The 'secret sauce' transforming this cycling city

[@dustinbranham9746]

Man, I really love this guy. Such a cool, chill advocate for people-sized city design.

[@alexh2065]

Paige is totally right. I sometimes gets frustrated that things don't go fast enough and I get so jealous of cities like Amsterdam who feels like utopias even for MTL. But yes change takes time and especially changing mentality is a long game. And mentalities are indeed changing, one striking example is in the November 2021 election, mayoral candidate Denis Coderre promised to tear down a REV bike lane on Bellechasse. Then exactly a year later the city announced it's bike plan for the next 5 years which includes bike lanes in neighbourhoods that are controlled by the opposition (same party with which Coderre was on) and their reactions were positive despite being areas that feels a lot more like suburbia than a major city. They said they're happy cause their neighbourhoods needed structural bike infrastructure, which was inexistent. I think Montreal is really close to the tipping point where not only there won't be major backlash to new bike lanes but it'll be expected, even desired by most.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Great comment, thanks for sharing.

[@KJSvitko]

Speak up for bicycles in your community. Local transportation planners and elected officials need to hear from people that support safe, protected bike lanes and trails.

[@lateve6243]

The real initial bike lanes that started the change of Montreal since the 1980s are those on rues Rachel, Boyer and Canal Lachine. Canal Lachine was for leisure and tourists while Rachel/Boyer were the first backbones of Montreal's bike infrastructure. For anyone interested you should check out the history behind Le Monde à Bicyclette. Montreal's first grassroots cycling advocacy group. They were activists in the mid seventies and the group had a huge influence on the city's bike culture, sprouting Vélo Québec, le Tour de l'Île, Communauto car sharing and many ideas that flourished with the next generations of activists and enthousiasts (quite a few are now elected councilors and mayors at City Hall). Not a lot would have been done if there weren't political will behind it. People barked (mostly from outside the city) a lot against Projet Montréal, the former Plateau mayo Ferrandez and current city mayor Plante, but all those traffic appeasement measures and infrastructure changes came from popular demand from citizens living in those neighbourhoods.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Great comment. Thanks for sharing

[@alexseguin5245]

People in the suburbs can bark all they want, but they can't vote!

[@acchaladka]

Montrealer here, fully agree. Also, great video Tom!

[@brianwheeldon4643]

Cool... I really like it.

[@Brackcycle]

Completely agree! As a student in the 90s, it was possible to live near where Paige lives in East downtown and take Ontario St. And deMaissoneuve bike lanes out to where I painted houses in Westmount and NDG. This was a revelation to me. Now when I go back to visit my son at school I am blown away with the changes that I see on every visit. Where you and Paige were standing on Ave. Des Pins was a wasteland street that came off a highway-like hostile interchange at Parc. Look it up. The street is unrecognizable and that is not that long ago. Incrementalism hits a point where it really speeds up. Montreal is at that point and the addition of the REM will bring this out to the West Island suburbs!

[@jacksonp2397]

Incredible. I'm a planning student in Cleveland---I really love Montréal content because the city is such a great model to follow when it comes to bringing an ambitious urbanist vision to reality through smart planning

[@eugenetswong]

If you want to see a city slowly change, then I encourage you to follow, Surrey, BC. We are slowly improving, and we're creating some big changes.

[@Swiss2025]

Surrey , BC is # 1 most high crime city in Canada according to Statistic Canada ... a lot of issues in BC , homeless, drugs, crimes , Coastal gas link ( fossil fuels ) , rain and identity .@@eugenetswong

[@anne12876]

