Dozens of cyclists left Montreal on Saturday morning for a bike-camping trip followed by a demonstration scheduled for Monday in Quebec City. In particular, they are calling for an overhaul of the Highway Safety Code and developments favorable to active modes of transportation.
Posted at 9:34 a.m.
“What is unfortunate is that we often wait for serious injuries, deaths of pedestrians or cyclists before being able to take action on the infrastructure,” laments Julien Gagnon-Ouellette, the organizer of the “Ride for a national bicycle policy”. “What we want is for it to be systematic: we are redoing an artery, we are trying to introduce a cycling component or a component to slow down traffic so that it is safer for everyone. »
Mr. Gagnon-Ouellette salutes the efforts made in this direction in Montreal in recent years, but “there is a lack of funding for cycling infrastructure almost everywhere in the cities of the province,” he says. “What we would like is for the Quebec government to be able to provide financial assistance for infrastructure [cyclables] what cities want to do. »
The group is also calling for a reform of the Highway Safety Code “so that active transportation takes priority over motorized transportation,” reads the Cavalcade website. The organizer cites as an example the possibility of making an “Idaho stop” for cyclists, ie to slow down rather than come to a complete stop at a stop or a red light when traffic permits.
Finally, Mr. Gagnon-Ouellette wants the government to promote active transportation, in particular by subsidizing the purchase of bicycles and granting “tax credits to citizens who do not own a car”.
After a journey of 280 km over three days, the participants in the Cavalcade of the long weekend meet on Monday at 2 p.m. for a “cycling-festive demonstration” in front of the National Assembly.