Calls for REV-like bike path in Montreal's west end

A group of cycling advocates are calling for an express corridor connecting Saint-Laurent to downtown Montreal. 

The idea is to create something similar to the REV express bike path that runs along St. Denis Street.

Cyclists like Olivier Labreche, who commutes from his home in Saint-Laurent to his job downtown, say the current commute isn't safe. 

"When we look at the infrastructure in the west end of the city, we see it's really not on par with what people have in the centre and more towards the east," Labreche told CTV News. "Particularly for the north-south route, there's no continuous corridor to come between, let's say, N.D.G. and Ville Saint-Laurent."

Labreche is the spokesperson for the Association pour la mobilité active de Saint-Laurent (AMASL), one of several active transit groups that wrote a letter to the city calling for a new protected express bike path that is maintained year-round.

They suggest the route extend from Gouin Boulevard to the De Maisonneuve bike path, connecting Cartierville, Saint-Laurent, the Town of Mount Royal and N.D.G.

A proposed express bike lane in Montreal. (Coalition mobilite active Montreal)

"It's not just cars that should be allowed to have straight routes; pedestrians and cyclists should be able to move as straight as possible when they commute," said Labreche, noting that the proposed route is also close to Metro stations, CEGEPs and hospitals.

According to the group Vélo Québec, more than 1.5 million people used the REV on St. Denis last year. The organization's president, Jean-Francois Rheault, said having something similar in the west end is an interesting idea.

"Its design helps cyclists cross barriers like Highway 40 and Highway 15. We know it's always difficult to cross highways, so securing crossings is interesting," he said.

In an email, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal said, "Our administration is speeding up safe travel for all users by continuously improving the cycling network to better connect outlying neighbourhoods and relieve congestion on the road network."

The city also said it will analyze the proposed bike route.