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Driving woes | What streets to avoid in Montreal traffic

Montreal evening rush hour

Just like any other self-respecting cosmopolitan city, Montreal would not be complete without its own version of morningand afternoon rush hour. In fact, Montreal traffic has caused the city to receive the dubious honor of ranking asthe tenth most congested city in North America last year, according to Global News. Indeed, commuting in Montreal cancertainly be a huge challenge, especially when what Canadians refer to as “construction season” (or summer, in layman’sterms) is in full swing. The fact that Montreal is an island also doesn’t help the situation, as there are only limited ways inand out via bridges and a tunnel which quickly get overrun with cars. While Montreal traffic is often unpredictable duringpeak rush hours (6:30-8:30 AM and 3:30-6:00PM), this list of Montreal’s most generously jammed areas should help youplot a more peaceful course. Get to know what streets to avoid while in Montreal traffic and if all else fails, we recommendpublic transportation or your bike!

The Ville Marie: “Express” way

Construction and traffic on the Ville Marie Expressway

This busy thruway should definitely be considered as one of the worse culprits of Montreal traffic. The Ville MarieExpressway is an auto-route which parallels the downtown area from East to West, and diverts off to various areas of thecity via a series of exits. It branches off towards the 20 West (a key highway to get to the West Island and Ontario) at itswest-most point, and heads out towards Montreal East in the other direction. Usually, it offers drivers a quick means ofgetting around the city, instead of going through the often congested downtown core. However, during rush hour, it can bea veritable parking lot depending on the exit you happen to be approaching. The worst exits are those leading towardsoutbound bridges, such as the Mountain Street exit (another street to avoid during rush hour as it leads to the VictoriaBridge) and the Papineau/De Lorimier exit. Since savvy motorists tend to try and avoid these particular exits, a somewhatironic queue of commuters looking to escape the usual jams tends to form at the nearby St-Laurent/Berri exit as well.

Meanwhile in its westward direction, the Ville Marie spills onto Autoroute 720 West on the right (also known as the TurcotYards), and towards the Champlain Bridge on the left. While it’s clear that bridge traffic is a given, the 720 West optionalso offers nasty traffic surprises. After all, this vital artery provides access to the vast suburbs of the West Island, and isan important truck route for pan-Canadian transportation, as it leads onwards to Ontario and further West. As such, allthose commuters heading to or from home alongside long lines of truck traffic often make for a clog the likes ofwhich causes gridlock for kilometers.

In short, while for many the Ville Marie is an unavoidable daily hassle, it could be useful to try some local back roadswhich parallel this expressway, or again, risk going through the downtown core to get to your destination. If you really can’tstomach the stop-and-go however, consider the STM’s trains and buses!

The 720 and the 20 West: Not just airport traffic

Ville Marie traffic spilling onto highway 720

As mentioned above, many of Montreal’s most popular downtown arteries lead to the 20, and its segment nearest to thecity, called the 7-20. We humbly theorize that the 7 is a multiplier for the amount of traffic to expect on the 20 as youapproach the city. In all seriousness however, while it’s not located near the downtown core, many commuters use thishuge highway to get to and from the Montreal. These twin twenties also lead to Trudeau International Airport, and manymotorists and buses alike are almost constantly creating a back-and-forth backlog. Highway 20 is also one of the mainpassages to Ontario, and many commercial trucking lines use it alongside West-Island commuters. The beautiful andpeaceful West Island region in turn, is in part accessed by the 20, and can subsequently fall victim to the most heinous ofMontreal traffic. As such, many West-Islanders tired of the 20’s tricks depend on the reliable train services throughout thearea. Like them, if you can avoid rush hour on the twenty, it’s probably a smart (and patience-saving) move.

The Decarie Trench: Undisputed Montreal traffic titan

The Decarie expressway in traffic

Here’s another street-turned-expressway-gone-mad, in terms of Montreal traffic turmoil. This literal transportation trenchcarved into the bowels of the Notre-Dame-De-Grace (NDG) and Cote-des-Neiges neighborhoods sends shivers up thespines of many Montreal commuters on a daily basis. The Decarie, a busy stretch of highway 15, is a 6-lane highway on aNorth-South axis, servicing many popular Montreal neighborhoods via numerous exits. In theory, it’s a quicker way to getfrom one side of Mount-Royal to the other while bypassing many key neighborhoods. During rush hour however, thetemptation to forfeit this commuting fiasco is strong for many motorists. After all, the meandering drive through the windingand picturesque streets of NDG and Westmount might prove to be a more pleasant journey than the walled-in concrete ofthe Decarie. Many get that very same idea however, so either way, you can’t be in a rush. The Decarie Northeventually forks towards Laval on one side, and towards Highway 40 (or TransCanada Highway) on another. TheTransCanada, as the name implies, is a highway stretching the entire country, so trucking traffic is a definite issue there,while Laval as the second biggest city in Quebec, is also a popular (and gridlocked) destination for off-island commuters.In short, nothing very pleasant or timely ever results from the Decarie at rush hour, so if you can avoid this treacheroustrench, it might spare some of your nerves.