Thanks so much for your videos. As a Montrealer, I'd like to point out some key factors in why the city was able to implement all these changes over the years. First, Montreal's governance gives a lot of power to its boroughs over which projects are done each year without the permission of the central city hall. Pedestrianizing streets, adding curb extensions or bike paths, widening sidewalks, removing on-street parking, changing street directions to reduce thru-traffic are all under the control of each borough. This create an environment where the city can react more quickly to the needs of its citizens. All those increments were possible because of one borough's mayor who decided 20-25 years to give back the borough to pedestrians and cyclists. He started with one bike path and then two, then changing the street direction to reduce thru-traffic, then he removed one street parking, and so on. His methods and projects were unpopular and made fun of by the rest of the city who was still in a car dependant mindset. But, election after election, this party got elected again and again. Its citizens saw the improvements. Then, this political party got elected in other boroughs until the won the control of the central city hall. The fact that Montreal's boroughs have a lot of power and control allow them to try stuff on a smaller scale and make mistakes. The good ideas are kept, the bad ones used as lessons. Second, the curb extension serves many fonctions. It signals to drivers that they are approaching an intersection and to reduce their speed and to pay attention. It increases the visibility at the intersection for both the divers and the persons on the street. And it adds vegetation and canopy because most of them planters as well. The securization of the intersection was the main selling point and why they are doing it throughout the city. Third, the decision to pedestrianize commercial streets is made by this street business owner association. The city hall can suggest street, but businesses have the final say. Before the pandemic, many commercial streets were closed for a couple of weeks for commercial fairs. During the pandemic, the city proposed to completely pedestrianize some streets for all summer in order to give more space to restaurants and bars and to allow social distancing. At first, it was faced with scepticism by business owners but we were in the middle of the pandemic and it was better than nothing. It was so popular, from both business owners and citizens, they decided to keep doing it years after years. Finally, Montreal 20-25 years ago was not a bike friendly city. My ex and his friend told me they were treated as aliens because they biked everywhere back in 2006-2007. Everything changed between 2010-2015. Bixi made a huge difference in Montreal's bike landscape. Now, in some parts of the city, it's viewed as normal to bike everywhere, even late in fall. The St-Denis REV was added because Montreal was lacking a bike path connecting the northern boroughs with downtown. Before the REV, the network was disjointed and the few existing bike paths were overflowed with traffic. The same logic was applied for the East-West leg. Before, it was hard to get new bike paths. Now, it seems like the city has the mindset "if we can add a bike path, let's add one.". Out of the 5 streets parallel to mine, 4 of them have bike paths. All this is to say, that yes, incremental steps is the way to go. Smaller and local projects will have a greater chance to be completed than big city-wide ones. Then, many small ones can create a snow ball effect. Also, when you improve the citizens' life by giving them space or making the city more beautiful, calm or secure, they take notice.

[@eugenetswong]

Good! Thank you for sharing! I agree about the slow changes. If we did at all at once, then people would not be able to adapt.

[@eugenetswong]

I think that the best way to go is to actually use street side parking to take away space from drivers. Nobody would oppose free parking.

[@anne12876]

@@eugenetswong I work in change management. Ideally, you need to know when to implement small changes and when and how to push for bigger ones. Small changes are good at first, they usually don't require too much involvement and it's easier to temperate the preoccupations. The more we progress, the more able people are willing to make bigger changes. You can advocate for bigger changes all at once, but you will need a very good reason, the backing of influential persons and a good communication team.

[@anne12876]

@@eugenetswong Plus, in many cities, it offers a more than needed terrasse for businesses or a place to chill and sit down.

[@eugenetswong]

@@anne12876 thanks for the info in both responses. I appreciate your participation in the entire comment section, too.

[@GrahamLikeTheCrackers]

"If you don't drive, cars aren't good." Love it

[@ddogg14]

North America would be so well-served by following Montreal's example. This is really impressive, and what a difference this makes for quality of life!

[@Arjay404]

8:36 I definitely thought that when I saw that area, it feels like somewhere you shouldn't be in a car. So I think the way to think about this is, if you have to ask "Am I supposed to be here?" then the answer is no, the people that ARE supposed to be there (delivery trucks for example), don't need to ask that question because they know they have to be there, but they also know how they are supposed to behave.

[@justinm6862]

Great video. I live in a small city in New Zealand which is undergoing some beautiful rejuvenation through incrementalism. I’m an architect and have worked with the city council on urban projects here. I’m not sure if they are aware of the term, but it’s a word I’ve been using to describe what is happening here. The revitalisation of the city was essentially instigated by a single business owner who opened a small bohemian bar that brought live music and culture, and nightlife to an otherwise dead city centre. In seven years there are now all kinds of arts, entertainment, hospitality and local boutique businesses in the city. They have all come about slowly and incrementally. And with this, new urban parks and street rejuvenation projects have been undertaken by the city. Also fortunate to live in a bike friendly city (mostly) and region as a whole. There are over 200kms of urban cycle paths and rural trails for a population of only about 170 thousand people. In the city the urban cycle paths were developed early on, and all in one go. (When I say urban we are talking small NZ city where most of the population lives in suburbs). Consequently there was a public backlash, which was to be expected in an area dominated by car culture. However the benefits of the rural trails, which were developed incrementally over the years, have I think helped to sway public opinion in favour of cycling. The rural trails are a big part of a local wine growing region and tourism sector. Because they are connected with the urban cycle ways this benefits the urban areas in terms of tourism, and in terms of connecting the wider region for local commuters. Incrementalism makes total sense, it is how cities develop naturally. It’s more sustainable and affordable, and it means that people who may not have foresight come on board over time. I’ll share this video with a city planner I work with here, it’s totally supportive of and reaffirms the good work they are doing here too. BTW is Paige from NZ originally, think I can detect a kiwi accent and manner?

