Quebecers' enthusiasm for cycling in 2020 is due not only to the pandemic, but also to their interest in adopting a sporty and utilitarian practice that brings them closer to nature and is, what's more, good for their health and that of the planet.
During my weekly cycling outings over the past few months, I've noticed a marked improvement in the quality of cycling facilities compared with the standards of the not-so-distant past. In particular, I've been dazzled by recently built or renovated bike lanes in Sainte-Catherine, Longueuil, Saint-Hilaire, Gaspé, on the Samuel-de-Champlain bridge, on the Lachine Canal and so on. Today, we have to acknowledge just how far our cities have come in designing facilities to make cycling more user-friendly and safer, and to encourage better sharing of the road with pedestrians and motorists.
In Montreal, on Saint-Denis and Bellechasse streets, the first two sections of the Réseau express vélo (REV) are confirmation that we have indeed moved on to another era. Constructed on less than 0.4% of the Montreal road network, these new infrastructures - totalling 15 km - now set the bar high for future development expectations.
Despite the much-publicized grumbling of its detractors, a development like the REV will change the lives of thousands of current and future cyclists. And that's where the real challenge lies: how to get more citizens, young and old, to opt for cycling more often for their journeys? Since the main obstacle to cycling is insecurity, the REV will enable cyclists to get around without fear of putting themselves in danger, and to see that Vision Zero - adopted by several cities - is not just an empty slogan. In recent years, 2 cyclists have lost their lives on rue Saint-Denis, and the REV is a concrete expression of the Vision Zero approach: the vision that people's lives should take precedence over the flow of automobile traffic.
Responsible municipal authorities know they have to do more to provide safe options for those who want to get around on foot or by bike. Paris, Rome, Barcelona, San Francisco, New York, Toronto as well as Montreal and other cities in Quebec have understood this. We need to continue working to make our cities more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly, and encourage developments like the REV to demonstrate the added value of this type of infrastructure for living in cities on a human scale.
Happy November on your bike!
Suzanne Lareau
president and general manager
