It's funny that, in the middle of Bike Month, the cycling community has to mobilize to highlight the importance of preserving access to the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, a unique practice, fitness and training venue in the Greater Montreal area. On April 21, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau announced that the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve would be closed to cyclists for the summer of 2017 and possibly for much of the summer of 2018. An outcry ensued from all users of the site. Vélo Québec and several other organizations have since voiced their displeasure.
On May 4, we took part in a meeting organized by the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (SPJD), which was also attended by representatives from the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes, Triathlon Québec, Parasport Québec, the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie, the Ville de Montréal and Vincent Courcy, the instigator of the Facebook group United against circuit closure.
The meeting gave rise to a lively exchange of views, and after a mea culpa from SPJD on the ways in which the issue had been handled, the latter undertook to set up a permanent advisory committee made up of the organizations present and representatives of the park and the town. This committee will be tasked with finding solutions to open the circuit or a portion of it to cyclists this summer. Vélo Québec hopes that the SPJD will show great openness and be prepared to question some of the parameters it currently takes for granted.
Vélo Québec's requests are simple:
- That Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve be made intermittently accessible to cyclists after the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
- That, once the work is completed, the status of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve as a training venue for cyclists will be consolidated.
- The work could also be an opportunity to make permanent the link between the South Shore and Montreal, which closes for at least 10 days each year during the Grand Prix. The construction of a footbridge on the edge of the circuit would prevent cyclists from having to ride on part of it.
We believe that with the work that will be carried out to bring the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve up to standard and maintain it, its vocation as a training circuit for cyclists should be consolidated. This would be an excellent way to give back to the cycling community and send out the message that cycling really is part of Montreal's DNA!
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
