Montreal Street Reconfiguration Could Remove Parking, and Businesses Aren't Happy

The city of Montreal will spend $123 million on the first phase of a project to revamp Ste-Catherine Street, removing 140 on-street parking locations in the process. More parking spots could follow.

1 minute read

November 22, 2018, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Montreal, Quebec

Benoit Daoust / Shutterstock

Andy Riga reports on a parking controversy in Montreal, where Mayor Valérie Plante's administration has been "denying that it has already decided to eliminate almost 500 parking spots on Ste-Catherine St."

According to Riga, the Plante administration announced Phase 1 of a planned revamp of Ste-Catherine Street earlier this year, which included plans to remove the 140 parking spots between Bleury and Mansfield streets.

Then, earlier this week, "city council approved a contract to a consortium led by CIMA+ to study Phase 2 — the 1.7-kilometre stretch between Mansfield and Atwater Ave., where work would start after 2022." The feasibility study for Phase 2 included language that indicated the city plans to remove street parking on this second section of the project as well.

Those plans provoked some political and business leaders in the city to oppose the project out of fear that the street would lose retail shoppers to suburban malls in nearby cities.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018 in Montreal Gazette

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight