If you're planning on being anywhere in or near the downtown core on Friday, you might want to rethink your plans — especially if you're a motorist.
The massive climate march on Friday, organized by the same people that brought 150,000 people into the streets for a march for climate last March 15, is expected to draw twice that number of people into the streets, and getting around town might be hectic, to say the least.
For one thing, buses and metros will be free throughout the day — and that might mean they'll be a bit more crowded than usual.
And while Montreal police aren't divulging exactly where the marchers will be, and when they'll start, participants are being told to gather at the Georges-Etienne-Cartier statue in Mount Royal Park at 11 a.m. The march is expected to run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. — we're being told that the marchers will head south on Park Ave., go east on Sherbrooke St., then south on St. Laurent Blvd., then west on René-Levesque before turning south on Robert-Bourassa Blvd. as far as Notre-Dame St.
By around 5 p.m. — and by this point in the day, it's impossible to say exactly when anything will start or finish — there will be speeches at the march's end point, including one from well-known teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as musical performances.
Everything should wrap up by around 7 p.m. — again, give or take. Activity should start to get back to normal right around then.
Throughout the day on Friday, there will be a few things you'll want to take note of:
• Montreal Police have identified a chunk of the downtown core you'll want to avoid if you have to be there for something other than a climate march: bordered by Berri St. (to the east), Peel St. (to the west), St. Joseph Blvd. (to the north) and De La Commune (to the south).
• Robert-Bourassa Blvd. and the Bonaventure expressway closed completely in both directions, along with the access from the Ville-Marie expressway
• All lanes closed on the inbound Victoria Bridge, two lanes open to the South Shore
• Expect very high volumes of passengers on the orange, green and yellow Metro lines
• Almost 50 STM, RTL bus lines and trains will be affected or cancelled
• The downtown and Mansfield stations will not be in use because buses will not be able to access the Bonaventure Expressway, so they will be redirected to the Longueuil and Angrignon metro stations.
⚠️ Marche pour le climat : planifiez vos déplacements ⚠️
— Police Montréal (@SPVM) September 26, 2019
La circulation sera particulièrement difficile dans la zone comprise entre Berri, Peel, St-Joseph et de la Commune en raison des entraves et du grand nombre de participants attendu.
En savoir + : https://t.co/jmO13BEFPa pic.twitter.com/YiVcBpI81t