[@allene2307]

What's nice about a city like Montreal doing these things is that it avoids the argument that a city is "too big" to add good bike infrastructure. It also shows (from a US perspective) that commuter cycling is not just for "hippie towns." I really do like the idea of taking small steps and having patience. It allows the people who might normally be against such changes to get accustom to it slowly and make it not that big of a deal.

[@claudelalonde1732]

Maybe Montréal is a big hippie town, after all...

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Montreal has some things going for it, particularly its mid-level density, but their biggest asset is that they've been committed to it for more than 30 years now. It takes time, but it works. Thanks for the support!

[@John572d4]

Another thought is that there could be seasonable times to not allow vehicles like April-October in say Old Montreal, and then in the winter when there are less people cycling vehicles are allowed to reclaim the territory, particularly if it is rough winters though even those now may be becoming bygone.

[@Frostbiker]

I have some hopes for Toronto now that Olivia Chow is in charge. They could begin by plowing the multiuse pathways in winter.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Plowing what you already built should be the default. And I also have renewed hope for Toronto

[@sdesrocher]

Toronto already has a blueprint for this. I have to give the City credit where credit is due - Winter maintenance on the Martin Goodman Trail is pretty good. Expanding that program to the other trails would be a good start.

[@Swiss2025]

Toronto is a USA car centric city highest CO2 (polluted) . Doug Ford came in power in 2018 and cancelled the grant for electric cars while Quebec and BC have more than 20 % electric cars and # 1 and #4 most sustainable cities in the world . Montreal is also narrowing streets to one lane downtown with very wide sidewalk and bike lane . More than 10 majors streets are cosed for pedestrians in the summer .

[@matthewconstantine5015]

This makes me feel a bit more hopeful about Washington D.C. It's a struggle, but changes are being made. There's still a lot of pushback, and I think a lot of the most interesting projects are still in the works (and in danger of being gutted/canceled). But just in the last few years, things have gotten so much better. It's still a mixed bag. Some lanes are protected. Some are just buffered by parking. Some are only paint. But there are more going in all the time, and a network is starting to form. It's possible to get from one place to another in a way that would have been impossible even five years ago. ...Now, if they could increase the bike parking... But baby steps. It's getting better.

[@GGamer720]

I’m from northern Virginia (Annandale), and I’ve just been watching the Connecticut Ave bike lane battle from afar, in addition to all the crazy protests out of touch old people organize against those lanes and new housing proposals. It frustrates me as someone who doesn’t even live there, but hey, like you said, progress is being made (in NOVA too!). At least we’re not in the sun belt, who continues to double down on car centric sprawl.

[@emma70707]

Same in Seattle. It feels like everything moves SOOO slowly and there are some really wealthy businesses (cough, Amazon, cough) that will sometimes randomly decide to pull their weight against important rollouts and delay them like 3 more years, but it's been neat to go to a place I haven't been in awhile and see how much things have actually improved.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

@@GGamer720, I'm actually NOVA, too (Fairfax). But worked in the city for years & my wife still does, and most of my social circle is there. And I very much want to move there. So, what happens there is important to me. Agreed on NOVA getting better, too. Though it really feels like two steps forward, one step back. Near me, they've started work on a protected bike lane from GMU to the Vienna Metro station. And after almost 10 years, they're putting a bridge in to connect a sidewalk that used to just end on either side of a stream, forcing people to walk on a 50mph highway to continue. But they also just allowed a private business to block a public path that linked two neighborhoods, forcing folks to take a nearly two mile detour (another mile longer if you're in a wheel chair). And don't get me started on the slap in the face that is that new 66 Adjacent Trail.

[@eugenetswong]

Hi, guys. For the really wide stroads, where there are businesses, have you thought of requesting angular or street side parking to protect a bike lane and sidewalk? That could open up some short stretches that could connect 2 important nodes.

[@stuarthirsch]

All of this won't make much difference until crime under control. I live in a suburb of Baltimore. I like using public transit when possible and riding bikes but I am afraid to go into the city. This is why most people move to the burbs getting as far away from the center cities as possible and drive cars. In DC I point to Anacostia is an example. Would you really ride a bike or walk there even if the bike and pedestrian infrastructure were perfect?

[@freshfreshfreshfresh]

Montreal’s Mayor Valerie Plante is amazing. Lots of credit goes to her.

[@joellethaby8140]

Something not mentioned in the video that I was amazed by in a recent visit to Montreal is the bixi bike share system. So much more affordable to use than any micro-mobility options in Calgary and stations are everywhere. I wouldn’t even own a bike or a car if I lived there.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Yes, Paige has a lot to say about how Bixi has changed the city, so stay tuned for more on that!

