FAQs

It is the City of Montréal’s Programme d’implantation des rues piétonnes et partagées (shared and pedestrian streets program). This program is designed to test different road-sharing configurations in order to reduce the right-of-way for automobiles to 60% of the street’s surface area. The program includes transitional installations in the first and second years (2021 and 2022), followed by permanent installations in the third year (2023). The preferred approach includes a tactical urban planning component, i.e., the installations can be adjusted along the way, depending on the results of the participatory process.

Bernard Avenue occupies a prominent position within the borough, serving as a sort of heart of Outremont. Located in a densely populated area, the thoroughfare also offers a variety of business services, a rich heritage and a strong cultural identity, enhanced by the presence of Théâtre Outremont, the jewel in the avenue’s crown. All of these factors make Bernard Avenue an ideal place for experimentation with the aim of enhancing its character as a public square, for the benefit of residents, businesses and users.

The Programme d’implantation des rues piétonnes et partagées (shared and pedestrian streets program) is being rolled out over three years. The first two years (2021 and 2022) will see the implementation of temporary installations, while the third year (2023) will be dedicated to the permanent redevelopment of Bernard Avenue. For the first year of the transitional measures, the street sections located between the alley west of Outremont Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue will be entirely pedestrianized from May 27 to October 31. From November 1 to the spring of 2022, the avenue will be developed using a different road-sharing system, the concept of which will be submitted for public consultation during the summer of 2021.

The development concept that will be implemented this summer, from May 27 to October 31, is the outcome of a survey on citizens’ satisfaction with the pedestrianization of the same section of Bernard Avenue in 2021. For 2021, a consultation will be held starting in July at the pedestrian site, in order to gather comments from the public on the existing installations and on the proposed winter design. The comments received will be used to improve the installations for this winter and for subsequent years of the Programme d’implantation des rues piétonnes et partagées. The dates of the on-site consultation and the results of the participatory process will be available on the Réalisons Montréal page.

For the first two years, the Borough and the City of Montréal will equally finance the Programme d'implantation des rues piétonnes et partagées. The Borough and the City of Montréal will each inject $100,000 in 2021, and again in 2022. The permanent installations for the third year will be financed entirely by the City of Montréal, to the tune of $400,000.

For this year, the Borough of Outremont plans to prohibit bicycle traffic by requiring cyclists to dismount their bikes when travelling on the three pedestrianized sections. Signs using the visual identity of the pedestrianization will indicate to cyclists that they are in a pedestrian-only zone. The Borough also plans to place awareness officers at the entrances to the pedestrian-only zones.

Interested citizens can follow the stages of the Programme d'implantation des rues piétonnes et partagées for Bernard Avenue on the Réalisons Montréal page. The Borough is planning a consultation at the pedestrian site in July. The dates will be announced on the Réalisons Montréal page. Interested citizens can also consult the documentation and send us their comments on this same page.

The Bernard Avenue pedestrian zone is accessible by STM bus line 160. The pedestrian zone is also located less than 10 minutes' walk from the Outremont métro station. The pedestrian zone is accessible by bicycle, and there will be plenty of bike parking. We invite motorists to consult the map of nearby off-street parking facilities.