How learning to bike can lead to more peaceful roads
Program created by Vélo-Québec teaches women how to ride — even in winter
This story is a collaboration between Concordia University's journalism department and CBC Montreal.
On a frigid Sunday afternoon in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, a dozen women hopped on bikes for their first winter ride ever, helped by experienced trainers from Vélo Québec.
Apart from ice and snow, the biggest challenge participants faced was sharing the space with other road users, especially cars.
Zineb Bettayeb was one of the winter workshop attendants. Through the workshops, Bettayeb has not only learned how to navigate the streets as a cyclist. They have also made her a better driver.
"Being a cyclist, I try to be more responsible when I drive," Bettayeb said, explaining that she's now more conscious of pedestrians and other vulnerable users on the road.
Vélo Québec, an organization that promotes cycling in the province, launched a pilot project called Toutes à vélo in 2021.
The program helps women — who are less likely to cycle than men — learn how to ride a bike. Participants and organizers say that Toutes à vélo has the added bonus of promoting awareness when it comes to sharing the road.
A booming demand for bike lessons
The program has proved popular, with a waitlist of nearly 1,200. Earlier this year, the federal government invested almost $900,000 in funding to Toutes à vélo.
Magali Bebronne, a director and trainer with the program, had been hoping for the extra funding for a long time. She said the program would use it to "offer this whole variety of complementary activities so that participants can move further in their path towards adopting cycling as a mode of transportation."
The program is most popular in Montreal. In summer, it includes 11 hours of instruction over the course of a month. Organizers have held winter biking workshops for the past two winters.
While the goal of Toutes à vélo is to teach women how to bike for the purpose of leisure or transportation, it also has an impact on cohabitation between car drivers and cyclists on the road.
There have been long-standing tensions between bicycle users and car drivers in Montreal, which have only heightened under Mayor Valérie Plante.
Residents have voiced their frustration, especially at the loss of parking, while others praised the rise in dedicated bike infrastructure.
Social media has been the epicentre for displaying polarization between road users. During last winter's snowstorms, for instance, there were an immeasurable amount of comments on social media that blamed the bike paths for the slow removal of snow.
Marianne Giguère, the Projet Montréal city councillor responsible for Montreal's cycling plan, said that one of the solutions to this polarization is to make people understand the reality of both groups.
"The minute you've ridden a bike, on a country lane or a city road, you understand how nice it is when someone goes around you," Giguère said. "When someone slows down, when someone gives you space while overtaking you, when someone looks in the mirror before opening their door."
Learning to be a biker — and better driver
According to a 2024 Toutes à vélo survey, 52 per cent of the 120 participants they polled used a car as their primary mode of transportation.
But through their workshops, Toutes à vélo increases the proportion of drivers who are also cyclists.
One of the founders and instructors of Toutes à vélo, Catherine Plante, believes the program contributes to a better understanding of cyclists' reality.
As a trainer, she said she has seen it with her own eyes, with some participants saying "I understand now why the bike paths are large!" and "I understand now why people want more cycling infrastructure!"
Aissata Bangoura, another participant, drives every day to her job in downtown Montreal. She said she's more careful now. "There are other road users that have the right to be there."
Originally from Algeria, Bettayeb achieved a life-long dream by learning how to bike with Toutes à vélo.
"I come from a society where there isn't really a cycling culture, so I couldn't bike, especially as a woman," she said. "When I moved to Canada, I found that everyone was biking and it really made me happy."
Since completing the cycling program in the summer, Bettayeb has started to commute to work every day by bike.
Now, Bettayeb said, she knows not only how to ride a bike, but to do so "in a safe way while sharing the lane with motorists."
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