Papineau Street: Slow go, but a lovely view

Traffic on Papineau Street in Montreal

Papineau street, as one of the main eastern arteries which slices Montreal North to South, is generally a very useful anddirect means of getting from the proverbial top to the bottom of the island (once you bypass its sometimes infuriating one-way segments). Unfortunately, where Papineau crosses Maisonneuve happens to be the access point to the JacquesCartier Bridge, one of the most heavily used outbound routes for suburban commuters. On a good Montreal traffic day, thewait to board the bridge is about 15 to 20 minutes, but on a bad day, the wait can extend to well over 45 minutes. Thisbridge congestion can reach all the way up into the Plateau, some ten blocks North of Sherbrooke street. All surroundingroutes feeding Papineau also become entangled in the mess, so other streets to be wary of are Ontario East, SherbrookeEast and Rene Levesque Boulevard. Beware the bridge blockage!

Saint-Catherine Street: So much to see, so little parking

Saint-Catherine street traffic

While this suggestion might seem more obvious for local Montrealers, it bears repeating for any potential visitors, or evensome first-time car owners in the city. Officially known as Rue Sainte Catherine, this historic 11.5 kilometer stretch spansthe entire downtown core from East to West. Piercing through the very heart of downtown Montreal with all its glamorousshops, trendy restaurants, exciting show venues and art galleries, traffic here (whether it’s rush hour or not) is always agiven on a normal day. On a less normal day, where perhaps some of Montreal’s renowned festivals are taking place,many parts of Saint-Catherine street may be subject to closure, not to mention that in the summer, the entirety of theGayVillage is closed off to vehicles. As one of Montreal’s oldest streets, this road full of history, quirky venues and touristattractions is ideal for exploring the charms of downtown on foot, but for motorists wishing to get to their destination quickly,it’s definitely to be avoided at all times.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard: A risky bet for motivated motorists

Another iconic Montreal street, the former Francophone downtown, is le Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Also known as “TheMain”, it is undeniably one of the most culturally interesting streets in the entire city, where a melange of culturalbackgrounds, fascinating neighborhoods, gourmet food and eclectic nightlife converge. However, it is also a veritableimpasse for anyone wishing to drive up its one-way stretch in a car. Taking Saint-Laurent might seem tempting, as it is aseemingly direct North-South artery which bypasses most of the more popular neighborhoods in Montreal. In fact,it happens to be one of the more direct ways to get into the Plateau, a popular neighborhood for students, artists andyoung professionals, but taking a car there is still generally bad idea. This is because most folks living near Saint-Laurentare of the two-wheeled persuasion, and subsequently hoards of cyclists tread pavement alongside all the cars from themoment the snow has melted (and sometimes even when it hasn’t). At its Northern-most point, St-Laurent leads toHighway 40 (the TransCanada). While the ride there is a feast for the culturally-hungry, as the famous boulevard goesthrough Little Portugal, Little Italy and the famous Jean-Talon market, it is definitely to be avoided if you’re lacking in time.Traffic on Saint-Laurent is constant in the best of cases, and only worsens even more when nightclubs begin opening theirdoors… that is if the street is even open at all to cars, as is often not the case during its many summer street festivals. Inother words, Saint-Laurent is a gem to Montrealers, but a definite dud for motorists.

Saint Laurent street in Montreal during a street fair

While getting where you want to go is sometimes tedious in Montreal traffic, there’s a reason locals and visitors alike gothrough this daily marathon.

To learn more about the wonderful neighborhoods and communities that make the trip worthwhile, check out Navut’sNeighborhood Profiles and see for yourself why at the end of the day, the traffic is easily forgotten.

On a final note, if there’s one thing we know, it’s that Montreal drivers love trading traffic stories. Whether you’re from thecity or outside, why not enlighten us and help out your fellow motorists by picking out your own candidates for the worsttraffic in Montreal? Leave us a comment below!

(Photos: LaPresse, Nancy Wu)