April 15, 2023 - Moncton is currently on the move to almost double its overall cycling network. With the fastest-growing population of all of Canada’s metropolitan areas growing at 5.4% annually, Moncton is an excellent city for cycling.

Boasting 44km of separated bike lanes and a network of 80+ trails, city council has approved $1 million to kickstart a robust 2022-2035 Active Transportation Plan that will see over 90km of physically separated bike lanes and an overall network of 141km.

There are also 44km of bike lanes for people cycling on the roadway, which include designated white painted lines, signage, and pavement markings.

In addition, Moncton offers 36km of shared streets that include pavement markings and signage to indicate where cyclists should be located within the roadway and to remind people driving to expect people cycling along the route.

Currently, 81% of trips in Moncton are by car; 53% of those trips are under 5km, making them ideal for conversion to active transportation modes.

The city devised four scenarios that measured the impact on potential GHG reductions depending on the percentage of car trips replaced by active transportation. All were positive, and other benefits such as reduced health costs were not factored in.

Moncton has also reviewed various execution options, such as the use of pilot programs, quick-builds, and interim implementation procedures to test out different road and facility designs, aiming to improve mobility.

Bike racks are located throughout the city and on all Codiac Transpo buses. La Bikery Co-operative, a community bicycle centre with space for maintenance and repairs, also manages safe, long-term storage of cycling equipment at three locations for a fee.

A proposed Winter Cycling Network, based on the existing cycling and trail networks, is also on the drawing board, as well as planned projects for the next five years. Maintenance plans will be included and reviewed over time in five-year increments as new facilities are built and included.

It is also recommended that bicycle parking locations receive winter maintenance, and not be removed on a seasonal basis, as another barrier to winter cycling is the lack of accessible locations for people to park their bikes.

Moncton is on track to create even better conditions where even more people will feel comfortable using active transportation.