No more through traffic over Mount Royal starting this weekend
The city's pilot project closes Camillien-Houde Way to through traffic until Oct. 31
If you regularly drive over Mount Royal from one end to the other, today is the last chance to use that route for the next five months.
The city's pilot project, closing a section of Camillien-Houde Way and Remembrance Road, will start officially June 2.
The 550-metre-long stretch that will be closed to through traffic will only be available to cyclists and to city, school and tourist buses, along with emergency vehicles and funeral processions.
All other vehicles will be forced to stop at the Smith House parking lot if they're travelling from the east and at the Beaver Lake parking lot, coming from the west.
The move has sparked criticism, with some drivers saying they won't be able to access the mountain as easily.
The 711 bus service, a modified version of the 11 bus service, which runs between Snowdon Metro in the west and St-Joseph Boulevard at Christophe-Colomb Avenue during the summer, will start three weeks earlier than usual.
From June 2 to June 17, the bus will operate only on weekends. Starting June 18, the summer bus will run seven days a week.
There will also be two new stops, at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery and at a newly announced rest area called the Belvédère Soleil.
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Both the Mount Royal Cemetery and the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery have posted directions online, advising drivers to use the alternative entrances on de la Fôret Road and Côte-des-Neiges Road, respectively.
On the city's website, the project is billed as an attempt to protect "the inestimable natural and cultural heritage that Mount Royal represents," as well as to improve accessibility and safety.