Ever since its creation five decades ago, Dollard-des-Ormeaux’s (DDO) Centennial Park was a favourite destination for cyclists in Montreal’s West Island.
That changed when COVID-19 hit.
“I used to ride my bike through here until the pandemic,” DDO resident Andy Menchaca recalled.
On May 7, 2020, DDO announced bikes would be temporarily banned in the park to make things safer for the influx of pedestrians seeking outdoor activities amid pandemic lockdowns.
Two years later, signs saying cyclists are not welcome still adorn all of the park’s entrances. Some, like resident Ronnie Peretz, believe it’s about time for cyclists to be allowed back into the city’s biggest green space.
“Kids love coming here with their bikes. It’s not safe to bike on the street, so definitely I recommend biking here,” Peretz told Global News.
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While some trails in the park can get quite narrow, much of the network is fairly wide.
Some believe there is plenty of room for both walkers and bikers, but others think the ban on biking in Centennial Park should be permanent.
“There’s so many that just really don’t care,” Menchaca said of cyclists. “They buzz people, they cut them off, they don’t lean to the side to give passage.”
Jessica Salvador agrees cyclists should not be allowed in the park, citing the large number of children and joggers who frequent the area.
“They might have an accident,” she said.
READ MORE: No bikes allowed: Centennial Park closes off to cyclists during pandemic
While a permanent ban on cycling in the park has not yet been formalized, mayor Alex Bottausci says the ban will remain in place for now.
“Over the last two years, our park has seen a massive increase in walkers/joggers. Cyclists and walkers do not blend well together and we have had challenges in the past (prior to COVID) with accidents between the two. With the influx of users, it would be jammed up if we add cyclists,” he told Global News in a text message.
Bottausci said the city is “studying a way to have both together.”
“What they can do is they can just have a line or they can separate it,” said Peretz. “It’s not hard.”
For now, cyclists will just have to continue to go around the park, or leave their bikes behind.