[@teddymacrae]

Did you notice the free product placement though?

[@alannatdeboer]

@@Shifter_Cycling I lived in Montreal for school in 2008-2010 and I didn't have a car - I exclusively used the metro and bixi (at the time, bixi wasn't available in the winter). Not only is the bike network great (and also greatly improved since I lived there), but so is the metro.

[@definitelynotacrab7651]

This was a great highlight of what can be done to make our cities better places to actually exist, and im glad Montreal is providing a North American example of how to do this. Great video!

[@brighton_dude]

Incrementalism is an interesting approach. Here in Brighton & Hove city in the UK we have seen advances for cycling infrastructure over the last twenty years, but very often there is outrage from the car drivers and indeed some ground has been lost on some projects. It might be that a continuous incremental approach would be better.

[@ahaveland]

Indeed, though I can't help but think that some cities should just be nuked and rebuilt with proper regard for micromobility.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I’m seeing some backsliding in my city as well. I think this incremental approach might work better than one big project every 5 years that gets debated to death

[@TheRampax]

Yeah, here in the UK, anything that proposes taking driving or parking space away is met with insane resistance. Most councillors are simply too weak to go against that.

[@jacqu6380]

Thanks! Makes me really jealous of Montreal, but appreciate the message of doing things incrementally and hope that we can push for this change! Hopefully, our councillors will listen to suggestions or hope we can figure out the best way that they’d listen to us!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I think all cities can take this approach. You have to start somewhere. Thank you for the support.

[@cyrius289]

When talking about an integrated step by step approach, let's not forget about the REM that is just starting. All together with the REV, its really transforming the city mobility (i love they adopted a similar name for both). The city is known to be the capital of roadworks and 'orange cones'. But it's now starting to pay off. And people are starting to notice even if there's still so much work to do.

[@MultigrainKevinOs]

I haven't been to Montreal in 10+ years but just these few scenes are blowing my mind how much it has changed. See ya soon Montreal I need to come visit !

[@aarons3008]

Thanks for the inspiring video definitely gives me hope that our north American cities can improve bike infrastructure and make life better for all people!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thank you for the support. It means a lot!

[@colleenwright-kakkar6384]

Thank you for this video. Very much enjoyed it and learned new ideas. I am blessed to have moved to a city that thought ahead a long time ago, and we have a lot of bike lines and green belts. But is still very much a car dominant city. The green belts get used for those who exercise, but the city bike lines, get maybe one biker a week using them. After being in Europe last month I have made it my personal goal to start riding more and driving less. I hope the more people see me the more people will start using this wonderful bike lines our city has. The one hang up I am having, is when I get to my destination there is no place to lock and park my bike. I am very much enjoying you channel.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for sharing your story. Good bike parking is a huge part of a good cycling city. Hopefully, your city will continue to improve.

[@fallenshallrise]

When parking meters were everywhere my short u-lock was perfect. I had parking spots everywhere. Now that they've pulled them out and replaced them with parking kiosks I've thought about switching to one of those folding locks that will reach around a light pole.

[@Jila_Tana]

The Dutch solution to bike theft : Buy an old ugly bicycle and paint it pink. Then nobody wants yours and a simple wheel lock is enough. Or live in a smaller town or village which has less theft in general, not a guarantee, but mostly it works. I have had my bike stolen just once in 40 years and I found it back at a bus-stop.

[@test40323]

It would be nice to have some data on business activities in close streets before and after. Perhaps a few interviews with business owners. Thanks!

[@anne12876]

In Montreal, many commercial streets have their own business association. The city proposes streets to pedestrianize but the business association has the final say. If it was unprofitable, they would do it years after years. Some businesses like bars, cafes and restaurants are very happy and have increased their sales. Others, especially those who have a niche market space, not so much. I read that Mont-Royal business association will do a study in September on the impacts of the street closure on its businesses sales and revenues.

[@test40323]

@@anne12876 , thank you. I hope the findings will alleviate fears amongst business owners in other cities. But lessons learned are just as invaluable.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Here’s a video that offers a little insight: kzbin.infoeCEk1DXPr68?feature=share

[@Shifter_Cycling]

And another: kzbin.infoAhPpynOlbUw?feature=share

[@cube_cup]

that car-low street feels like an American take on the Dutch 'klinkerstraat'. A bit wide, but by having the same pattern on the tiles as on the sidewalk, you discourage people from driving too fast. You keep them on their toes. Plus the tiles are very loud to drive over so it sounds like you're going faster than you really are.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Yes, I was really fascinated with these streets. I think Paige nailed it when he said that it is built in a way to make car drivers question whether they belong there or not.

