Montreal mayor Denis Coderre announced big plans for the city’s active transportation if he’s elected to another term.
“We’ve been doing a lot in the past four years,” Coderre said, while vowing to do much more during a second mandate.
Coderre is promising an ambitious bike path connecting the Rivière des Prairies to the Saint Lawrence River.
It will begin at an existing path on Perry Island, passing through the Université de Montréal’s new campus, ending near Moreau Street, next to the St. Lawrence.
“We’re going to build the middle, linking the Université de Montréal with an aerial section,” said the city’s spokesman on cycling, Marc-André Gadoury.
“We’re making use of the aerial rights that we have, so it’s a cheaper version of a protected bike route without buying the land.”
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Coderre’s team also promised to secure the Camillien-Houde bike path on Mount Royal.
The move comes after an 18-year-old competitive cyclist died when he was hit by a car.
READ MORE: ‘He was always smiling’: 18-year-old competitive cyclist killed on Mount Royal
Coderre is also pledging to retrofit 21 metro stations and make them accessible, starting with the de l’Église and Laurier stations.
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It’s something that accessibility rights activists have been pushing the city to do for years.
“We’re not promising unicorns. We’re saying that it’s going to work because it’s already planned, the money is there and there is an agenda,” Coderre said.
READ MORE: Mobility rights group sues transit authorities over access issues
He was referring to the $150 million the city pledged last week for cycling, and the city’s strategy to reduce cyclist deaths, Vision Zero, announced in September 2016.
Gadoury says the city has implemented most points of the strategy.
Opposition leader Valerie Plante laughed at that statement, saying she doesn’t believe the city has done a good job of applying the strategy.
READ MORE: Woman killed while cycling under viaduct on St. Denis
“Vision Zero has to be more than a slogan,” Plante said. “When there’s an accident, when you follow the rules of Vision Zero, you have to put an action right away.
“What about the underpass on St. Denis? Nothing was done. And now, the temporary measure became permanent.”
Plante also mentioned the new Atwater bike path, a path shared between cyclists and pedestrians.
READ MORE: ‘Very, very dangerous’: New Montreal bike path/sidewalk has residents concerned
Coderre argues he’s got the upper hand. “We’re not starting from scratch,” the mayor said at the press conference.
Montreal’s municipal elections will take place Nov. 5.
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