Montreal to spend $30M for 60 km of bike paths this year
CBC
The city of Montreal plans to spend $30 million this year to upgrade its cycling infrastructure by adding 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.
Despite calls for more bike lanes in Montréal-Nord, the plans for this year make no mention of the borough.
The city is urging Montrealers to check out its interactive map of the complete cycling network to better plan their travels.