The City of Montréal has unveiled details of its 2023–2027 Vision Vélo to expand a safe and efficient cycling network across the largest city in Quebec, Canada.
Within the Vision, 17 of Montréal’s 19 boroughs will gain new cycleways or receive upgrades to existing infrastructure.
In total, at least 200 kilometres of cycleways will be added in the next 5 years, including 10 new sections of the Réseau Express Vélo (REV), which connects points of interest on the island of Montréal.
Mayor of Montreal, Valerie Plante said:The success of REV Saint-Denis has demonstrated the importance of developing safe bikeways that benefit cyclists, pedestrians and merchants alike. We cannot compromise on the safety of children and seniors, who are overrepresented in the deaths recorded on our roads. While cycling trips have increased by 20% in one year in Montreal, the vision we are presenting today will ensure efficient and safe trips, while allowing us to connect outlying neighborhoods that require it.
By extending the cycling network and its connectivity, Vision Vélo hopes to encourage more people to choose to travel by bike.
This is inline with Public Health recommendations, which would like to see the Montréal cycling network developed throughout the city, particularly in outlying neighbourhoods.
Marianne Giguère, Associate Advisor for Active Transportation on the Executive Committee said:This is the first time that the City of Montreal has unveiled such a comprehensive vision for cycling, based on the local needs expressed by each of the boroughs. We are very proud of it. This Vision Vélo will allow us to benefit from better predictability and give us a free hand to plan the cycling network with the communities concerned. We know that a good project is a project worked on upstream – with the boroughs, stakeholders and local residents –, which takes into account the particularities of the environments and which meets the needs.
