Bike path construction project blocking traffic to Old Montreal restaurants

Like many restaurants on McGill Street, Restaurant Helena manager Daniel Loureiro is gearing up for the fall, their busiest, and most lucrative season.

“October, November, December are the best three months in our business because there’s a lot of conferences in Montreal, there’s a bit of tourism still and obviously Christmas parties,” he said.

But starting Oct. 1, the city of Montreal will be installing a permanent bike barrier on McGill Sreet, a project that is expected to take at least six weeks.

Loureiro said not only is this the worst possible timing for his restaurant, but it comes months after the city repaved the same bike path, causing problems for his customers to access the restaurant.

He said he’s tried to contact the city and convince them to push up the project until spring, a far less busy time.

“I don’t mind bike path but just try to help me here,” he said.

Down the street at Restaurant Graziella, owner Graziella Battista said it’s been a particularly busy construction season, to the extent that she didn’t bother setting up a terrasse this summer.

“Everyone has experienced a 20 to 30 per cent decrease in clients and in sales and their business,” she said. “And for our business, that’s a lot.”

Battista has become the spokesperson for restaurants on the street and is trying to work with the city to find a solution. She said they have assured her they will keep at least one lane open, but Battista is concerned customers will avoid the sector altogether.

“I think we need to bring back the vitality that was in the neighborhood, because people have been avoiding the neighborhood because of all of these detours, and it takes them forever to get to their destination,” she said.

The city told CTV News it has already postponed the project once to respect the summer period for restaurateurs, and the work needs to be done.

It added that compensation won’t be available to business owners since the work will take less than six months.

Loureiro said he uses the bike path to get to work each morning, and supports making it safer, but he’s frustrated that his business will have to put up with another roadblock at a time when they should be focusing on filling tables.