Old Montreal residents call for increased safety efforts around Place d’Armes

(Laurence Brisson Dubreuil/CTV News)

Some Old Montreal residents are calling for increased enforcement and safety improvements around Place d’Armes, saying drivers regularly ignore traffic restrictions and put pedestrians at risk in one of Montreal’s busiest public spaces.

John Kennedy, a longtime resident of the neighbourhood, said concerns about pedestrian safety have grown in recent years despite measures intended to limit vehicle traffic around the historic square.

“There’s been so many close calls. It’s actually kind of frightening,” he said.

Kennedy said vehicles frequently enter areas where access is restricted, including sections surrounding Place d’Armes that are reserved for authorized vehicles, public transit and certain deliveries.

“For two years, we’ve been begging the police to come and do some blitzes just to get the word out that there are people watching and that there is some enforcement,” he said, adding that it has not happened.

He said residents, including with the community patrol group he established, have conducted their own traffic counts and recorded thousands of violations over the course of a summer. On busy weekends, he estimated there can be hundreds of infractions around the square.

“There’s signage at both access points, but nobody follows the signage because it’s just easier to get around,” he said.

Kennedy said the situation is particularly concerning given the large crowds that gather in the area.

“There can be thousands of people gathered at the square or walking through it at any one time,” he said. “They come from all over the world, and it’s super dangerous.”

Questions about the square’s design

Transportation planning expert Pierre Barrieau said the design of Place d’Armes may be contributing to the problem.

The plaza was built to create a seamless transition between pedestrian areas and the roadway, with little difference in height between the two spaces. While the approach is common in Europe, Barrieau said it can create ambiguity for drivers.

“I’ve seen tour buses and trucks parked in Place d’Armes. I’ve seen all sorts of things happening here that shouldn’t,” he said.

Barrieau questioned whether the desire to preserve an open, welcoming appearance may have limited the use of protective infrastructure around the square.

“Many cities in Europe have done that. However, we just have to look at the practicality of it,” he said.

He noted that cities around the world have increasingly had to consider the risk of vehicular attacks in public gathering spaces.

Kennedy said that is a fear that weighs heavily on him.

“It’s going to take an incident for the city or the police or somebody to wake up and say, ‘We need to address this,’” he said.

Residents still waiting for changes

Kennedy said residents left a public meeting in March encouraged after hearing city officials discuss the possibility of installing granite blocks around the perimeter of the square to better protect pedestrians.

Months later, he said they have yet to see any progress.

“That was in March. It’s now coming up on July and nothing’s happened,” he said.

Barrieau cautioned that installing protective infrastructure is not a simple task and would require careful planning to ensure the square remains attractive and accessible. Still, he said improvements should not be viewed as an admission that the original design was flawed.

“We did something that’s beautiful,” he said. “We’ve looked at it, humans work a certain way, and now let’s just slightly tweak it to make it an even better place and an even safer place.”

CTV News contacted the City of Montreal for comment but did not receive a response before publication.