Bike paths: the numbers
In L’actualité, Karel Mayrand dissects the facts about bike paths in Montreal: in 2020, there were more than a million cyclists here, against 983,000 motor vehicles, while cars dominate 75% of the public roadway vs. barely 1% for cyclists.
He also reminds us that even though Valérie Plante is both praised and condemned for being the cyclist mayor, Bixi was started under Tremblay then rescued under Coderre, and that Plante has added 220 km to the bike path network so far – the same as Coderre. Lots of other crunchy facts and stats here that defy the complaints that bike paths cost too much money and take up too much space.
DavidH 19:57 on 2024-11-29 Permalink
Coderre’s bike path mileage is mostly paint on asphalt with no real infrastructure though, not real thought-out bike paths like the REV or the Bellechasse lanes which Projet championed.
Kate 20:10 on 2024-11-29 Permalink
True. But they also made some people mad.
CE 23:39 on 2024-11-29 Permalink
Tremblay actually did quite a bit for cycling when he was mayor. Bixi started under him which has revolutionized cycling not just here but around the world. The de Maisonneuve bike path was built by his administration. The de Maisonneuve path is a bit quaint and outdated now but when it was built, there was nothing really like it in North America.
DeWolf 23:48 on 2024-11-29 Permalink
The Ford debacle in Ontario makes me nervous, but I just need to keep telling myself that we are so much further along than Toronto ever was, and despite all the moaning in QMI outlets and on social media, there is much broader political and popular support here for active transport than there has ever been in Ontario. It isn’t just Montreal making these improvements but cities all over Quebec. Check out what has been happening under Bruno Marchand in Quebec City.
Plante isn’t a revolutionary. Her legacy is taking things that were already underway in Montreal under previous administrations, namely public space improvements and cycling infrastructure, and making them more robust, more coherent in their implementation and much higher quality. But the framework was already in place and it will still be in place after she leaves office.