Over the past few months, we've heard a lot about the electrification of transport. Especially the electrification of cars! Fortunately, at the beginning of the summer, Laurent Lessard, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Electrification (MTMDET), invited an impressive number of organizations to take part in a consultation on the proposed Government policy on sustainable mobility. Vélo Québec was there, and made the point that land-use planning, which gives priority to the private car, is a costly model that our society can no longer afford to support.
It is therefore important that cycling and active transport are recognized in such a policy, and that equity is established in the funding of transport systems. We absolutely must review the distribution of budgets currently allocated to solo driving, to the detriment of public transport and active transportation. And to significantly increase the share of active transport in daily mobility, we need to set ambitious investment targets.
The current MTMDET budget of 5 M$ per year is not enough to help municipalities make the shift to active transportation. In 2017, Quebec's five largest cities alone will have invested more than 30 M$ in bicycle infrastructure. With the Bike frame plan Montreal is leading the way. The city is doubling its investments to a historic 30 M$ per year over the next five years.
Elsewhere in the world, active transportation is taken seriously and significant sums of money are devoted to it. In Paris alone, 150 M$ euros over 5 years were announced in 2015. And the city is undergoing a metamorphosis. In London, in 2016, £770m was committed over a similar period. Here, cycling is considered cool and friendly, but the sums spent on it are in a category that has nothing to do with any other transport infrastructure worthy of the name. Quebec, until recently the leader in Canada, is beginning to be overtaken by its neighbor Ontario, which is investing 50 M$ in cycling infrastructure, in partnership with municipalities, in 2017 alone.
During consultations on the Government policy on sustainable mobility, For the next three years, we have proposed an annual target of $100 million for cycling infrastructure. This target could be reached with a 50-% split with the municipal sector, or under any other scenario including the federal government, from which Quebec has yet to collect its due. This would be a clear signal that would enable us to make significant gains in active and sustainable mobility.
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
