residents have turned a portion of their backyards into a makeshift parking spot, typically using an alley to access it.
The borough said it wants to reduce car traffic in alleys, making them safer for children to play in, and also wants residents to reduce their reliance on cars, given the abundance of busses and bicycle paths in the neighbourhood.
"We are trying to reduce the role of cars and we're not hiding that point," said Borough Mayor Luc Ferrandez.
The Plateau borough said while it would grandfather in any homes with the private spots, they would not permit the creation of any more private parking spaces.
"Any habits that were in the past, any parking habits that were done in the past will be done in the future," said Ferrandez.
Residents like Louise Primeau said that wasn't good enough.
"He's putting his nose in our property. We're paying a lot in taxes and we can't decide what we do with our backyards," she said.
Lionel Perez, leader of opposition party Ensemble Montreal, said the new bylaw would reduce quality of life for families, people with reduced mobility and seniors.
"After the closure of the Camillien-Houde Way to transit traffic, this bylaw by the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough is another blatant example of the anti-car ideology that Mayor Plante, Projet Montréal , wants to apply to the whole city,” said Perez in a statement.
"You do not have to be a genius to understand that families with young children use their cars to do a lot of things they can not do by bike or on foot. Similarly, people with reduced mobility need adapted parking and seniors appreciate the freedom of their car parked nearby in their yard."
Plateau residents showed up at the meeting en masse to protest the measure, arguing that the borough should not have the right to dictate how homeowners use their property. They were also concerned about property values decreasing if residents could not have their own private parking.
Resident Danny Bouchard said the Plateau-Mont Royal councillors were passing measures specifically opposed to family life as they tried to isolate the borough from the rest of the city, and forgetting that people who live in one neighbourhood often have reasons to travel elsewhere.
"All they want is young people, single who work downtown, they can bike, they can taxi, they can carpool. That's great, but it doesn't suit everybody," said Bouchard.
His wife works on the South Shore, and he said that alone is a reason to drive.
“We have a season called winter, and when they need to remove the snow from the street or when there’s a big snow storm, you’re very happy to have your own parking spot,” said Bouchard.
Ferrandez told residents that if they have a problem with the new bylaw, they should start a petition – and that’s what they did.
The homeowners were set to present the signatures to the borough Monday night.
