The City of Montreal's controversial pilot project prohibiting the passage of cars over Mount-Royal, via Chemin Camilien Houde, begins Saturday.
Automobile traffic on a 500 meter stretch between Beaver Lake and the Smith House parking lots will be banned until October 31st.
However, pedestrians, cyclists, buses and emergency vehicles will still be allowed to circulate on this route.
From June 2nd to 4th, information agents will be on the mountain to answer citizen questions. Family activities will be offered next to Maison Smith, and citizens will be able to check out a new, suspended cafe at the Camilien-Houde lookout.
Police will be blocking the road until Tuesday evening. Afterwards, it will be open - but people will still have to obey the new rules as part of an "honour system."
More than 10,000 vehicles traverse Camilien-Houde per day.
But Mount-Royal will still be accessible by public transit, mainly through the 11 line (Mount Royal/Ridgewood Park), the 711 (Parc-du-Mount-Royal/Oratory), or through the two additional stops at the entrance to the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery.
The Plante administration's new regulation was prompted by the death of a young cyclist last year.
In October, 18-year-old bicyclist Clement Ouimet was killed when an American tourist made an unlawful U-turn on the mountain and drove into his path.
"In addition to improving mountain accessibility and the safety of all, the pilot project will allow the population to reclaim their mountain," Mayor Valerie Plante said in a statement. "We want to give citizens the rightful place in the heart of Mount-Royal park."
The results of public consultations and citizen feedback will be revealed in a report come fall.
"Ultimately, the effectiveness of the selected measures will be evaluated in order to feed our reflections," Luc Ferrandez, executive committee member responsible for sustainable development, said in a statement.
"I invite Montrealers to participate and express their opinions on the pilot project and the future of Camilien-Houde," Ferrandez added.
This follow-up will critically examine traffic, parking, safety, public transport, and the environment. City officials promise that "corrections will be made quickly" should a pressing issue arise between now and October.