[@bgabriel28]

Something I noticed in Montreal a few years ago and when I visited Toronto last week is that you rarely see illegal parking in bike lanes, like you do in New York, where I live. It obviously allows the lanes to function more effectively when they aren't constantly blocked. Another thing I noticed in Montreal is they have two-way bike lanes on one side of two-way streets. It's an interesting idea that could allow much more implementation, especially as you would only need to remove parking from one side of the street. They generally seem much more willing to remove parking for bike lanes in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver than here in New York, though.

[@ericsimard4449]

Collective conscious is much much much stronger in Quebec than in the rest of North America, shared identity and a more Latin culture contributed significantly to this and our education systèm really drills in the respect of other and the law. So people doing the wrong thing will often be called out.

[@leopoldleoleo]

I love my city ❤ I bike past the old town every day to work and I can’t wait for it to be pedestrianized.

[@blairmacdonald9632]

Loved the video, it's great to see Montreal making such progress.

[@heyoou]

I've bought an ebike September 2022 as I've seen how all the positives of biking have outweighed the negatives of driving. Been to the St-Denis bike path and love the infrastructure of the bike lane. St-Denis is an uphill street from south to north and ebiking on it is as good as it gets. The lanes are on both sides of the street and is bustling with cyclists. I own a regular pedal bike and would be very difficult for me to have the motivation to ride 18 kms from my home to the north of St-Denis. The ebike is the only way to go if you plan on taking long bike rides for a regular enthusiast. 5-6 kms uphill on an ebike makes the journey fun and almost effortless while getting the exercise you need. Just recently did the scenic bike route on the Lachine rapids and is the best for the rider to enjoy the sites. What's best is I live close to the route and you get to enjoy a nice ride while viewing pack of Canadian geese strolling on the grass next to you, ducks enjoying little ponds under small cute bike bridges, views of the rapids galore, surfers enjoying the light rapids, paddle boats, canoes, boarders, free outdoor swimming pools for adults and children, bird sanctuary, swimmers off docks enjoying a light swim in the rapid, food trucks. picnic areas. all sorts of beautiful people, all sorts of bikes like cargo bikes and trailers. Biking in Montreal makes you want to ride your bike often to see things you've missed as a car owner because they've built the infrastructure for bikers to do so.

[@Chalallo]

Thanks for the video. I am from Montreal, and I really enjoy the dvp of bike paths, our last mayor Valerie Plante and her adm is there for a lot. It is important that it is a priority for the administration in place. Next thing I hope they develop : Bike parking !

[@haqitman]

Canada is so far ahead of the US in this regard. Kudos!

[@brianwheeldon4643]

Nice one Montreal. Thanks Tom and Paige for a great interview. Looks to me as though Montreal is following the Amsterdam model introducing cycling to the city, just 50 years later. But making great strides forward, and the population has the right attitude. what a shining exanple. Makes me want to live in Montreal.

[@jandron94]

Les francophones qui peuplent et dirigent la ville de Montréal ont pour habitude de regarder du côté de Paris, ville qui il se trouve avait adopté de façon pionnière (pour une aussi grande ville) une politique du vélo urbain alors typiquement nord-européenne (avec les Pays-Bas au premier plan).

[@Swiss2025]

I would say Paris is more of an exemple for us regarding design, urban parks , sustainabilty , public transport ( metro) . No offense .

[@alejandrodelavega1063]

This is amazing video. I just spent a month in Montreal and this video nails all the little things the city does right, and how North American cities don't have to suck.

[@MathieuTechMoto]

Thank you for making this video, this has given me the hope i has lost !

[@curtismah1261]

Paige is a total Beauty!! What a great collaboration !!

[@zaired]

Definitely one of the most impressive thing about Montréal is really the amount of curb extension, they are everywhere! And there weren't any just like 8 years ago. And you see them being built every year, like within 1 km of my apartment I think about 3 or 4 were added this year!

[@SNeaker328]

Was just in Montreal and noticed this as well! And they make them so pretty, it's like a garden on every corner

[@oleogabalo]

Min. 1:56 Rockn'Roll Dad and kid.

[@suzanneschreiner5145]

Terrific video. Must visit Montreal to see it up close and ride the REV! Truly inspirational.

[@Ladadadada]

I love this "incrementalism". Each intervention is small enough that very few people get up in arms and protest about it, but it's consistent enough all over the city that it ends up getting more done. In a decade or two your city has completely changed and barely anyone noticed it happening.

[@ericotto20]

A great video. The trick now is that this sort of initiative is repeated globally. I do think more and more towns and cities will realise the benefits of reducing traffic, getting more people onto bikes. This means less pollution and accidents and hopefully will improve people's health.

