Montreal to spend $30M for 60 km of bike paths this year
Move is part of city's plan to add 200 km of bike paths by 2027
The city of Montreal plans to spend $30 million this year to upgrade its cycling infrastructure by adding or upgrading about 60 kilometres of bike paths this year.
It has announced 53 projects that will go across 14 boroughs and four neighbouring municipalities.
The projects are part of the Valérie Plante administration's Vision Vélo 2023-2027 unveiled last fall, which includes adding a total of 200 kilometres of bike paths, including 10 new sections of the Réseau Express Vélo (REV), a network of high-capacity bike lanes around the city.
The construction of the first leg of the Henri-Bourassa Boulevard REV bike path will kick off in the Saint-Laurent borough, between Pitfield Boulevard and Félix-Leclerc Avenue.
Many bike paths will be fixed up, including the Saint-Denis Street portion of the REV in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.
New one-way lanes will be set up on Christophe-Colomb Avenue, an undertaking that will take two years to complete, though the city says a first part will be accessible this fall. It will eventually cover four boroughs and seven kilometres.
Verdun Street will have a path between LaSalle Boulevard and Henri Street. There are also plans to develop a new bike path on rue de la Commune Ouest, in the Old Port, to complete the cycling network in this heavily travelled area.
A bike path on Bourbonnière Avenue connecting the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs and a two-way crossing on Décarie Boulevard are also among the city's projects.
The city says the goal is to make it easier for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to share the streets of Montreal.
Following calls for more bike lanes in Montréal-Nord, the plans include three bike paths:
- Prieur Street East between Oscar and Gariépy avenues.
- Salk Avenue between Gouin Boulevard and de Charleroi Street
- D'Amos Street between St-Julien and Jean-Meunier avenues.
There will also be a cycling strip added on Des Récollets Avenue between Gouin and Industriel avenues.
The city is urging Montrealers to check out its interactive map of the complete cycling network to better plan their travels.
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story said the city's plans did not include plans for any new bike paths in the borough of Montréal-Nord. In fact, there are three bike paths and one cycling strip included in the city's plans.May 31, 2023 7:16 PM ET