Latest news with #Tourdel'Île
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Tour de l'Île cyclist files complaint saying roads reopened too early, endangering her family
By Marie Gisselle Mina, her husband and their nine-year-old daughter were under the impression they had plenty of time when they stopped for a hot chocolate during last weekend's chilly Tour de l'Île. The family was about 34 kilometres into the annual 50-kilometre cycling event when they took a break around 2 p.m. Sunday near St-Jean-Baptiste and René-Lévesque Blvds. They were in the park when Mina said her husband suddenly noticed a heavy police presence and they realized the area was reopening to traffic. 'I was flabbergasted,' she said, adding she has participated in about 10 Tour de l'Île events. This occurred about an hour earlier than the posted time of 3:15 p.m. on both signs and online for that section in Pointe-aux-Trembles, according to Mina. She said volunteers also appeared to be confused. Thinking police made a mistake and saying she hoped they would realize that, her family scrambled to get going and biked alongside other participants. Concerned about traffic, she called 911. 'I'm seeing that the roads are open in front of us. Cars are starting to pass, I have a little one with me, and I'm getting really worried,' Mina said. She said the 911 operator told her Sherbrooke St. had to reopen by 2:30 p.m. and that she would pass on the message, but Mina explained she was located farther east, where signs indicated 3:15 p.m. They continued until they couldn't, Mina said, adding some cyclists had no choice but to go on sidewalks. She said police officers told her they had to reopen the area. 'We're in the refinery section, so we're getting pretty much nowhere,' she said. 'And there is a whole bunch of cars that are next to us and they start saying, 'The event is finished, you guys need to be riding one behind the other.'' Volunteers at the back were trying to 'scramble and pick up as many people and explain to them the event is done and you're on your own,' and that security and bike repairs will no longer be provided, Mina said. Her family stopped near some volunteers. They had to be picked up by a shuttle bus around the 35-kilometre mark, she said. 'I can't do this. I mean, I'm scared for my daughter. There is another family, their kid is bawling their eyes out and, I'm like, we can't do this,' Mina said. Mina estimates at least 150 participants were in the same situation. Although she said volunteers were helpful, she didn't understand why police would open streets while cyclists were still present. Police followed reopening plan, organizer says Vélo Québec president and CEO Jean-François Rheault said in a message Monday to The Gazette that 'after verification, the SPVM complied with the planned reopening schedule.' The process of reopening streets is 'complex and requires extensive co-ordination to enable multiple tasks to be completed,' and the police's collaboration was 'exemplary,' he added. 'The time indicated on the yellow signs refers to car access to the street, not to the last passage of cyclists,' Rheault wrote. When asked specifically about the signs and about cyclists like Mina being stuck, Rheault said 'the process has not changed, but it is clear that we need to communicate closure times more clearly.' Montreal police said in an email Monday that it 'did not reopen the streets before the times planned by the promoter, Vélo Québec.' 'Some sections of streets were even reopened to traffic later than expected,' police said. Mina filed a complaint with Montreal police and said the area shouldn't have been reopened while participants with young children were still there. 'There is a lack of judgment, and I think it could have been really dangerous,' she said.
Montreal Gazette
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Montreal Gazette
Montreal's weekend weather: Stop, collaborate and listen
Between construction and the Tour de l'Île, Montrealers will have to show extra patience during the weekend. The Montreal traffic report suggests avoiding most bridges and tunnels if you're leaving the city and with extra closures because of the annual bike event, the best plan is to enjoy what the city has to offer — and to do it using public transit or foot power. If you must drive, keep your cool. You'll get there eventually. There's a chance of showers Friday and Saturday, then clouds on Sunday. Friday's high will be 23 C with a humidex of 26 and UV index of 7, or high. At night, temperatures will drop to 14 C. On Saturday, expect a high of 18 C, followed by Sunday's 17 C.