[@pollyhasanasbo]

You always find interesting people to talk to and have a generally positive outlook for the future, really enjoy watching the videos!

[@trystanswansonart]

thats one thing i wish they had in calgary, trees between the cars and bike lane, more aesthetic, makes it feel more permanent and legitimate as well as the shade would be great

[@eugenetswong]

Trees are nice, but we can just free parallel car parking. It's the slowness of the moving cars that matters.

[@ChristiaanHW]

@@eugenetswong trees (and other greenery are very important for the cyclists (and also pedestrians). it makes the entire area a much more pleasant place to be in for everyone, and it's better for the city. it takes up water when it's raining, and it reduces the heat island effect and thus cools down the area. and for cyclists it's nice to have shade in the summer, cover when it's raining and/or there's a lot of wind. and it feels more safe because there's a physical barrier between them and motorized traffic. you have to treat cycling not just as a way to get from A to B, but you have to make it so the entire way is fun/nice to cycle. so it becomes more than just a commute.

[@eugenetswong]

@@ChristiaanHW As I mentioned, parked cars are the physical barrier. Unfortunately trees don't protect from all rain, if I understand correctly. The rain falls through a lot of kinds of trees as if the trees were a leaky roof. As for the rest of your comment, I agree. The point that I failed to make is that trees take money and time, but parked cars work the day that the paint on the road dries.

[@ChristiaanHW]

@@eugenetswong but to have a barrier of parked cars, you need to have a massive amount of cars. (if you want to have a car barrier along your whole cycling network. while one of the benefits of having a decent amount of cyclist is that you have less cars and therefore need less space for cars. and that space could be given back to the people in the form of a nice place where people want to be outside. with trees and greenery along the cycle route (and ideally throughout the whole city) you make the streets a place where people will want to be. and not just a place that people have to endure to get somewhere. it's like having the whole city being like a park. and most people do love parks. if you have a green and inviting outdoor space people will want to be there and if you have commercial businesses throughout your city, that means that more people will encounter those businesses and will spend more time around them. this will result in people spending more money (because if you're a couple of hours somewhere you probably will want to eat and/or drink something there). those higher sales will result in more tax income for the city and those extra taxes can be used to pay for the upkeep. also with less car infrastructure the city can reallocate some of the savings from that to the upkeep. and there are plenty of tree species that will keep the rain outside (unless you have some monsoon kind of downpour, no tree can block that) look it up there are countless places in Europe where the trees form a "roof" over the road and during rain those roads stay (almost) dry. and last but definitely not least: with a more pleasant outdoors people will be happier which will result in less sick days and less mental health issues.

[@blores95]

Going by this video, Montreal seems pretty underrated compared to the more talked about Vancouver and Toronto, at least in terms of being people friendly. Great to see progress like this in North America, hopefully it can be an inspiration to the rest of the country/continent.

[@TheTroyc1982]

Only Americans under rate montreal in my opinion. Canadian and Europeans know how great Montreal is.

[@saynotop2w]

It’s a people friendly metro, but there aren’t necessarily friendly people.

[@ericsimard4449]

Why do you say that?

[@Swiss2025]

You are 100 % right . If you watch CBC The NAtional news , it is all about Toronto and VAncouver . Unless Quebec PM asks anglophones to learn the basic of french .... english Canada is always bashing on Quebec , the only province where people are speaking both official languages of CAnada . Bilinguism is only for french speakers in Canada according to english CAnada and immigrants . After 500 years , Quebeckers are still fighting to keep their identity , culture and french language . English CAnada news will never show good images from Montreal , only JAcques CArtier bridge or a Church ... You will never see Montreal s impressive skyline ..

[@Swiss2025]

English mainstream media in Canada are always bashing on Quebec . You will never see a good picture of Montreal compared to Toronto and VAncouver . As soon as we ask english CAnada to make an effort to speak french ( an official language of Canada ) you see all anglophones and immigrants taking bad about Quebec and Montreal , the only big city in CAnada where people speak both official languages of Canada .

[@brucemastorovich4478]

I'm jealous of the lack of status symbol trucks in this video!

[@ianhannah8329]

Very inspiring, I wish every city councillor in Toronto would watch and learn.

[@GreySlick]

Awesome vid, glad you came to visit!

