Downtown Montreal bike lane project revised after complaints from local businesses

A temporary bike lane on Atateken Street in downtown Montreal will be modified this winter. The borough of Ville Marie is planning to restore a portion of the parking spaces that were removed for the project.

The Montreal Gazette reported the changes were a response to concerns raised by local business owners. While the bike lane will remain in place, adjustments are intended to ease pressure on nearby commercial activity.

Compromise after complaints

“We are convinced that, while the plan isn’t ideal for everyone, we’re moving toward consensus,” Ville-Marie councillor Claude Pinard said.

Details of the revised layout are expected to be released Jan. 5. The work to implement the changes is scheduled to begin Jan. 12.

The temporary lane was installed under the previous administration as a detour while nearby street work continues, providing a cycling route through the area. The initiative was part of efforts to maintain a link between key parts of downtown for cyclists while construction continues on other streets.

Montreal Mayor Martinez Ferrada added that her new administration is “fixing the damage it had inherited.” She previously insisted she is not anti-bike, but she has made bike lanes a big part of her mayoral campaign.

According to the Montreal Gazette, the borough said it plans to reinstate roughly 40 per cent of the on-street parking that had been removed to accommodate the lane. In addition, short-term drop-off locations will be added to support local businesses and customer access.

Officials noted that the temporary bike lane and its adjustments reflect an effort to balance active transportation goals with the needs of local business…but also responding to public feedback while maintaining the cycling route.

There has already been plenty of backlash from cyclists and cycling advocates with news by the new administration’s plans to to rethink or even roll back cycling infrastructure. Montreal was recently named the best city in North America on the Copenhagenize Index. Much of the work is due to the previous mayor, Valérie Plante.