Impossible unanimity
You identify the problem in the first sentence of your last paragraph. Some people don’t want bike lanes, no matter what explanations are given to them. We must stop discussing and act otherwise nothing will ever change. There will always be unhappy people.
Francois Bouchard
Educate cyclists first
Once again the controversy is on the wrong target. In my opinion, this aversion to creating bike paths everywhere stems from the negative opinion of a majority of citizens towards the outrageous attitude and behavior of cyclists. The latter almost never respect the Highway Code and even less basic courtesy. Have you ever seen cyclists obeying stop signs or red lights? We must also take into account the negative impact of the hysterical screams of Vélo-Québec, which treats all cyclists as victims rather than delinquents. You yourself, in your editorial, write “a cyclist hit by a heavy weight”, without mentioning that the cyclist may have been reckless, even reckless. Educate cyclists, force them to respect the rules of the road and you can build all the bike paths you want without problems.
Michael Kayal
A counterexample
Mr. Mercure asserts that creating safe cycle paths automatically increases the number of cyclists. If he comes to Laval, boulevard Saint-Martin, when the boulevard has had two traffic lanes cut off for several years now (one track to the east and one to the west), and he will be able to see monster traffic jams at peak and often off-peak hours which contribute to the increase in GHGs when there are almost never bicycles on these cycle paths.
Michael Matte
Good for the wallet and health
As a resident of Parc-Extension, I have written many times to the borough councillor. Unfortunately, Mary Deros never wanted to reduce car traffic or increase green spaces. With the cost of taxes constantly increasing, we have to face the facts: the roads for motorists are in poor condition, but not because of the bicycles, because of the cars and trucks. The lighter the transport, the more everyone’s wallet and everyone’s health will be affected.
Louka Methot
When it’s time to act…
With all the climatic disasters since April, it is time to act. People are worried about the fires, the hot weather, the floods, but when it comes time to take action, no one wants to make “sacrifices”. Discouraging.
Christiane Gignac
Get informed before you rebel
Unfortunately, a huge section of the population simply does not get informed! And it is they who subsequently rise up claiming to lack information. In the case of this bike path in Parc-Extension, the City has done everything to try to inform the population. Finding a consensus is impossible and trying to find it wastes precious time. Considering the urgency, we must work twice as hard to multiply bike paths in Montreal.
Marc Jarry, Montreal
Already seen
Build them and they will come. It’s the same thing with every bike path or pedestrian street project. The majority go up to the barricades. Once built, these projects are a success. The figures show that there is not enough space for bicycles.
Jean-Marc Migeotte, Rosemont
Ageing population
Perhaps the fact that cyclists don’t pay a single penny for their infrastructure while motorists are constantly being asked to contribute explains why when services, such as parking, are taken away from them, they are rightly reluctant. In addition, the meetings of the City serve to put people in front of a fait accompli, not to get their opinion. Those elected were elected by a majority of part of the population who voted. Many did not vote or voted for another party. This should also be taken into account. It’s not just healthy people who can walk or bike around a neighborhood. The population is aging, don’t forget that.
Denyse Payette
Traffic lights
I totally agree with you about the bike lanes. The point that is overlooked in some places is traffic lights, especially when it involves a turn. Bike lanes are added, which is not very expensive, but there is no investment in traffic lights for pedestrian safety. We only do it in places where there is a lot of traffic. I think adding lights for cyclists and increasing the time would fix some of the safety.
Daniele Descary