CHUM sends legal warning to Montreal over plan to install bike lane in front of ambulance entrance

Blueprints for a new bike lane have Montreal and its largest downtown hospital in a standoff, culminating in a legal warning sent to the city in July.

The express bike lane -- or Réseau express vélo (REV) -- would run in front of the ambulance entrance at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), on the north side of Viger Ave.

The CHUM, which sees about 50 patients arrive by ambulance each day, says it's a dangerous place for a bike path.

"It's not a safe location. Not for patients, not for cyclists," said Danielle Fleury, president and assistant director general of the CHUM.

Speaking to CTV News on Tuesday, Fleury said ambulances "have to go quickly" into the entranceway, posing a risk to anyone biking by.

"It's a level of danger that's too important," she said.

CHUM officials are concerned about the city's plan to have the REV cross its ambulance entrance. (CTV News) The hospital first shared its concerns with the city in 2017. It's met with officials numerous times since, but no resolution has been reached.

The conflict intensified when, on June 29, Fleury sent a letter detailing the risks to Mayor Valerie Plante and requested a meeting with her.

But with no reply, the CHUM took things to the next level and filed a legal warning.

The next step would be legal action.

"Will we go further? We're keeping all the opportunities open," said Fleury. "We hope we won't have to go there."

CHUM 'STONEWALLING' NEGOTIATIONS: CITY

According to Robert Beaudry, the city wants to negotiate a compromise with the hospital but is being "stonewalled" by the legal warning.

The city councillor for Ville Marie said the bike lane won't be added until 2025, meaning there's still time for discussion.

He pointed to the fact that a bike path already exists in front of the ambulance entrance, and no collisions have occurred there in the past.

"I'm a little bit [skeptical] about their argument," he said.

But Fleury fears adding an express lane in front of the ambulance entrance would increase bike traffic in that area, therefore increasing the risk of a collision.

It's a reality that Beaudry acknowledged as well.

"We know that there's going to be more and more cyclists [...] because it's a really huge transitway," he said.

But this doesn't mean the bike lane has to be rerouted, he said.

Instead, it means collaborating with city planners and the hospital to find a safe solution that doesn't involve moving the lane itself.

"They have to listen and we have to work together."