FAQs

The City of Montréal and 33 of its partners have committed to reducing the number of deaths or serious injuries on the road system to zero by 2040. Because no one should be killed or seriously injured while travelling on the streets, the Plan d’action Vision Zéro was introduced in 2018. It consists of some 60 commitments by the City organized under 22 unifying actions. These actions are called “unifying,” because the action plan is accessible and prioritizes the Montréal community. This plan is one of the most ambitious concerted efforts by road safety stakeholders in Montréal. This new link will strengthen this vision.

The following activities are planned in order to hear the concerns and issues of the various stakeholders and to ensure an approach that promotes Outremont’s concept of “living together:”

1. Consultations are planned for residents neighbouring each of the route’s three sections:

• Bernard Avenue — June 15
• Outremont Avenue — June 17
• Stuart Avenue — June 21

2. A focus group on the cross-cutting issues of the link will also be organized.

Cross-cutting issues — June 21 

3. Working groups and one-on-one interviews are planned during July for groups directly concerned by the project (users, educational institutions, parents committees, merchants, transit authorities, etc.).

4. Outremont citizens will also be able to express their views on the project via a survey that will be posted online from June 21 to July 12.

5. A consultation report will be prepared and made available on the borough’s website.

One of the main constraints to enabling large-scale, safe developments is the width of public roads that are designed to encourage the sharing of all modes of transportation without compromising existing habits. Stuart and Outremont avenues are among the widest in the borough, and there is a great need for safety, especially with the presence of several schools, day-care centres and parks. Using Bernard provides safe design options for linking to the other two roads. Prior to this public consultation stage, the borough studied all the options for north-south cycling.

This new link will improve safety for pedestrians at various intersections, particularly near schools and parks. The project has several objectives: it will allow citizens of all ages to travel more efficiently through the territory; it will make spaces safer for pedestrians while establishing a year-round north-south bicycle route. This link will contribute to greening, beautification and reducing the ecological footprint.

This very first permanent, safe north-south bicycle route in the borough will, among other things, connect two important links, namely the cycling development in the MIL Montréal sector and the Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road bicycle path. These two important links connect the Montréal bicycle network to neighbouring boroughs.

The borough has been working since September 2020 with the consultant Copenhagenize Design Co. to develop safe concepts for the chosen route. Several types of proposed design are effective and safe for pedestrians and cyclists. For the borough, it is important to make an informed choice by integrating best practices in the field and by consulting all stakeholders, including the Montréal pedestrian and cycling community, as well as the parents of students and authorities of local educational institutions.

This consultation is taking place well in advance of a future development. According to the final report, the project will have to be approved by the City, notably the financing aspect, and then go to the design phase in order to define a complete and safe development by integrating all the strong elements from this consultation. We still don’t have a set schedule, but the project won’t start before 2023.

Citizens will be informed by the borough of any changes as well as the progress of the project.