Mount Royal Cemetery to ban cyclists as of Aug. 1CTV Montreal    Cyclists who enjoy going through the Mount Royal Cemetery are in for a disappointment. On Thursday, cemetery management announced cyclists won’t be allowed through as of Aug. 1 in an effort to preserve the peace and tranquility of the grounds. Executive Director David Scott said cyclists have been warned for years to respect the rules of the cemetery, but those warnings have often been ignored. Among the rules are that cyclists can’t bike together in groups larger than four people, must ride single file and can go no faster than 10 kilometres per hour. “The large groups of sports cyclists, particularly the folks in training mode, groups of 10, 20, 30, sometimes 40 or 50 people, accessing the cemetery during opening hours just isn’t compatible with general cemetery visitors,” he said. “People come here to visit a bereaved family member or gravesite.” Scott said the decision was not connected to the city’s recent pilot project banning cars from Camilien-Houde and was instead made to make visitors feel safe and relaxed. An increasing number of cyclists has used the cemetery to cross the Mount Royal for a number of years. “We’re located between the two summits, we have steep hills; it's fantastic for training purposes. I understand that, but it’s the reason that it's grown out of hand,” said Scott. Mario Paul, who lives near the cemetery, said he approves of the ban, especially since he and his wife had a close call with a cyclist not long ago. “The guy almost hit us because he was going maybe 40 kilometres per hour… the bikes going too fast, so we were scared," he said. "I guess it happened many times to many people." Some cyclists said they were disappointed, adding that the grounds should be used for all sorts of visitors, as long as they are quiet and respectful. Scott said the cemetery’s main function is to serve those who are visiting their deceased loved ones. Deborah Sakaitis, who regularly visits her father, grandfather, aunt and uncles’ graves, is pleased. “I think it’s wonderful. I think it's totally inappropriate to be racing your bike through a cemetery,” she said.