Themes, tags, keywords and great projects

To increase the number of trips made on foot or bicycle from 350 million to 1 billion each year, dense and multi-functional residential neighbourhoods must be built. The Belgian “Code de la rue”, which gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists, is one tool which can encourage such development.

Housing and urban design policies must allow walking and cycling to once again occupy a central place in city life. In the downtown area, on commercial streets, in residential areas, along metro, train and the future tramway lines, the public space of roads, sidewalks and alleys should be developed with the following objectives:

• Reduce the area accessible by automobile and increase the area exclusively reserved for pedestrians and cyclists;
• Assure the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists, especially children;
• Develop convenient, attractive and safe walking routes leading to metro stations, primary and secondary schools, parks and other places where there are large concentrations of pedestrians, especially children;
• Increase the visibility and legibility of public transit signs in the urban environment;
• Decrease noise pollution;
• Ensure that all sidewalks be accessible at all intersections to people with reduced mobility;
• Give priority to the safety of pedestrians of all ages, including people with reduced mobility. This requires changing the culture that gives automobiles priority and allows pedestrian crossings to be brazenly and routinely ignored by making such crossings more visible and ensuring they be respected by, if necessary, increasing fines;
• Include in all tenders for contract on infrastructure and roadwork the requirement that contractors maintain sidewalks and bike paths affected by their work.

Beyond actively contributing to realizing these goals, the City of Montreal and its boroughs would also support and collaborate with organizations which encourage active transit in the city.

In order to increase the use of bicycles both as a means of transportation and for pleasure, a Projet Montréal administration would:

• Make existing bike paths safer both for cyclists and for pedestrians crossing them;
• Install, within four years, 50 kilometres of new, dedicated bike paths;
• Increase the number of secure bicycle parking posts without obstructing sidewalks;
• Improve the cleaning and maintenance of the city’s bike paths;
• Maintain bike paths and bike parking year-round.

Install bike racks on buses, especially those that service low-density neighbourhoods (such as industrial parks and certain suburbs). Require that all suburban trains allow passengers to bring their bikes.

Furthermore, integrate existing ferry services into the STM network so that citizens can access them with the CAM card. Also, create a single card which would give access to all public transit options in the Montreal area.