There's every reason to get around by bike: it's efficient, pleasant, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, keeps you in shape and emits no GHGs. In short, it's good for us and good for the planet! Every bicycle trip is a gain for society, say researchers at INRS's Environmental Equity Laboratory in a report recently broadcast on the French TV program Découverte.[1]. In fact, the bicycle has so many qualities that I wonder why our decision-makers aren't more convinced of the sums that should be devoted to it. Quebec has certainly invested steadily in cycling infrastructure over the past thirty-five years, but the fact remains that these investments are still Lilliputian when compared with the sums devoted to building or repairing our major transport infrastructures, i.e. less than 1%. And this opinion is shared by many more people than you might think. Recently, on a private radio open line - where car and F-150 ads follow one another - listeners were asked «Would you dare to put away your car and adopt a bicycle for your transportation?». The times, they are a-changin'... Whether in the press, in public opinion or with more and more decision-makers, the popularity of cycling has risen sharply in the last 10 years.
Considering the popularity of cycling and its undeniable contribution to sustainable mobility, it's clear that we have fertile ground here to take cycling to the next level and create a more equitable sharing of the use of public space and investment. But to get the ball rolling, we need the political will to change our ways and preserve the health of our planet. It's this same will that will be at stake on September 27, when Vélo Québec takes part in the general strike for the climate. On that day, I invite you to use your bike to get around and show that cycling is one of the options in the fight against climate change. Our team members will be marching for the climate, and I invite you to do the same, whether you're in Montreal or any other city where a climate march is taking place. The message needs to reach as many people as possible. And if you haven't yet adopted the bicycle for your daily commute, try it out on September 27 to give the planet a helping hand, and who knows, maybe you'll start a new eco-friendly commuting habit?
On September 27, I invite you to ride and walk for our planet!
(To find out if a mobilization is being organized near you, click here.)
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
[1] See the report Fair Trade cycling broadcast on Découverte, Radio-Canada, September 8, 2019
