More and more citizens are using their bicycles in winter, but surprisingly, winter weather is not the main obstacle for some, while many motorists park on bike paths.
The Réseau Express vélo (REV) accumulates more than 2,000 trips daily on weekends and, a sign of the great popularity of this means of transport, more than 8,000 on weekdays.
But cyclists deplore the behavior of some motorists, who park on cycle paths when parking is scarce.
One of Montreal’s most problematic thoroughfares is Viger Avenue, where signage could be at issue; indeed, the lack of indications makes it difficult for motorists, who struggle to become aware of the limits of the cycle path.
“There are often motorists who park in cycle paths; sometimes it’s inadvertent, sometimes it’s from lack of awareness or lack of concern. They think that the person who rides a bike will miss it, ”detailed Jacques Nacouzi, who promotes active transport.
“But when you have several like that in a day and you have to go out into the street each time, well, when you have 1000 or 2000 passages in winter on a cycle path like Saint-Denis, it becomes problematic, there may be a risk of collision with a passing car,” he added.
The City of Montreal is aware of the situation and invites cyclists to denounce these dangerous behaviors by calling the municipality.
“The REV [Réseau express vélo] is an infrastructure to ensure the safe travel of cyclists, certainly not parking for cars. We strongly condemn these behaviors at a time when we are recording sad results in terms of the safety of the most vulnerable road users, ”commented in particular Sophie Mauzerolle, responsible for mobility on the Montreal executive committee.
Remember that the Sustainable Mobility Agency has also intensified its monitoring of the cycle network and increased the amount of fines.