November 2, 2022 - (Montreal, Que.) Buoyed by record growth in the use of bicycles on its territory in the past year, the City of Montreal is unveiling its 2023-2027 Bicycle Vision, which will allow it to extend its safe and efficient cycling network to the four corners of the island, to offer new active mobility options and to secure the network for all road users.

Territorial equity is at the heart of the 2023-2027 Cycling Vision. In fact, 17 of Montreal’s 19 boroughs will be entitled to new bikeways or upgrades to existing infrastructure. This planning responds directly to the recommendation of Public Health, which wanted to see the Montreal cycling network develop throughout the city, particularly in more outlying neighborhoods.

In all, at least 200 km of new secure bikeways will be added to Montreal over the next 5 years, thanks to 40 projects, including 10 new axes of the Réseau express vélo (REV), not to mention the development of the local. Only for this second phase of the REV, 60 km of cycle paths are planned.

“The success of REV Saint-Denis has demonstrated the importance of developing safe bikeways that benefit cyclists, pedestrians and merchants alike. We cannot compromise on the safety of children and seniors, who are overrepresented in the deaths recorded on our roads. While cycling trips have increased by 20% in one year in Montreal, the vision we are presenting today will ensure efficient and safe trips, while allowing us to connect outlying neighborhoods that require it,” said the Mayor of Montreal, Valerie Plante.

“This is the first time that the City of Montreal has unveiled such a comprehensive vision for cycling, based on the local needs expressed by each of the boroughs. We are very proud of it. This Bike Vision will allow us to benefit from better predictability and give us a free hand to plan the cycling network with the communities concerned. We know that a good project is a project worked on upstream – with the boroughs, the stakeholders and the residents -, which takes into account the particularities of the environments and which meets the needs. This is what our Bike Vision provides,” added Marianne Giguère, Associate Advisor for Active Transportation on the Executive Committee.

Flagship projects included in the 2023-2027 Bike Vision include:

• The layout of the REV Jean-Talon;
• The development of the REV Henri-Bourassa;
• The layout of the REV Lacordaire;
• Upgrading and extending the Côte -Sainte-Catherine bike path , which will make the Parc and Mont-Royal intersection safer ;
• The redevelopment of the Commune trail, between Berri and Saint-Laurent , for better coexistence with pedestrians in particular;
• The creation of a bike path on rue Hochelaga, which will connect Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Ville-Marie ;
• The addition of bike paths on Prieur and Charleroi, which will connect Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Montreal North;
• The development, in the West Island, of the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue branch and the Deux-Montagnes branch of the cycle route, in line with the REM de l’Ouest.

By extending its bicycle network to all the boroughs and ensuring its connectivity, the City of Montreal wishes to encourage the population to choose the bicycle for their daily trips. The development of a quality bicycle network will also make it possible to secure the travel of other road users, since the uses will be well defined, which will facilitate travel for everyone.

“Last April, the Montreal Regional Public Health Department submitted an impact assessment of the Réseau express vélo (REV). In particular, we suggested investing more in neighborhoods that are less well served by the current cycling network to reach more vulnerable populations, then improving road layouts to ensure everyone’s safety on public roads. The Vision Vélo 2023-2027 announced today largely responds to public health recommendations in terms of accessibility, safety and inclusion. This is an important step for the future of sustainable mobility in Montreal!,“ said Dr. Mylène Drouin, regional director of public health for Montreal.

To consult the complete list of cycle routes announced via the Vision vélo 2023-2027, click here .