Montreal will launch a call for tenders this Monday for the development of a seventh axis of the Express Bike Network (REV), Jean-Talon and Bélanger streets, it has been learned The Press. A first section of approximately 1.8 kilometers will be ready by the fall, but will only go east for at least a year, which worries the cycling community.
“With this project, we are going to calm down two arteries in a neighborhood that really needs it,” summarizes the head of mobility on the executive committee, Sophie Mauzerolle, in an interview.
The City will award a contract by spring for development work on the first section of the REV Jean-Talon. The latter will initially only go east, between rue Boyer and 1D Avenue, and the development of the cycle path will result in the removal of a car lane. This first part of the section should be delivered “this summer or this fall”, says Mme Mauzerolle.
To cycle west, however, you will have to wait until next year. In the other direction, cyclists will indeed circulate on rue Bélanger, approximately 500 meters south of rue Jean-Talon. However, work on the Bélanger axis will not be launched until the following summer, in 2025.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The person responsible for mobility on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Sophie Mauzerolle
We think it’s a balanced approach, given that we’re talking about a very busy artery, with trucking and several bus lines. We want to ensure everyone’s safety.
Sophie Mauzerolle, responsible for mobility on the executive committee of the City of Montreal
With a single lane for cyclists on rue Jean-Talon, Montreal above all wants to avoid having to compromise on other urban developments, such as drop-off points for people with reduced mobility.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF MONTRÉAL
Concept of the Express Bike Network (REV) projected on rue Jean-Talon
Not a good project, according to Vélo Québec
At Vélo Québec, however, President and CEO Jean-François Rheault “does not believe[t] not that it’s a good project.” He is particularly concerned about the fact that this first section of the REV will be developed in two stages, first towards the east then towards the west.
According to him, this will mean that cyclists traveling west will be “asked to make a 33% longer journey,” with a 600-meter detour on a 1.8-kilometer path, for a year. whole.
“Data shows that just 10% of cyclists will make the detour. This means that others will travel in traffic, on sidewalks or against the flow of traffic on the eastbound path. It is a project which, instead of making cyclists safer, risks putting them in danger,” says Mr. Rheault.
Montreal thus creates “a dangerous precedent where we lose the objective of allowing safe and efficient journeys by prioritizing everything in the axis except the bicycle,” believes the manager. “The project does not meet any of the objectives of the REV, in particular the safety and efficiency objectives,” he says.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The President and CEO of Vélo Québec, Jean-François Rheault
“We do not recognize the vision and ambition that made REV Saint-Denis successful. If it is not too late, the administration would do well to review the project,” adds the CEO of Vélo Québec.
A 15 km long route in the long term
Mme Mauzerolle retorts that cycle traffic will still already be “safer than without the project”. “We have other examples of REV in pairs, such as on rue Saint-Denis with the end on Lajeunesse, or even Viger/Saint-Antoine/Saint-Jacques. This is not new. We just want to make sure we go there consistently. And on Bélanger, we are going to extend the cycle lanes,” she said.
INFOGRAPHICS THE PRESS
Map of the REV route planned for rue Jean-Talon
“I hear the concern, but we work in a limited space and the reality is that we have to reconcile the needs of everyone,” adds the elected official.
According to her, securing more major arteries will be “crucial” in the coming years. Public Health also warned at the beginning of February that more than 51% of collisions occurred near a major road among 5-12 year olds. 20 to 30% of schools are located less than 100 meters from an arterial road.
City data shows 37 collisions on Rue Jean-Talon since 2014, including four fatalities and 33 with serious injuries, most often at completely different intersections. Eight collisions with serious injuries occurred on the first section, between rue Boyer and 1D Avenue. Rue Bélanger, there were 12 collisions recorded during the same period, including three fatalities and nine with serious injuries.
Ultimately, the City plans to develop the REV Jean-Talon over a total distance of 15 kilometers, between the Lacordaire and Décarie axes, which would be longer than all the current cycle paths in the metropolis. It is still unclear when the other phases of the network will be delivered.