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Montreal’s new administration is forging ahead with a plan to ban drivers from using the scenic road through the city’s iconic Mount Royal park despite public outcry, Mayor Valerie Plante said Tuesday.

The mountain road that stretches along the city’s famous cemetery and Beaver Lake, offering gorgeous panoramic views of the island, was never meant to be a main artery, she said.

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“We have to reappropriate the park and we have the political courage to do so,” Plante said in response to questions about a 14,000-signature petition that demands the city change course.

Montrealers shouldn’t be too surprised Plante’s new government is taking away a favourite shortcut to get from one end of the city to the other.

Her party campaigned on a promise to “gradually reduce transit traffic on the access road to Mount Royal Park.”

Additionally, the consequences of her decision to name Luc Ferrandez as head of the city’s big parks shouldn’t shock anyone either.