Global News ran an experiment to see how long it took to drive on typical streets downtown. It took one of our news trucks 40 minutes to cover less than 6 km during non-peak hours in the city of Montreal.
Global took three routes — Saint-Antoine to Sherbrooke on de la Montagne Street (.9 km), Atwater to Berri on Sherbrooke Street (3.4 km), and Bleury to Peel on René Lévesque Boulevard (1.3 km).
The third leg was the shortest, largely because the reporter chose the westbound route. Eastbound René Lévesque Boulevard whittles down to one lane on that stretch and chokes with traffic.
The Sherbrooke Street leg took 22 minutes, owing to blocks of construction underway and hordes of pedestrians. With McGill University back in session police are at several intersections directing foot traffic.
Currently, de la Montagne is home to at least three construction sites — that leg took 10 minutes. Traffic can’t go north of Ste-Catherine due to construction. The drive occurred between 1:45 and 3 p.m.