The Notre-Dame street modernization project

Vélo Québec commentary presented to BAPE

Vélo Québec in brief...

Founded in 1967, Vélo Québec is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage and facilitate the free and safe use of bicycles for leisure, tourism and transportation. Its actions are designed to improve the quality of life and protect the urban and rural environment. We owe him the creation of a publishing house (Éditions Tricycle), publishing the magazines Vélo Mag and Géo Plein air, and he is at the origin of Tour de l’Île de Montréal.

Vélo Québec is recognized for its technical expertise in planning and research, notably through the publication of the Technical Handbook of Bikeway Design and the more recent Bicycling in Québec in 2000. Vélo Québec is also recognized as a leader in the bicycle planning community, organizing annual conferences, symposia and technical meetings.

Since 1995, Vélo Québec has been coordinating the realization of the Route verte, in collaboration with the Government of Quebec, the Ministry of Transport and regional partners. The Route verte is a bicycle route which, in 2005, will cross more than 4,000 kilometers of Quebec. Since 1998, we have also been piloting the Réseau vélo métropolitain project, an initiative supported by the Ministère des Transports des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole, which aims to increase the modal share of cycling in passenger travel.

1- Continuity of Montreal's cycling network

A) The current situation

Rue Notre-Dame bike path - exclusive right-of-way section
The rue Notre-Dame bike path has been in service between rue de Lorimier and Promenade Bellerive since 1985. This route is part of the City of Montreal's basic network, along with the North-South axis and the East-West path on boulevard Gouin, bordering Rivière des Prairies.
On the section affected by the extension of the Ville-Marie expressway, from rue de Lorimier to rue Sainte-Catherine, the 3-metre-wide path is laid out in the green strip of the right-of-way originally planned for the widening and completion of the Ville-Marie expressway. East of avenue De Lorimier, at rue du Havre, a footbridge crosses over the CP tracks. At various intersections, continuing eastward, the track approaches Notre-Dame Street and crosses each street at the crosswalk. At the eastern end of this section, the CN tracks are crossed on the north sidewalk of the overpass. With the exception of junction crossings and certain visibility problems (vegetation and curves), the entire De Lorimier-Sainte-Catherine section works quite well.

Notre-Dame Street bike path - sidewalk section
From rue Sainte-Catherine, heading east to rue Dickson, the path is laid out on the north sidewalk of rue Notre-Dame. From rue Dickson to rue de Boucherville, the path follows the south sidewalk. From there to Promenade Bellerive, the trail runs on a strip of land just south of the sidewalk. This section is not directly affected by the Notre-Dame Street modernization project, but it is undoubtedly the one that would require the most significant corrective measures to enable safe and comfortable cycling.

Rue Souligny runway
This section of track, between rue Montsabré and rue Haig (on the north side of the right-of-way), was completed in the summer of 1999 by the Ministère des Transports, as part of the redevelopment of rue Souligny. Provided that the CN right-of-way to the west of boulevard de l'Assomption can be used, this section of track could eventually become one of the links between the Marché Maisonneuve (Bennett track) and the Promenade Bellerive. At present, this section is not connected to the rest of the existing network, and therefore remains little-known and little-used.

Bennet/Morgan runway
In the axis of Bennet and Morgan streets, a bicycle path links Maisonneuve park to the Notre-Dame street path.

B) The Ministry of Transport's project

The Notre-Dame Street modernization project, as submitted to the present consultations, provides for the maintenance of a trail in the Notre-Dame Street right-of-way, but breaks the current continuity :

Rue Notre-Dame runway - continuity to the east.
In the department's proposal, the Notre-Dame Street trail is interrupted at the CN tracks. The existing track, between the CN tracks and Dickson Street, is not shown on the current project plans. Two new intersections are also added: an access ramp and an extension of rue l'Assomption. In both cases, the proposed geometry, with right-turn ramps, risks creating conflict between cyclists and motorists.
Rue Notre-Dame runway - continuity to the west.
In the current proposal from the Ministère des Transports, the Notre-Dame Street trail connects with the René-Lévesque Boulevard trail. However, there is no direct link to Old Montreal, as was the case in earlier versions of the project.

Rue Souligny runway
In the current proposal, the Souligny Street trail is extended in the abandoned CN right-of-way to the Maisonneuve market. Discussions at the November 20 meeting of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (lines 2146 et seq. of the transcript) reveal that this connection was not part of the project, and that outside funding will have to be found to make this section a reality. Furthermore, no connection is planned to the west between the rue Souligny runway and the rue Notre-Dame runway, nor any extension to the east beyond the Hochelaga interchange.

Intersections
In the Ministry's proposal, the bike path has more intersections with the road network than the current situation (20 intersections versus 12 on the stretch between De Lorimier Avenue and the CN railroad line). Despite the fact that many of these new intersections are with low-traffic local streets, there is an increase in the number of conflict zones. The plans currently available do not provide the level of detail required to judge the treatment of the new intersections. At the very least, the intersections between the runway and Alphonse-D.-Roy, Bourbonnière, Pie-IX and Viau, if they are to be safe, deserve special treatment. Other crossing problems are also to be expected with the two new intersections created between the CN tracks and Dickson Street, one of which is an extension of l'Assomption Street.

Recommendations

1. Ensure the continuity of axis 5 of the Route verte and the Réseau vélo métropolitain.
   The Rue Souligny trail should be linked to the rest of the network, connecting the two hubs of Marché Maisonneuve and Promenade Bellerive. To reach Promenade Bellerive, two major obstacles need to be crossed: Autoroute 25 and the existing CN tracks. To reach the Maisonneuve market, the abandoned CN right-of-way must be developed.
2. Reduce the number of crossings between the bicycle network and the road network
   Intersections between the bicycle network and the road network are a source of conflict. In addition to reducing their number, the project should provide special treatment for the major intersections that are unavoidable: Alphonse-D.-Roy, Bourbonnière, Pie-IX, Viau, the ramp to the east of the CN track and the intersection with boulevard de l'Assomption.
3. Bicycle links to be preserved and created
   A bicycle lane must be maintained along the axis of Notre-Dame Street to the east of the CN tracks. Given its location and geometry, there's no doubt that the current layout needs to be completely overhauled.
   A connection to Old Montreal should be planned from Notre-Dame Street to ensure continuity with developments in the Old Port and on the Lachine Canal.
4. Ensure the long-term safety of pedestrians and cyclists in adjacent neighborhoods
   It would be advisable to start planning traffic calming measures in adjacent neighborhoods now, so as to channel traffic onto the new Notre-Dame Street in the short and long term.