On May 9, 2024, les amis du parc Meadowbrook and Sauvons la Falaise were invited to participate with many other environmental groups and representatives of the City of Montreal and the academic community in a co-design workshop that focused on three green corridors being contemplated in Montreal:
– A link between Meadowbrook and the falaise Saint-Jacques
– Connectivity in the greater southwest, notably between the Lachine Canal and the St. Lawrence River
– The Ruisseaux corridor, linking the St. Lawrence River to Rivière-des-Prairies in east-end Montreal.
Organized by the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal and UQAM’s Pôle sur la ville résiliente, the workshop identified the challenges of these projects, possible solutions and partners which could lend a hand.
With regard to the link between Meadowbrook and the Falaise, several possibilities were identified, ranging from a two-way bike lane on Brock Street South in Montreal West to facilitate access to the Bande verte via the de Maisonneuve Boulevard bike path (which could definitely use some greening!), to the continuation of a stretch of bike path on West Broadway in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce to join Hydro-Québec’s green corridor in Montreal West. Many of these suggestions appear to have been included in Montreal’s 2019 Bicycle Plan, but have not been implemented to date.
Participants also discussed the possibility of opening up the Saint-Pierre district by creating a bike path along Milton and Ronald avenues to reach the Bande verte. Unfortunately, a veritable spaghetti of railway tracks and power lines dubbed the “Bermuda Triangle” prevents any direct access by Lachine residents to the Meadowbrook site.
The main obstacles to connectivity and active mobility were found to be the presence of road and rail infrastructure, and the absence of bicycle paths in Montreal West. Participants also noted the dangers posed by the pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the St. Pierre Exchange, which cyclists travelling to and fro cross at their own peril.
Also on the agenda was the conservation of the Falaise arc (the Falaise actually extends all the way to Dorval, and is visible along Highway 20), which in places consists of thin strips squeezed behind buildings.
A question of environmental justice
In examining the possible links between the falaise Saint-Jacques (in the center right of the map) and Meadowbrook (opposite, in the center left), we turned our attention to the map of the area’s vulnerabilities, particularly its vulnerability to flooding.
We were struck by the fact that lower-income neighbourhoods are often the most vulnerable (sections in red and orange on the map), with Saint-Pierre (VSP) – in the middle of our illustration- and Westhaven (WH) – a bit further up-being two examples.
To find out if your area is vulnerable to flooding, look up the Atlas des vulnérabilités web site at https://atlas-vulnerabilite.ulaval.ca/
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
