Montreal, Quebec – The City of Montreal laid out its 10-year climate plan on Thursday, which includes steps to ban non-electric cars downtown and remove parking around subway stations.
“Even if the pandemic isn’t over, it’s important for us to present this plan today,” said Montreal mayor Valerie Plante said at a news conference.
“On the eve of having a vaccine (for COVID-19)…there’s a glimmer of hope there, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, so it’s the best time to recall a fight that’s even bigger, more immense and more mammoth than the pandemic, which was a challenge, and it’s climate change.”
The initial 10-year plan which Plante just announced aims to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, with the ultimate goal to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2050.
According to the Montreal Gazette, the specific measures regarding emissions-free vehicles and transportation are as follows:
- Encouraging “sustainable mobility” in neighbourhoods and future urban developments, such as the zero-carbon emission neighbourhood planned for the former Hippodrome site
- Increasing the proportion of electric vehicles, notably by converting all of the municipal fleet to electric. The plan also calls for a ban on non-electric vehicles in the greater downtown core by 2030. The city says it will consult businesses and residents before implementing the ban. Other cities have banned gasoline-powered cars in their downtown core.
- Encouraging car-sharing and reducing the number of single-passenger car trips by 25 per cent
- Eliminating outdoor parking around métro stations to make way for greening projects and real-estate development. The ban would cover municipal parking spaces and private and institutional parking around businesses and schools
