Latest news with #Rheault
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Montreal transit strike leads to extra traffic on some bike paths
MONTREAL - The head of a cycling advocacy group says Montreal's public transit strike has spurred record numbers on the city's bike paths. Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, says devices installed by the city to count the number of passing bicycles are showing record or near-record levels since the strike began Monday. 'Nobody wanted this strike,' he said. 'But that being said, what we see is that cycling is a solution which is used by Montrealers to get around.' The strike by 2,400 transit maintenance workers has limited bus and metro service to morning and afternoon rush hours and late at night. Partial daylong service will resume Thursday, with some level of service disruptions expected until June 17, with the exception of the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Rheault says one bicycle counter on the corner of St-Denis and Rachel streets in the Plateau-Mont-Royal district recorded more than 11,000 trips on Tuesday for the first time since it was installed in 2020, despite a day that included rain and a severe thunderstorm warning. He says some bicycle paths are so crowded that riders are having to wait for more than one traffic light cycle to cross the street. 'We've had several reports from people saying that there were a lot of people on the paths, and it's not necessarily very comfortable,' he said. 'We're reaching situations of overcrowding, which actually translates to the fact that not all cyclists are able to cross at a light.' Information from several dozen bicycle counters around the city recorded 92,871 trips in total on Monday, compared to 80,961 the week before. Tuesday, with rainy weather, recorded fewer rides than the previous week. Although there were no citywide records broken, the data appeared to show spikes in traffic at a few key spots in the city. In addition to the 11,044 trips at Rachel street on Tuesday, the St-Denis/Des Carrières intersection saw 10,228 trips and the Berri/Banq counter reported 7,421. Christian Vermette, the chief executive officer of BIXI Montréal, a service that offers bike rentals and docking stations for short trips, says it added extra capacity to meet the demand just in time for the 'busiest day in its history' on Tuesday. 'We experienced exceptional ridership this week, with a 35 per cent increase in trips this Monday compared to historical figures and a record 83,897 trips on Tuesday,' Vermette said in an email. While day-to-day numbers can vary due to weather, Rheault said the number of people on Montreal's bicycle paths has been steadily rising in recent years. That growth has been driven by several factors, including a rise in winter cycling and the expansion and popularity of BIXI. Last year, the city's express bicycle path network, called the REV, reported about 1.6 million trips, which was about 100,000 more than the year before, he said. Rheault said the strike is a 'tragedy' for people with limited mobility, but there could be a silver lining. He said events such as the 2019 Paris transit strike and the 2012 flooding of New York's subway system during Hurricane Sandy served as 'turning points' that led to a permanent increase in bike ridership, after people who were forced to turn to cycling out of necessity ended up sticking with it. He said the same thing could happen in Montreal. 'For people getting around on a bike for the first time, I think for them it will be an experience of discovery,' he said. '...Maybe they'll adopt it, maybe they'll adopt it sometimes, maybe they'll never come back, but in any case, these situations where we're forced to review our mobility options don't happen often in life.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
Global News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
Montreal transit strike leads to extra traffic on some bike paths
The head of a cycling advocacy group says Montreal's public transit strike has spurred record numbers on the city's bike paths. Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, says devices installed by the city to count the number of passing bicycles are showing record or near-record levels since the strike began Monday. 'Nobody wanted this strike,' he said. 'But that being said, what we see is that cycling is a solution which is used by Montrealers to get around.' The strike by 2,400 transit maintenance workers has limited bus and metro service to morning and afternoon rush hours and late at night. Partial daylong service will resume Thursday, with some level of service disruptions expected until June 17, with the exception of the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Rheault says one bicycle counter on the corner of St-Denis and Rachel streets in the Plateau-Mont-Royal district recorded more than 11,000 trips on Tuesday for the first time since it was installed in 2020, despite a day that included rain and a severe thunderstorm warning. Story continues below advertisement He says some bicycle paths are so crowded that riders are having to wait for more than one traffic light cycle to cross the street. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We've had several reports from people saying that there were a lot of people on the paths, and it's not necessarily very comfortable,' he said. 'We're reaching situations of overcrowding, which actually translates to the fact that not all cyclists are able to cross at a light.' Information from several dozen bicycle counters around the city recorded 92,871 trips in total on Monday, compared to 80,961 the week before. Tuesday, with rainy weather, recorded fewer rides than the previous week. Although there were no citywide records broken, the data appeared to show spikes in traffic at a few key spots in the city. In addition to the 11,044 trips at Rachel street on Tuesday, the St-Denis/Des Carrières intersection saw 10,228 trips and the Berri/Banq counter reported 7,421. Christian Vermette, the chief executive officer of BIXI Montréal, a service that offers bike rentals and docking stations for short trips, says it added extra capacity to meet the demand just in time for the 'busiest day in its history' on Tuesday. 'We experienced exceptional ridership this week, with a 35 per cent increase in trips this Monday compared to historical figures and a record 83,897 trips on Tuesday,' Vermette said in an email. Story continues below advertisement While day-to-day numbers can vary due to weather, Rheault said the number of people on Montreal's bicycle paths has been steadily rising in recent years. That growth has been driven by several factors, including a rise in winter cycling and the expansion and popularity of BIXI. Last year, the city's express bicycle path network, called the REV, reported about 1.6 million trips, which was about 100,000 more than the year before, he said. Rheault said the strike is a 'tragedy' for people with limited mobility, but there could be a silver lining. He said events such as the 2019 Paris transit strike and the 2012 flooding of New York's subway system during Hurricane Sandy served as 'turning points' that led to a permanent increase in bike ridership, after people who were forced to turn to cycling out of necessity ended up sticking with it. He said the same thing could happen in Montreal. 'For people getting around on a bike for the first time, I think for them it will be an experience of discovery,' he said. '…Maybe they'll adopt it, maybe they'll adopt it sometimes, maybe they'll never come back, but in any case, these situations where we're forced to review our mobility options don't happen often in life.'
