Latest news with #VéloQuébec
CBC
13-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Montreal sees surge in bike and Bixi traffic during public transit strike
Social Sharing Montreal's transit strike has left some commuters stranded, but others took matters into their own hands — and feet — setting new records for the number of cyclists and Bixi users taking to the streets. The Saint-Denis Street bike path — part of Montreal's Réseau express vélo (REV) — saw unprecedented use Wednesday, setting multiple all-time records with a 71 per cent surge over typical traffic, according to Eco-Counter, a company that monitors cycling activity in Montreal. "I'm well aware of the numbers. It's something we track on a daily basis. I was still surprised at the number of cyclists at certain key points," said David Beitel, data services lead at Eco-Counter, discussing Wednesday's surge. "All records were essentially shattered related to cycling in a specific day, cycling in a specific hour." 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. The strike has either scrapped or reduced service transit services outside of rush hour. Rheault says a bicycle counter at the corner of Saint-Denis and Rachel Street recorded more than 11,000 trips on Tuesday — a first. According to an Eco-Counter news release, the number at that same intersection climbed even higher on Wednesday, with 14,676 bicycle tips registered. See Montreal's streets and paths fill with bikes during transit strike 6 hours ago Duration 1:12 The underpass at Saint-Denis and des Carrières Avenue saw 14,446 crossings, the company says. That figure marks a 36 per cent increase over the previous record of 10,642, set just over a week earlier on June 3. Two other major cycling corridors also passed the 10,000 daily crossings mark: • Berri Street–Maisonneuve Boulevard: 10,823 crossings • De la Commune Street–King Street: 10,135 crossings These numbers are well above the daily averages for these locations, confirming a widespread increase in cycling in Montreal amid public transit disruptions. The statistics, sourced from the City of Montreal's open data, were analyzed by Eco-Counter, the company says. Peak rush-hour traffic Bixi Montréal told Radio-Canada it recorded a new daily trip record of 98,500 rides on Tuesday. This surpasses the previous record of 83,897 trips, set just one day earlier. Beitel said the number of cyclists taking advantage of Montreal's busiest bike paths, like the REV on Saint-Denis, was already increasing. On peak days in the summer, it was already hitting 10,000. He noted the REV consists of unidirectional bike paths on each side of the street, and the lanes are wide enough to allow cyclists to pass each other. Just in the peak hour alone, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., there were 1,761 bike passages recorded on Saint-Denis at the corner of Rachel, he said. "Again, huge number," he said. "It really speaks to the efficiency of cycling in bike lanes. It can really move people much more efficiently at these peak periods." Rheault said some bicycle paths are so crowded that riders have to wait through more than one traffic light cycle to cross the street. STM negotiations continue This news comes as negotiations continue between Montreal's public transit authority and its striking maintenance workers. The first mediation session is scheduled to begin on Monday. About 2,400 maintenance workers have been on strike for four days after more than a year of negotiations. The first three days of the strike limited bus and Metro rides to specific windows during rush-hour periods and late at night. On Thursday, service frequency was increased, with bus and Metros doing half of the regular trips outside of those windows. On Friday, the service will return to normal for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Bruno Jeannotte, president of the maintenance workers' union, told reporters that the mediator will meet separately with both sides to understand each party's position. The strike is scheduled to end next Tuesday, but Jeannotte has said the union is prepared to escalate if a deal isn't reached.
Hamilton Spectator
12-06-2025
- 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
11-06-2025
- 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.'
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Montreal transit strike leads to record numbers on city bike paths
A Bixi bike rider pulls in to a Metro station prior to the restricted hours where metro and buses discontinue service due to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) maintenance workers strike in Montreal on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) 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. The strike by 2,400 transit maintenance workers has limited bus and metro service to morning and afternoon rush hours and late at night. Rheault says one bicycle counter on the corner of St-Denis and Rachel streets recorded more than 11,000 trips on Tuesday for the first time. 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. Information from the bicycle counters is uploaded to the City of Montreal's open data portal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
A new campaign urges cyclists to slow down and watch for pedestrians
A new June campaign reminds cyclists to slow down, follow the rules, and watch for pedestrians in key shared zones. Vélo Québec is using the month of June to launch a new awareness campaign calling on cyclists to follow the rules of the road and be more mindful of pedestrians — the most vulnerable and often forgotten users of public space. Bike season is back in full swing, and for Magali Bebronne, program director at Vélo Québec, it's the right time to push for safer streets for everyone. 'When it comes to humans, there's no negotiations,' said Bebronne. 'If somebody's putting a foot on the street, you should be stopping and letting them pass.' The campaign is reminding cyclists to stay alert and slow down, especially in five key areas where pedestrians always take priority: at bus stops, crosswalks, in front of a school bus, near a crossing guard, and on shared pedestrian streets. Some pedestrians say they feel less safe around cyclists than they do around drivers. Bebronne said the tension between cyclists and pedestrians isn't new — but it may be growing. One of the most common complaints is cyclists using sidewalks. 'Pedestrians complaining that cyclists are using the sidewalk — it's not acceptable, it's not allowed in the highway safety code,' she said. But some cyclists argue the rules aren't always clear or easy to follow. Bebronne said the right infrastructure — like protected bike lanes — benefits not only cyclists but pedestrians as well. Sometimes cyclists bend the rules to avoid cars, she added, but they need to consider pedestrians too. That's why Vélo Québec says better coordination is needed across the board — and that safety starts with everyone.
