MikeCohen.ca

Côte des Neiges-N.D.G. Mayor Responds to Tour de l'Île Concerns

 

In response to a letter I sent Montreal borough of Côte des Neiges-N.D.G. Mayor Michael Applebaum to consult with neighbouring municipalities concerning the local routes being planned for future  Tour de l'Île events, I have received some encouraging news. Mayor Applebaum called to discuss the matter with me a few days ago. He is a personal fan of the Tour and appreciates the opportunity for 35,000 cyclists to pass through Côte des Neiges, Snowdon and N.D.G. "Many of these people may never have seen our borough before," he stated.

As I noted in my letter, I am not a fan of the Tour. Never have been and never will be. It always seems to fall on a day when I must get somewhere and avoiding one of the Tour routes is impossible. A case in point is this year when a normal 20 minute drive to Westmount turned out to be a one hour obstacle course. I felt like I was in the Amazing Race.

The mayor told me that next year he would be happy to provide municipalities like Côte Saint-Luc with a copy of the West End route as soon as it is approved by his borough. This way we could at least advise our residents well in advance which streets to avoid. I think this would indeed be a positive step forward.

Frustrated over the Tour de l'Île de Montréal

 

At the most recent meeting of Côte Saint-Luc City Council, on June 8, 2009, I expressed my deep concern over the traffic problems and difficult access out of certain parts of NDG (Notre-Dame-de Grâce) and Snowdon that the Tour de l'Île de Montréal caused this year.

I have personally been inconvenienced by this event for many years. On this particular Sunday, my family and I were on our way to Westmount. What should have taken 20 minutes turned out to be a 60 minute ordeal. Most streets in NDG and Snowdon were blocked. At one point, I turned down a side street from Côte Saint-Luc Road only to find out that other motorists had the same idea. As I looked into the windows of others, I could see the same collective anger and frustration.

While I would personally like to request that the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de Grâce no longer permit the Tour de l'Île de Montréal to pass through its territory nor cost the taxpayers anymore money with the heavy police presence, members of Côte Saint-Luc City Council are respectfully requesting that neighbouring communities - Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montreal West, Westmount and Town of Mount Royal – be consulted on the agreed upon West End route. Perhaps something can be arranged that does not inconvenience so many people. While I certainly cannot speak for members of the aforementioned councils, I do know many people residing in these municipalities. Their Sundays each June are disrupted as well.

I recognize the 25 year history of the Tour de l'Île de Montréal and its significant following among cyclists. Nonetheless, perhaps it is time that this event be removed from the streets and be moved to a location such as Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where it will no longer interfere with the majority of us who just want to make our way around the city without being stuck in traffic.

I have sent a letter to Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum and I await his response.