These actions will facilitate downtown Montreal’s pedestrian travel and return to work while positioning the neighbourhood as a safe and comfortable place to visit.
Destination centre-ville, the Downtown Business Development Corporation (SDC), which represents almost 5,000 businesses in Montreal’s downtown core, is announcing the implementation over the coming days of adapted amenities that apply cleanliness and mobility measures to downtown Montreal. These initiatives, which have received support from the city of Montreal and the Ville-Marie borough, represent concrete solutions addressing the new COVID-19 reality on commercial arteries.
4 measures for the downtown core:
- A 20-person cleaning brigade covering the entire territory
- Sanitary bike stations along de Maisonneuve Boulevard
- Signage and user-friendly street furniture to help manage waiting lines on Saint Catherine Street West
- New flower pots on its main arteries
Since its creation more than 20 years ago, Destination centre-ville’s priority has always been keeping downtown Montreal clean and safe. Today more than ever, this mandate is of utmost importance. With businesses reopening as of May 25, we want to do our part to reassure citizens via the implementation of concrete measures that address the progressive return of workers and clients while respecting current health regulations said Emile Roux, Executive Director of Destination centre-ville
It is becoming even more essential to offer Montrealers the safe public spaces they need to shop, go to work or just get some fresh air while staying active. These new amenities will allow citizens to easily and safely travel downtown while respecting physical distancing. It is also great news for the businesses downtown which were hit hard by the crisis said Valerie Plante, Mayor of the city of Montreal.
A cleaning brigade working for downtown Montreal
Destination centre-ville employs a cleaning brigade year-round that works seven days a week to clean and green downtown Montreal’s streets. This summer, its mission will be especially crucial in order to ensure businesses’ smooth operations on the sector bounded by Sherbrooke, Saint Antoine and Saint-Urbain Streets as well as Atwater Avenue.
Equipped with gloves, protective masks and disinfectant solution, the 20-person brigade will also install more than 1200 planters and flower pots downtown over the month of May.
Sanitized bike stations along de Maisonneuve Boulevard
The first four sanitized bike stations, both free and accessible to all, will be installed as of June and will remain available until October 4, 2020. They will be located along the bike path on de Maisonneuve Boulevard and each will be able to accommodate 50 bikes. They will also offer charging stations for electric bikes. Supervised between 10 am and 7pm, the stations will also be accessible at night, but without supervision. The stations were designed by ÃŽlot 84, a Montreal-based organization that revitalizes urban spaces.
We anticipate that our network of bike paths will be very crowded this summer, since bikes allow us to respect physical distancing. Numerous bike stands equipped with disinfectant solution over the summer (more than 800 liters), cleaning stations and a reception area to communicate health regulations will be installed in multiple strategic locations downtown M. Roux added.
Signage and new user-friendly street furniture for waiting lines on Saint Catherine Street West
Widened pedestrian walkways on Saint Catherine West will offer extra space with three aisles: one aisle for people waiting in line, one aisle for pedestrian traffic in each direction and a rest area with colourful cubes depicting the symbolic rainbow, all separated by signage marking the pavement. The user-friendly street furniture was designed by DIX au carre, a Quebec design firm renowned for its public installations.
“The new installations on Saint Catherine Street West are vital for merchants to be able to open their doors under the right conditions. Sports Experts has taken every measure necessary to create a safe shopping environment. Destination centre-ville will ensure that that outside, the street and common space will be kept safe in order to send a strong message to our clients, reassuring them that they belong in downtown Montreal, says Paul-Andre Goulet, owner of Sports Experts on Saint Catherine Street West.
Feature image: Prototype of the bike station courtesy of ÃŽlot 84 for The Downtown Business Development Corporation
About Destination centre-ville – The Downtown Business Development Corporation (SDC) is a goal-oriented nonprofit organization whose mission is to contribute to the development, animation and promotion of downtown Montreal. It brings together more than 5,000 businesses located between Atwater avenue and Saint-Urbain Street and between Sherbrooke Street and Saint-Antoine Street. Founded in 1999, it is the largest commercial development corporation of its kind in Canada.
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