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The city says it is backing off after plans to create a temporary pedestrian corridor on Notre-Dame Street in the Sud-Ouest borough generated major backlash.
On Tuesday, the eastbound lane of Notre-Dame between Vinet and Workman streets was closed and parking spots were cut so the city could create an active mobility corridor — an area reserved for pedestrians and cyclists in order to make physical distancing easier.
But late Thursday, Sud-Ouest Borough Mayor Benoit Dorais announced the street would be put back the way it was.
In a Facebook post, Dorais said the project had been welcomed by the SDC les Quartiers du Canal, a merchants' association, but later realized that opinion wasn't shared by merchants on the street.
"It seems the installation was not wanted by local merchants and we have therefore decided to remove the temporary installations," Dorais wrote.
Dorais said the borough will work on other ways of supporting the business owners struggling because of COVID-19.
Several restaurant owners on the street said they had not been given enough notice of the changes and had not been consulted.
They were concerned that the removal of parking spaces on the street would make it harder for people to access their businesses.
Some residents in the area were also concerned that the lane closure would only lead to more traffic on residential streets, and make nearby intersections more dangerous.
The merchants' association recommended the city take down the active mobility corridor in an open letter Thursday, acknowledging several business owners were unhappy with the decision.
The organization said it agreed to the project because it thought it would help relaunch business in the area, and that there was a lack of communication between the organization and the business owners.
The Quartiers du Canal said it was first consulted about the project back in May, when the city first announced it would be developing several active mobility corridors.
In a statement, city spokesperson Youssef Amane said merchants who already installed terrasses on the street will be allowed to keep them.
"We'll make sure the layout is safe for everyone," he said.