A minivan driving down an entire block in a Montreal bike path was captured on video and is drawing attention from those concerned about road safety, particularly in the winter.
Gabriel Morissette pulled out his phone on Sunday and started recording when he saw a black Honda minivan driving in the bike lane on Lajeunesse Street between Gounod and Villeray streets.
"The road was cleared for cars that day, visibility was also clear," said Morissette.
The history teacher lives in the Villeray neighbourhood said since the bike path opened, there has been a slow adaptation to it from drivers and cyclists alike.
Morissette is a cyclist and added that signage could be better in the area, but most cars do not continue down the path when they turn onto it.
"Most people that make the mistake don't drive through the whole thing and quickly back out," he said.
Montreal police (SPVM) spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said officers are aware of the video and are trying to locate the driver.
"As soon as we're able to locate the driver, we'll meet with him," he said.
Once officers meet with the driver, they will determine if a ticket will be issued, Brabant said, adding that a ticket for the offence would be $44.
"Then we'll talk to the city to check if there are any corrections that we can make on the bike path," he added.
Brabant said it's not a unique occurrence on the city's roads, and that police are looking at signage and road configurations to see if more can be done to clearly mark the growing number of bike paths in the city.
"It's not the first time that we've seen that," he said. "Especially in the winter with the lines and such."
Morissette feels that the infrastructure is good, but that more education is needed so drivers and cyclists know their place on the road.
"The infrastructures need to be well taught," he said. "Yes, we need bike infrastructures, but they need to be good ones and safe ones. It's also about learning. It takes some time for people to get used to those bike infrastructures."
In a statement, City of Montreal's executive committee member Sophie Mauzerolle called the incident "unacceptable," adding that it is in contact with police.
"The REV is an infrastructure to ensure safe travel for cyclists, not a shortcut for cars. The behaviour of this motorist is absolutely unacceptable, dangerous, and must be strongly condemned. We are working tirelessly to make our streets safer and to build infrastructure that allows for the safe sharing of the road for all users," she Mauzerolle.