Montreal Gazette
29-05-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Weekend traffic: Watch out for Tour de l'Île closures
Traffic disruptions to look out for this weekend: Tour de l'Île The annual cycling events will close streets in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, St-Léonard and Montreal North on Friday night for the Tour la Nuit, starting at 7:30 p.m., and streets around the eastern part of Montreal Island during the day on Sunday. Rosemont Blvd. west of Viau St. will be closed all Friday evening and all morning Sunday for the start of the tours, which end at Maisonneuve Park. Access to part of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles south of René-Lévesque St., de Montigny St. and Sherbrooke St. will be possible only via the Legardeur Bridge/Notre-Dame St. during the day on Sunday. Highways 40 and 25 will remain unobstructed. Ville-Marie Tunnel Route 136 will be completely closed westbound again between Robert-Bourassa Blvd. and Fort St., from 11:59 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Detours are via Highway 10 or René-Lévesque Blvd. La Fontaine Tunnel The tunnel will be completely closed in both directions from 10 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. Toward Montreal, the closure is from Highway 20 to Sherbrooke St. Toward Boucherville, the closure is from Sherbrooke St. to Île Charron. Souligny Ave. eastbound over the highway will also be closed during this time. Route 132/Highway 20 The highway will be completely closed eastbound between Roland-Therrien Blvd. and Highway 20 from 9 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. Detour is via Marie-Victorin Blvd. Highway 15 In Mirabel, Exit 31 (Mirabel/St-Monique/St-Janvier) northbound will be closed as part of work to prepare a new reserved lane on the highway, from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Charles St. will also be closed under the highway. Continuing disruptions REM: The Réseau express métropolitain remains closed on weekends and ends service at 8:20 p.m. weekdays until summer. Replacement shuttle buses will run between the stations from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. every day. Highway 10: A westbound lane on the Bonaventure Expressway is closed between the Victoria Bridge and Wellington St. until December. On the Clément Bridge connecting Montreal with Nuns' Island, traffic runs contraflow with one lane in each direction until December, and the exit for Nuns' Island is closed until the end of May. Highway 40: The Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge between Vaudreuil-Dorion and Montreal Island is down to two lanes in each direction. Ste-Catherine St.: The street is closed to traffic between Stanley St. and McGill College Ave. for work on major renovations through summer. Jean-Talon St.: Work on building the Blue Line métro extension will force parts of Jean-Talon St. to be closed. Affected buses (in particular 141 and 372) are detoured onto Bélanger and Everett Sts. to avoid those areas. St-Jacques St.: Work on underground infrastructure has closed the street between St-Philippe St. and De Courcelle St. until the end of May. Pie-IX Blvd.: Work to extend the SRB Pie-IX south means only one lane is open in each direction between Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave. and Notre-Dame St. Ontario, Adam and Ste-Catherine Sts. remain open through Pie-IX, but other cross streets are closed west of Pie-IX. St-Urbain St.: The overpass over the Ville-Marie Expressway is closed for a long renovation until the end of 2026. Pedestrian access is maintained. Pedestrianized streets this summer Mont-Royal Ave. between St-Laurent Blvd. and St-Denis St. until Oct. 16 and between St-Denis St. and De Lorimier Ave. from until Sept. 4. Duluth Ave. E. between St-Laurent Blvd. and St-Hubert St. from June 16 to Oct. 16. Wellington St. between 6th Ave. and Regina St. from June 2 to Sept. 19. Ste-Catherine St. E. between St-Hubert St. and Papineau Ave. and a short stretch of St-Christophe St. between Ste-Catherine St. E. and 1278 St-Christophe St., until Oct. 14. St-Denis St. between Sherbrooke and Ste-Catherine Sts., and Émery St. between Sanguinet and St-Denis Sts., from June 14 to Sept. 15. Ontario St. E. between Pie-IX Blvd. and Darling St. from June 16 to Sept. 12. Bernard Ave. W. between Wiseman and Bloomfield Sts. from May 24 to Sept. 21. De Castelnau St. E. between St-Denis St. and de Gaspé Ave. from May 12 to Nov. 7.
Montreal Gazette
28-05-2025
- Montreal Gazette
How to plan for Tour de l'Île road closures
By Close to 40,000 cyclists will take to Montreal streets this weekend to ride in the annual Tour la Nuit and Tour de l'Île. Organized by Vélo Québec, the events will close some roads east of Pie-IX Blvd. Here's what you need to know to navigate city streets and avoid a tow. 'It's possible to get around by car this weekend in Montreal,' Vélo Québec President Jean-François Rheault told reporters at a Wednesday morning press conference. But 'it might not be the route you're used to taking.' Tour la Nuit will close roads Friday between 7:30 p.m. and midnight along a 21-kilometre route in the Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, St-Léonard and Montreal North boroughs. The longer Tour de l'Île will take place Sunday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and will see 50 kilometres of roads between Gouin Blvd. and Notre-Dame St. and Pie-IX Blvd. and the eastern tip of the island closed to cars. 'We want it to be a festive and enjoyable event and for everyone to share that enjoyment — cyclists and drivers,' City of Montreal Spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said. Drivers heading east-west through the city can still take Highway 40, Sherbrooke St., Souligny Ave. and portions Notre-Dame St. throughout the events. Autoroute 25 will also remain open, allowing north-south access off the island from the affected areas. Vélo Québec is also maintaining a hotline to help drivers, pedestrians and public transit riders plan routes and has posted maps of the planned closures. The road closures are also set to be shown on Waze and Google Maps, Sabourin said. The event will impact 27 STM bus routes. A special shuttle, No. 809, will be in place for people in Pointe-aux-Trembles who would normally take buses 86 or 189, to shuttle them to Marien Ave. More information is available at The City of Montreal has readied 18 tow trucks for the Tour la Nuit route Friday evening, Sabourin said, warning that a towed vehicle costs drivers around $194. Tow trucks will also be on call for the Sunday event. Drivers can 'avoid surprises,' he said, by consulting the maps. Drivers on the Friday evening route will have until 1 p.m. that day to move their cars, while cars parked on the Sunday route are required to relocate by 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Vélo Québec communicated the closures well ahead of time, Rheault said, posting signs along the routes over a week in advance, calling some businesses directly and mailing around 10,000 pamphlets. This year's Tour de l'Île is the 40th edition, adopting an '80s theme to commemorate the occasion, Rheault said. 'It's certainly an important event in the construction of Montreal's cycling culture,' he said, adding that participants report they travel by bike more often following the event. 'The bicycle is a simple solution to complicated problems. It's good for mobility. It's good for the environment. It's good for health.' The event also boosts Montreal's economy, he said, by attracting tourist dollars from Ontario and the United States. Both the Friday and Sunday events are likely to see between 18,000 and 19,000 participants, Rheault said. Registration remains open for both. At a glance The Tour la Nuit kicks of Friday with staggered starts between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Tour de l'Île is Sunday with staggered starts between 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Registration for both events is available at Participants can also register at the starting line.
