Montreal, October 5, 2021 - Piétons Québec, Trajectoire Québec and Vélo Québec today launched the At the municipal elections, I'm committed to sustainable mobility. Aimed at candidates and the general public, the platform is designed to put citizens' priorities in terms of active and collective mobility at the heart of the debate during the next municipal elections.
Candidates are invited to indicate their commitment to integrating these priorities into their electoral platform by filling out the appropriate form at jemengagemobilite.org. The general public is invited to ask its candidates to make a commitment to sustainable mobility. The organizations have also sent a letter to candidates in Quebec's 50 largest cities, asking them to make concrete commitments to sustainable mobility.
«With the pandemic, many citizens have rediscovered the pleasure of walking in their neighbourhoods. However, the situation is the same everywhere in Quebec: our neighborhoods are not adapted to getting around on foot comfortably and safely. Municipalities have great power to improve this situation. The objective of jemengagemobilite.org is to encourage candidates to make a commitment to active and collective mobility, and to make it a key issue in the next municipal elections,» says Sandrine Cabana-Degani, Director of Piétons Québec.
«The public transport sector has been hard hit by the pandemic, but we've seen just how essential these services are. At a time when the difficult financial situation is leading to fears of major service cuts, citizens want to see an improvement in the range of services on offer. That's why it's vital that candidates across Quebec make a commitment to public transit, to avoid a reduction in service. Offering more sustainable mobility options in a municipality means improving the quality of life of the people who live there, as well as helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We therefore expect a large number of candidates to get involved, and our expectations are high!» adds Sarah V. Doyon, General Manager of Trajectoire Québec.
«The survey we carried out among residents is unequivocal: social acceptability is high in favor of giving more space to active and collective modes of transport. A majority of citizens, including car owners, are ready to restrict the space allocated to the car-solo. It's now up to elected representatives and candidates to live up to citizens» expectations, by making ambitious commitments to change the way we get around," concludes Jean-François Rheault, President and CEO of Vélo Québec.
The commitments to active and sustainable mobility proposed on jemengagemobilite.org are based on responses to a survey launched by the three organizations last April. The survey reached nearly 2,000 citizens across Quebec, and established a number of priorities in terms of active and collective mobility.
