Montreal walks back pedestrian-only plans for sections of Ste-Catherine Street West

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 12:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The City of Montreal is going up with the 3rd signifier of its redevelopment program to modernize Ste-Catherine Street West, but has reversed its determination to marque sections of the thoroughfare pedestrian-only — astatine slightest for now.

In November, the metropolis said it would beryllium tearing up much of Ste-Catherine Street, betwixt Peel and St-Marc streets, to regenerate aging pipes and astatine the aforesaid time, amended the thoroughfare for businesses, residents and visitors alike by adding wider sidewalks and nationalist squares.

The archetypal plans, which included a pedestrian-only zone between Guy and St-Marc streets, drew backlash from concern owners who said they hadn't been consulted and feared a driblet successful lawsuit traffic.

In a news release Thursday, the metropolis said that aft discussions with the downtown merchants' association, besides known arsenic the SDC Montréal centre-ville, it was agreed that definite adjustments were indispensable to guarantee the project's success. 

WATCH | Construction connected Ste-Catherine Street was on clasp for the winter: 

Those changes see maintaining conveyance postulation on Ste-Catherine Street, adjacent betwixt Guy and Saint-Marc streets.

Rather than creating a car-free portion outright, the metropolis volition determination guardant step-by-step, successful consultation with the SDC Montréal centre-ville, to test out immoderate aboriginal pedestrian-only areas and marque definite they enactment for everyone. 

In an interrogation with Radio-Canada, Projet Montréal Leader Luc Rabouin, clarified that concern leaders weren't needfully opposed to the city's archetypal imaginativeness for the commercialized artery, but wanted to marque definite a pedestrian-only portion would enactment earlier mounting up imperishable installations. 

Glenn Castanheira, enforcement manager of the SDC Montréal centre-ville, said helium welcomed the city's openness successful caller weeks and its commitment to progressing successful stages. 

He said successful a property release that those were "steps successful the close direction" and reiterated the value of including section stakeholders successful the conversation. 

"For a task of this magnitude to succeed, it indispensable beryllium carried retired with and for merchants and businesses," said Castanheira. 

The absorption astatine metropolis hallway besides said it welcomed the administration's program to reappraisal its presumption connected the pedestrianization of Sainte-Catherine Street West.

However, Ensemble Montréal Leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, was captious of the timing of the announcement.

"You can't lone perceive to merchants and citizens six months earlier elections," she wrote successful a quality release, referring to the adjacent municipal elections successful November.

"In a discourse wherever our commercialized arteries are weakened, it is important that improvement projects are rigorous and inclusive," she said, noting her enactment had opposed the task from the commencement owed to a deficiency of consultation.