The city of Montreal plans to close a large downtown area to cars and trucks on Friday morning to mark international Car-Free Day.

Created in 2002, the event is designed to discourage people from using their cars in the city.

At 9:30 a.m., the area enclosed by McGill College Avenue, and St-Urbain, Maisonneuve, and René-Lévesque streets will be off-limits to cars, and open to pedestrians and bicycles. The zone will reopen to motorized traffic at 3:30 p.m.

"We want the maximum of people to come downtown, to learn more about public transit, the environment, public health, etc.," said Melanie Nadeau, a spokeswoman with Montreal's transit agency, which is hosting the day's events.

The agency also plans to lay down grass on part of Ste-Catherine Street, Nadeau said. "We're just going to let people come and walk on it, or take their lunch, or anything."

Other streets, including Camilien Houde, which runs up the side of Mount Royal, will be shut down as well, to the delight of les Amis de la Montagne spokeswoman Gabrielle Korn.

"We've often fantasized, if you will, about being able to close off the road for some activity," she said.

Despite fears that the event would cause massive gridlock around the perimeter, last year's edition of Car-Free Day had positive benefits, organizers said.

Ridership on buses, subway lines and commuter trains spiked by about 10 per cent — while carbon monoxide levels downtown dropped by 90 per cent.