Montreal Gazette
28-05-2025
- Montreal Gazette
How to plan for Tour de l'Île road closures
By Close to 40,000 cyclists will take to Montreal streets this weekend to ride in the annual Tour la Nuit and Tour de l'Île. Organized by Vélo Québec, the events will close some roads east of Pie-IX Blvd. Here's what you need to know to navigate city streets and avoid a tow. 'It's possible to get around by car this weekend in Montreal,' Vélo Québec President Jean-François Rheault told reporters at a Wednesday morning press conference. But 'it might not be the route you're used to taking.' Tour la Nuit will close roads Friday between 7:30 p.m. and midnight along a 21-kilometre route in the Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, St-Léonard and Montreal North boroughs. The longer Tour de l'Île will take place Sunday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and will see 50 kilometres of roads between Gouin Blvd. and Notre-Dame St. and Pie-IX Blvd. and the eastern tip of the island closed to cars. 'We want it to be a festive and enjoyable event and for everyone to share that enjoyment — cyclists and drivers,' City of Montreal Spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said. Drivers heading east-west through the city can still take Highway 40, Sherbrooke St., Souligny Ave. and portions Notre-Dame St. throughout the events. Autoroute 25 will also remain open, allowing north-south access off the island from the affected areas. Vélo Québec is also maintaining a hotline to help drivers, pedestrians and public transit riders plan routes and has posted maps of the planned closures. The road closures are also set to be shown on Waze and Google Maps, Sabourin said. The event will impact 27 STM bus routes. A special shuttle, No. 809, will be in place for people in Pointe-aux-Trembles who would normally take buses 86 or 189, to shuttle them to Marien Ave. More information is available at The City of Montreal has readied 18 tow trucks for the Tour la Nuit route Friday evening, Sabourin said, warning that a towed vehicle costs drivers around $194. Tow trucks will also be on call for the Sunday event. Drivers can 'avoid surprises,' he said, by consulting the maps. Drivers on the Friday evening route will have until 1 p.m. that day to move their cars, while cars parked on the Sunday route are required to relocate by 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Vélo Québec communicated the closures well ahead of time, Rheault said, posting signs along the routes over a week in advance, calling some businesses directly and mailing around 10,000 pamphlets. This year's Tour de l'Île is the 40th edition, adopting an '80s theme to commemorate the occasion, Rheault said. 'It's certainly an important event in the construction of Montreal's cycling culture,' he said, adding that participants report they travel by bike more often following the event. 'The bicycle is a simple solution to complicated problems. It's good for mobility. It's good for the environment. It's good for health.' The event also boosts Montreal's economy, he said, by attracting tourist dollars from Ontario and the United States. Both the Friday and Sunday events are likely to see between 18,000 and 19,000 participants, Rheault said. Registration remains open for both. At a glance The Tour la Nuit kicks of Friday with staggered starts between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Tour de l'Île is Sunday with staggered starts between 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Registration for both events is available at Participants can also register at the starting line.
CBC
31-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Bixi is expanding beyond Montreal, sets up in 4 new cities this spring
More Quebecers will be able to ride Bixis this year, with the non-profit adding four more cities to its bike-sharing network. Bixi stations will gradually sprout around the Montreal Island area in Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes, and Saint-Lambert, as well as in Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships. The organization is also beefing up service in Laval with 49 new stations, bringing the total number of stations there to 75. The city of Longueuil will see 22 new stations this spring. The entire network will be fully operational beginning on April 15, according to a press release sent out by Bixi Montréal. CEO of Vélo-Québec Jean-François Rheault says he's pleased to see Bixi is growing in the suburbs where people can combine the service with public transportation. He says the new locations seem to have the infrastructure to support the bike-sharing service. "Of course, Bixi is not the only ingredient to allow people to use cycling as a mode of transportation. You need to develop a network of safe and efficient cycling infrastructure," he said. "More and more cities are developing safe networks." In total, the number of bikes in the Bixi network this year will grow to 12,600 with about a quarter of those being electric bikes. Rheault says the scalability of Bixi's year-round service remains a challenge after he's heard from several people wishing they had closer access to the winterized bikes. "I think in the future more and more people are interested to use the Bixi system in the winter and today the limitation is the availability of bikes or the availability of stations in the different neighbourhoods," he said. People can suggest locations for new Bixi stations on their website, whether it's a specific neighbourhood or city.