[@alexseguin5245]

Yeah, I'm not sure if I would call that incrementalism. Just this year, the city is working on something like 53 bike related projects throughout the city. On top of that, there's 10 streets that become pedestrianized every year, on top of what is already permanently pedestrianized. From the perspective of some random motorist, that's a whole bunch of places that you can't go to. There's also kind of "superblock" thing going on below the radar. Not only are most of the residential streets in the central boroughs one ways, but the city has been adding short sections of pedestrian streets and pedestrian plazas or islands in the middle of those blocks to prevent through traffic. If you go in between Saint-Laurent street and Saint-Denis, there are examples of that, like on Roy Street or Prince-Arthur Street. This is like going through a maze if you're a motorist haha.

[@jfmezei]

Ste Catherine was narrowed to 1 lane between McGill College and Robert Bourassa (formerly University). In exchange: huge sidewalks on both sides. Only downside is that if you try to bike, you have to take the lane and no space to overtake cars in that section, so you end up stuck in traffic like everyone else. It's nice to have special bike paths on specific streets, but in the end, for cycling to be effecticve way to replace cars, you need to be able to go anywhere you need to, not being restricted to only places where there is a bike path. For Expo'67, a train was built from the entrance to the port at Cité du Havre along the peninsula and crossing the Pont de la Concorde (built for the train) onto îî;e Ste Hélène et the Île Notre Dame and back on île Ste-Hélène (Expo-Express train). The government not only delmolished all port facilities on that peninsula, but also turned it into a park and asked an Achitect to do something very futuristic: Habitat '67 as a showcase that all visitors would see from the Expo Express. Old Port started in 1980s when the federal government took a number of steps to free the land (demolished grain silos etc) and tried to revive the area, and especially give a view from Place Jacques Carrier that until then only saw an abandonned section of the port looking towards the river. The government turned one of the piers into the Science centre with IMAX theatre. Parks Canada then took over the Lachine Canada right of way all the wayt to lachine to turn it into a linear park, fixed it all up and added a bike lane that went from the old port all the way to Lachine. That was the first "bike highway" in Montréal, at about 13km without any car conflict. The layoiut has changed here and there over the years (it crosses from one side to another here and there. Some sections are purposefully bad with curves to "look good" but there are good long sections where you can really gain time travelling without stopping. (a portion on east was given to the Republik of Montréal. (while the current Plante administration is friendlier, previous ones were hostile to many areas of montréal, and one mayor invaded the whole island to try to create his kingdom. In the early days of more bike-friendly Republikl of Montréal, it was more of a "photo op" bike paths so the mayor could claim to have done bike paths. You may have heard pof deaths under St-Denis bridge where that photo op bike path has just been made to appear on maps but the paths under bridges was terribly dangerous. The deaths eventually forced the city to fix it and make it safe. But it took deaths. But it does show that when people start to use a bike path a lot, the city needs to make it efficient and safe. A lot of drivers have been complaining about car lane ,parked car lane, bike path, sidewalk arrangements that were popular, since as photo-op bike lanes, it allowed the mayors to claim they got the bikes hidden from car drivers. The problem is car drivers haten those arrangements because when truning into driveway or at street intersections, those hidden cyclists became a real problem. The city haas slowly started to move away from those dangerous arrangements. So it is good to see the city now move from just declaring something is a bike path for political photo-op to actually designing a way for cyclist to travel effectively. (and even clear bike paths in winter which is a huge plus.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for the context!

[@ericsimard4449]

Republic? Kingdom? Mais de KESSÉ tu jase? Pis comme si c’était le gouv fédéral qui a ajouté de la vie à Montréal tu réécris l’histoire de la métropole la, t’oublie le contexte et les pressions exercées par les gouv provinciaux qui ont largement financés beaucoup des travaix…

[@Screech9]

Hey Tom! I'm from Calgary as well and recently started watching your stuff. I just wanted to say, thank you for showing me what cycling is like here, it's been one of the biggest factors to get me out on my bike regularly, and it's been a massive quality of life improvement. Hopefully I see you around sometime! (Also, what're your thoughts on the various hand signals used around the world for bikes?) Love the editing choices this video, the humourous tone was quite pleasant!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thank you for watching! I bet we'll see each other out there sometime.

[@dhanyrafael]

In medieval Romania, I can only dream about such cycling lanes. You guys are living in Bike Heaven !! Kudos. ::)

[@keithtonkin6959]

This a great video Paige. Made me think about Dunedin where they keep putting bike lanes outside of parked cars and next to heavy traffic where drivers open their doors on you and force you to either hit them or swerve in front of vehicles coming from behind. Not even the death of a prominent dentist caused by this made them change before I left there.

[@SkaN2412]

So true. Any large project will attract opposition, but no one's gonna notice a small change until it's done. Then they complain for a month and move on

[@dominiquefromtheend]

Really reminds me of some Dutch implementations to slow/remove car traffic and improve bike/pedestrian traffic, great to see it happen in a non European city as an example !

