Montreal unveils revitalization plan for La Fontaine Park

The City of Montreal is looking to overhaul La Fontaine Park with a special focus on pedestrians and cyclists as part of a sweeping plan to freshen up the green space.

The plan, which was presented Tuesday night, to overhaul the sprawling park in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough comes after two years of public consultations.

"It's not just a plan to highlight the park," said borough Mayor Luc Ferrandez. "It's also a transformation plan."

It focuses on improving the park for pedestrians by turning Emile-Duployé Avenue, the only street that runs through the park, into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare. The street currently splits the park in two.

• Valérie Plante defends plan to block traffic on Mount Royal: 'We have a treasure, and we need to protect it'

As part of the plan, the Plante administration is also looking to limit traffic on Parc-La Fontaine Avenue and move the bike path in the park onto the street — a move that's being lauded by pedestrian groups.

"It's a space where cohabitation with pedestrians is not always easy," said Jeanne Robin, the spokesperson for Piétons Québec.

"Giving a reserved space for cyclists on Parc-La Fontaine Avenue will improve the situation for everyone."

The city also plans to renovate and reopen the théâtre de Verdure, which has been closed for three years. It will also refurbish the pond in the middle of the park.

The Plante administration says the changes will happen gradually over the next 10 to 15 years. 

Tommy Tremblay, the president of the collectif citoyen Avenir parc La Fontaine, says he is excited by the changes but told Radio-Canada the delay is too long.

"It's much too far away in terms of a timeline," he said. "For our part, We will push for it to be organized much earlier."