City to begin dismantling Mount Royal's traffic-calming measures for winter

The traffic lights near Mount Royal's summit are coming down Tuesday, allowing the flow of traffic to return to normal.

The lights werepaired with speed humps, a fresh coat of road paint and radar signs starting in June.

There are also flexible posts, known as bollards, that runup the middle of Camillien-HoudeWay andforce drivers to stay in their lane.

On Monday, the city announced it would remove all traffic-calming infrastructure including those bollards by Oct. 31.

"The measures implemented since June 2019, as well as the monitoring carried out during the summer, will help refocus on the development of Camillien-Houde Way and Remembrance Road," the city said in a statement.

Controversial closure

The 2019 initiative served as an alternative to last year's controversial decision to close the road completely to motorists travellingbetween the Plateau and Cte-Des-Neiges.

Closing the road drew plenty of public outcry in 2018. A consultation was held and Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante vowed to follow recommendations put forward as a result.

Cyclists have praised the separation measures and city officials touted the project as a success, saying it decreased motorists speeds.

However, some users of the route have complained that the extra measures are a pain.

Cindy Syriaque and Chahira Battou visit the mountain for group workouts once in a while.

"It was way too long, considering there was nobody in the streets," said Syriaque, who had headed up to the park despite the drizzly weather on Monday.

But both Syriaque and Battou say the bollards and speed humps are effective at forcing people to slow down.