The debate over bike access to bus lanes is a passionate one: roughly speaking, there are those who like the fact of being safe from cars versus those who say it's dangerous. But what is the reality? How is it elsewhere? We think that bus and cab lanes should be accessible to cyclists. Prohibiting bicycles from riding in reserved lanes is tantamount to saying that they can no longer circulate. in these streets when the reserved lane is in use.
Cohabitation with buses is a must, as it happens every day on arterial roads and in reserved lanes, even if it's forbidden. Many North American and European cities have been creating reserved lanes for buses, cabs and bicycles for years, and it's going very well. But it seems to be more difficult to implement in Quebec, and especially in Montreal...
In a built-up environment, we tend to forget that the configuration of reserved and shared lanes is based on several elements: the frequency and speed of buses, the width of the reserved lane and the length of time the lane is in service, which can range from three hours a day to 24 hours. For example, in a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which is a corridor reserved exclusively for buses at all times (generally in the center of the lanes in the same direction as traffic), it's understandable that there's no room for bicycles.
But on the whole, most reserved lanes can be adapted to allow safe bicycle traffic. Of course, mutual respect between drivers and cyclists is the key to successful cohabitation, as it is everywhere else.
But even if bus-bike lanes are a good thing, they're no substitute for bike lanes, as many cyclists don't feel comfortable using them. A bus lane is not a cycle track, but it is one more option that cyclists are free to use.
Le Lait and Vélo Québec: more than 30 years in tandem!
The exceptional collaboration between Producteurs de lait du Québec and Vélo Québec will continue until at least 2019 as part of the Go vélo Montréal Festival. Vélo Québec salutes this exceptional partner associated with cycling for over 30 years. We thank them!
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager