More than a hundred cyclists cycled on Saturday to celebrate the traffic on the Réseau express Vélo (REV) on rue Saint-Denis. The “bicycle highway” has accumulated more than one million passages since December 2020.
The cold autumn air did not prevent cycling enthusiasts from meeting in the morning at the end of the REV Bellechasse, near the Saint-Louis square. They then circulated on the cycle path.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
“This cycle path is inclusive, it allows people who did not ride a bicycle to dare to ride”, evokes the organizer of the event and owner of Kikicode Workshops on rue Saint-Denis, Jacques Nacouzi.
Mr. Nacouzi perceives that families, such as the elderly and people with a disability, have been using the REV on rue Saint-Denis since its inauguration in November 2020.
The merchant believes that the REV has made it possible to attract new customers who would not have traveled on Saint-Denis Street without the bike path. “We are able to look for a radius much further than the Plateau [avec les gens qui se déplacent à vélo]. We are able to go find Rosemont, Villeray, Hochelaga, Outremont, Ville-Marie, ”says Mr. Nacouzi.
The event organized by merchants from rue Saint-Denis also wanted to support REV Bellechasse, so that the section remains intact. In September, mayoral candidate Denis Coderre said he would reduce the REV on rue Bellechasse if elected, but keep the one on rue Saint-Denis as such.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The REV on rue Bellechasse has recorded more than 366,000 passages since December 2020.
Jacques Nacouzi hopes that the REV will grow. “If it works great on a commercial street, why not do it elsewhere?” Why not on Papineau, De Lorimier, du Parc? He says.