The City of Montreal has launched a revision of its bike plan, known as Plan Vélo, with officials promising a broader public consultation aimed at adapting cycling infrastructure to the city’s diverse neighbourhoods.
The consultation process will begin June 15 on the Réalisons Montréal platform and will seek input from residents and community groups. A revised Plan Vélo is expected to be presented in 2027.
“The Plan Vélo was done in 2019, the last time it was looked at. When the previous administration looked at it in 2023, it was a political assessment. It was not consulted. We are putting in place the real consultation around the Plan Vélo,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada, mayor of Montreal.
City officials say the new plan will be developed with public input and will consider the differing transportation needs of neighbourhoods across Montreal.
“That new bike plan would be one that would be offering to all of Montrealers. So it will be one that was done not only with the best practices in conjunction with the community, but also as citizens will have their way of intervening and expressing themselves so that we can take that into account, unlike what was done in the past,” said Alan DeSousa, a member of Montreal’s executive committee responsible for mobility and infrastructure.
At least one cycling advocate is emphasizing the need for improved infrastructure outside the city’s central districts to be included in the new bike plan.
“The primary focus in 2022, as I believe the primary focus now should be everywhere where the network is not sufficient. There are plenty of neighborhoods where people can’t move around by bike because there simply is no cycle infrastructure. We see in the central neighborhoods that there’s decent coverage and that we’ve reached perhaps a critical mass of people who get around on bike for their daily needs, but in other places where sometimes yes it’s less popular electorally, there’s nothing,” said Mathieu Murphy-Perron, a founding member of Vélorution Montréal.
Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, said the revised plan could help encourage more residents to choose cycling as a transportation option.
“We hope that everyone in Montreal can realize that cycling is a good option for mobility. Cycling is part of the solution, so we hope that that plan can do that,” said Rheault.
Residents interviewed about the city’s cycling infrastructure expressed mixed views.
“I think it’s already very good that there are so many cycle paths. And they were badly damaged by the winter, so I think some of them deserve to be reviewed,” said Montreal cyclist Fabien Alexandre.
Others said cycling infrastructure should be concentrated on major routes.
“We don’t need a bike lane on all the smallest streets. I think everyone can share the road if cars are patient. But I think the infrastructure really should be like it is on the Saint Denis, on the biggest arteries,” said Montreal resident Daniel Andrew.
The city also provided updates on major transportation projects, including work on Henri-Bourassa Boulevard, Berri Street and Avenue du Parc. Officials said they are reviewing safety and traffic flow on Avenue du Parc after 13 people died on the roadway over the past 13 years.
“We have to make sure that this does not happen again. We have to make sure that we work with everybody to really reconstruct and rethink about Avenue du Parc that will allow a secure transit for everyone, pedestrians, bikes and cars and transportation. We are going to be looking at the whole street from Jean-Talon to Avenue des Pins,” said Martinez Ferrada.
Opposition councillor Cathy Wong said any future changes should prioritize vulnerable road users.
“We were hoping to hear more about what we can do for cyclists, for security, for pedestrians. And of course talking about security on Parc Avenue does have to take in consideration, first of all, the most vulnerable users. And for us, those are the pedestrians and the cyclists,” said Wong.
