Montréal, September 12, 2020 - Le Plateau-Mont-Royal today inaugurated Le Jardin du Petit Monde à Bicyclette, a project carried out in collaboration with Vélo Québec, with the support of La Pépinière | Espaces collectifs, the City of Montreal and the Vision 0 program, as well as the Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal. One of the first of its kind in Quebec, this bicycle education park offers children aged 2 to 12 a protected, fun place in the heart of Parc La Fontaine, where they can develop their cycling skills and learn the basics of safe road behaviour.
«The inauguration of this park is a concrete example of the collaboration between different partners to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, aligned with the objectives pursued by the Vision Zero plan. Learning the best cycling practices in childhood helps young people to grow up with safe travel habits. By integrating this mode of transportation into the daily lives of our youngest members, the whole family will be able to take advantage of the cycling network,» says Éric Alan Caldwell, responsible for urban planning, transportation and the Office de consultation public de Montréal.
«Good habits are formed early in life. This learning space dedicated to children is a timely addition to the efforts of the city and its partners to make cycling safer, more attractive and more inclusive. For a project like this, Vélo Québec's expertise is second to none! It's also the perfect place for young people to learn the rules of road safety, including civic-mindedness and respect for the most vulnerable,» says Marianne Giguère, City Councillor responsible for active transportation. «The choice of name, following a call for ideas, is also a poetic nod to the group Le Monde à Bicyclette, which campaigned in the 70s and 80s in favour of the urban utility bicycle», added the councillor.
«At Vélo Québec, we take children's active and independent mobility to heart. The development of the Jardin du Petit Monde à Bicyclette comes at just the right time, as we will be distributing a Guide d'implantation des parcs d'éducation cycliste in the coming months. We know that municipalities are increasingly interested in offering families this type of learning environment. We hope this new tool will answer their questions, and that many of them will follow the example set by Plateau-Mont-Royal and Drummondville. We are grateful to the Ministère des Transports du Québec for making the creation of this guide possible through the support of the Fonds de la sécurité routière,» said Magali Bebronne of Vélo Québec.
«The circulation garden is an innovative project with which we are proud to be associated, as it is in line with values that are dear to Desjardins: the environment, youth and the health of young children,» said Patricia Sarrazin-Sullivan, President of the Board of Directors of the Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal.
«Neighborhood Station 38 is delighted to be taking part in the launch of the Parc-éducation cycliste project. The safety of road users is our priority from an early age, and this activity fits in very well with the prevention work our police officers are doing in the neighborhood with young people,» added Marc Lauzon, head of SPVM Neighborhood Station 38.
«The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) is proud to take part in this project, which encourages safe cycling among young cyclists. Through its financial support of the Programme cycliste averti, the SAAQ enables elementary school students in grades 5 and 6 to put into practice the theory they have learned, including the rules of the Highway Safety Code,» said Marouan Bel Fakir, Regional Road Safety Partnership Advisor at the SAAQ.
