Cycling rises, transit falls
More and more Montrealers are getting around on bicycles, but the gain is at the expense of public transit, not driving.
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Ian 20:22 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
Makes sense really, becasue most people would be replacing a nearby commute or short trip. IN that regard as long as the weather is nice, bicycles are often more convenient. When I worked near my home I could easily bike to work in half the time the bus took, mostly becasue I wasn’t swasting time standing around waitign for it to arrive. I still hop on my bike to go to the nearby grocery stores – it’s easier than worrying about parking and just as fast with traffic.
When I’m driving 35 minutes to the west island at 6 am along the 40, bicycling instead never crosses my mind, lol.
DeWolf 22:20 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
That’s not quite the full picture, because at least in central Montreal (basically the pre-merger city plus Westmount, Outremont and Verdun), the share of people driving has decreased.
In 2013, the commuting picture looked like this: 7% cycling, 11% walking, 29% driving, 46% transit.
In 2023, it looked like this: 14% cycling, 13% walking, 24% driving, 42% transit.
That’s a 7% increase in cycling, a 2% increase in walking, a 5% decline in driving and a 4% decline in transit.
The full breakdown between different parts of Montreal is here:
https://forum.agoramtl.com/t/reseau-cyclable-montrealais-discussion-generale/342/2690?u=kilgoretrout
DeWolf 22:22 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
Incidentally, the problem with most mobility studies is they focus on commutes rather than on all travel, which means they miss out on exactly the kind of modal complexity that is common in places like central Montreal. The “transport cocktail” that Ian describes is pretty common, but in a study he would be considered a car commuter just because that’s how he gets to work.
There are a lot of car commuters in central Montreal but I imagine very few of them rely entirely on their car for all their activities.
vasi 01:59 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
That’s a really good point DeWolf, thanks!
MarcG 08:19 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
In the LaPresse chart it shows an increase in automobile use in Longueuil and the Couronne Sud, but the numbers in their reports show decreases – am I misunderstanding something or did they make mistakes?
Nicholas 12:05 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
Just to clarify, while most studies just show work trips (like census data does), this one does all trips. I was mailed a letter to take part in this cycle, and it had a link to a website where I had to list every single trip every single member of the household took the day prior, and which mode(s). So I went to the park, and then to get an ice cream, and so on. I read in another La Presse piece that this cycle better captured active transportation trips.