Heads up, Montrealers. There is a citizen gathering on Tuesday, on Lajoie Avenue. Why? A section of the bike lane was recently removed by the borough’s new administration. To maintain a safe route for children riding to school, locals plan to form a human bike lane along the exposed section now open to motor vehicle traffic.
The event is organized by Vélorution Montréal and Transport Actif Outremont.
The gathering begins at 7:45 a.m. at the corner of Outremont and Lajoie. If you want more deets, check out their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/762120050218129.
This is just the latest in some serious moves by a very new administration.
The bike lane drama hits Montreal
Montreal’s new city council opened its term with an immediate clash over cycling infrastructure.
During Ensemble Montréal’s first question period, residents pressed the administration about contentious bike lanes in Ville-Marie, Ahuntsic–Cartierville, and Côte-des-Neiges–NDG. The loudest dispute centred on the temporary Atateken St. lane installed near the end of the previous mandate.
Ville-Marie councillor and executive-committee chair Claude Pinard said the project could be reworked, saying he has already spoken with staff and local merchants and plans to meet residents directly before decisions are made.
Similar tensions popped up. Ahuntsic–Cartierville Mayor Maude Théroux-Séguin said the Henri-Bourassa protected lane will stay in place for now while the borough studies traffic-flow fixes. In NDG, Mayor Stéphanie Valenzuela said her team is reviewing inherited audits on the Terrebonne St. lane, which has faced pushback from neighbours and a nearby church.
Before the election, outgoing Mayor Valérie Plante urged the new administration not to reverse Montréal’s cycling progress. “I’m really crossing my fingers we keep moving forward — not backward. That would be terrible,” she said.
Howeverm, during Plante’s tenure–cycling in Montreal grew. In fact, the city gained quite a bit of international recognition for the work. And cycling fans know that next year, the world road championships will descend into the city.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…