Municipal road map update proposed

Summary#

Montréal city council gave notice of a proposed bylaw, Règlement modifiant le Règlement identifiant les réseaux de voirie artérielle et locale (02-003). It is not adopted yet; if adopted, it would amend bylaw 02-003 by updating the map of the City’s arterial and local road networks. City staff say the goal is to reflect changes to the road network since the last update in 2023.

  • The proposed map update covers road-network geometry, including added or removed road segments and changes such as new medians.
  • It would not reapply the criteria used to classify streets as arterial or local.
  • The network map helps divide road responsibilities between the City’s central services and boroughs.

What it means for you#

  • Residents: This notice of motion does not itself change road responsibilities or make the proposed map effective. The materials do not list the specific streets affected.
  • Boroughs and City services: If adopted, the updated map would reflect road-network changes in the division of responsibilities between boroughs and central services.
  • General public: The proposed update does not automatically make a local street arterial because, for example, a new bike path is added.

Money#

City staff say the update has no financial impact because transfers to boroughs have not been calculated using road area since 2022.

  • The materials give no cost estimate for preparing or applying the update.

What is unclear#

  • The proposed map is not included in the materials provided, so the affected road segments cannot be identified.
  • The materials do not give a date for a later vote or say when the bylaw would take effect if adopted.
  • The notice does not set out any new process for boroughs or residents to question or appeal a map change.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the update is that the road map used to divide responsibilities should reflect streets opened, removed, or physically reconfigured since 2023.
  • City staff say the update is limited to those changes, rather than a new assessment of how streets meet the existing classification criteria.

Case against#

  • The materials do not show which segments would change, making it hard to assess the effects on particular streets or borough responsibilities.
  • The update would not reassess street classifications using the existing criteria, so it would not address whether those classifications still fit the role of each street.