Wellington Street will not be car-free year-round after report: Verdun mayor

Wellington Street is seen in the Montreal borough of Verdun Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Borough mayor Marie-Andrée Mauger posted on her Facebook page that after a public consultation (OCPM) report, the strip of road from Regina Street to 6th Avenue will be pedestrianized for the summer only.

A petition was launched in 2023, and the OCPM held consultations to decide whether cars would be banned throughout the year.

“At the borough council meeting on June 30, we will submit the borough’s response to the OCPM’s recommendations,” Mauger wrote. “I have always seen this citizen request as a declaration of love for our iconic artery.”

The OCPM made three other recommendations.

Any future pedestrianization plans should be done based on “up-to-date studies on the impacts and benefits of the project in terms of accessibility, mobility, commercial dynamics, collateral effects and costs.”

“These studies should take into account the specific urban morphology of the neighbourhood, as well as parking issues in the vicinity of commercial and service establishments,” the post reads.

The commission also suggests that the borough consider other ways to reduce vehicle traffic on Wellington outside of the summer pedestrianization period and continue efforts to “reduce the nuisances associated with the summer pedestrianization of Wellington Street.”

Included in the post were council members Sterling Downey, Benoit Gratton, Kaïla A. Munro, Véronique Tremblay, Enrique Machado and Céline-Audrey Beauregard.

The mayor will table the response to the commission’s report on June 30.