New bike lanes in Sud-Ouest borough get greeted with cheers from cyclists, jeers from others
The expansion of Montreal's bike lane network in the Sud-Ouest borough has cyclists cheering, but others are calling on the city to grip the brakes.
For Etienne Pemberton-Renaub of Mobilite St-Henri, the new lanes, which are part of the project known as Reseau Express Velo, or REV, are a welcome addition.
“It's going to allow us to choose bicycles as our main form of transportation. I actually sold my car last week because this is here now,” he said.
The future of the expansion, however, remains in the balance with a municipal election just months away.
“With elections coming up in November, the question is, 'Who's gonna win?'” said Dan Lambert of the Montreal Active Mobility Coalition. “If it's Projet Montreal, then we expect they're going to continue with their program of very actively promoting cycling as a mode of transportation.”
However, with former mayor Denis Coderre once again in the running, cycling's place in Montreal's transport plans are in question. Coderre recently criticized the St-Denis portion of the REV, and he's not alone. Critics have called the lanes bad for business, saying they back up traffic and make parking difficult.
Muriel Rajaonina, owner of Qui Dort Dine, said she's lost customers to the St-Denis bike lanes.
“Right now we have about a dozen clients a week who phone us and say 'We've been driving around for half an hour, we can't find parking. We're very sorry, but we're going to shop somewhere else,” she said.
She said the loss of parking has also been an issue for essential services.
“For firefighters, just to turn from any street onto St-Denis is a nightmare if there's traffic because there's just no room.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
LGBTQ2S+ rallies to be held across Canada, billed as largest since marriage equality
Organizations across the country are gearing up for what they describe as the largest LGBTQ2S+ mobilization since the push for marriage equality.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.