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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.