[@mitmon_8538]

I love the idea of having an app record rides or walks to show stats of multimodal transportation. Wish all cities would follow suit.

[@TheBrenzo11]

What was the name of the app? I would like to ask my city to use it.

[@lyssasletters3232]

Thank you for your advocacy and for providing education!

[@ChrisCoxCycling]

Simultaneously inspiring and demoralising. It's amazing that Montreal had the courage to try some of these things initially, despite no doubt having criticism at the time. Cities like mine, Brisbane, so often break out in a cold sweat when there's criticism of something new and they either compromise it so it's useless, or they cancel it entirely. Maybe our first step is to vote in a new administration...

[@claudelalonde1732]

Courage explain only parts of the changes. Citizens associations in the 70' were already in Montréal asking for more space for cycling. The politicians finally listened to them.

[@TheBarrej2006]

2 things that is really important for bike-ability are Bixi and Communauto The ability for a non biker to try out being a biker, and then become a part time biker, without having to commit to bike ownership is huge for getting people into biking. Then, the knowledge that, if/went they need a car, they can just rent one, quick and easy, goes a long way in going from bikers to biker first.

[@thndr_5468]

I love seeing more people getting out of cars and onto bikes! I hope these kind of projects can become more common and popular. I wish the US was more accepting of bikes like Canada

[@wonderbro1]

Great coverage of my city. We still have some way to go for winter biking and increasing bike trails in parts of the island outside the downtown area (suburbs) where bike trails are limited.

[@justdriveitaly]

I'm new on this city cycling world, love watching your videos here.

[@freezechill]

Great video thanks!

[@Warioda]

Hey! I live right there! Yes, there!

[@philwyeth]

Brilliant video, provides hope. 👍

[@MichaelSalo]

Amazing stuff here. Way beyond so much of North America. I hope civilization catches on to other cities.

[@ratbert1]

Brilliant video.

[@marsrover001]

I feel like a video on incrimentalism is well timed given the words that orange square guy said this week.

[@lkruijsw]

Good to see the progress. From the Netherlands.

[@ParMonts8ParVaux]

In Toronto I've heard bicycle advocates say that they aren't against cars because they don't want to upset anyone however, the only way to truly make cities better is by getting rid of the cars and this video clearly demonstrates it.

[@mattwardman]

At 8:00 that 'pedestrian' street with the continuous paving across the kerbs and no colour contrast or drop kerbs looks seriously difficult for visually impaired people, guide dog owners and wheelchair users to navigate safely. It has a feel of having adopted some "shared spaces" ideas, without mitigating the problems with the philosophy. Someone in a car would not be going "am I supposed to be here"; they would just go straight through without worrying their pretty little head about it.

[@trnstn1]

Really appreciate the more nuanced details and practical explanations - please do more so it can be replicated elsewhere in Canada!

[@reneolthof6811]

This ‘gradual’ improvement of bike infrastructure is exactly what is needed and what has happened in The Netherlands over the past 50 years. Improvement by evolution, not revolution. The next step is continue this process and not get stuck in the acceptable status quo.

[@redsky02]

in my city we have a similar infrastruture, and its awesome, surprisingly you can get anywhere faster by bike than by car

[@oldbrokenhands]

It's always weird but neat that when y'all do city videos, the cities you're in are so quiet you can hold a decent conversation. I don't think Dallas will ever get to that point, but as I put in the work, I think...maybe.

[@Swiss2025]

Montreal is narrowing streets to have less traffic less noise . It is even quitter in winter with the snow making a soud barrier .

[@megaboz42]

Was that app developed specifically for Montreal or is it a general purpose app that could be used by any city?

[@anne12876]

The app was called Mtl Trajet. It was developed by Concordia University for the City of Montreal. You would download the app on your cellphone and it used the GPS to track where you where going for the duration of the survey. You would then log where you where going (work, home, friends and family, activities, etc.) and your mean of transportation.

[@PaigeMTL]

It's called MTL Trajet, they seem to enable it every once and a while, collect their data, and then sign off

[@drewity]

Love your videos!!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for watching.

[@ecopennylife]

Amazing to see the progress, gives me hope for my town 😎

[@maximnossevitch8966]

Love the idea of proper consultation through that app. I worry that if my city did this they would just say "oh nobody bikes anywhere, so we don't need to build bike lanes!" Even though that's not how analytics works

[@CloverMind]

Thanks for another great video. I live in the city of Markham, ~30km NE of Toronto, where the city has been pushing biking and alternate mode of transportation through various community programs including free bike repair, training to repair own bikes but at the same time not much movement on putting in the lanes/routes/infrastructure to bike around safely. Biking, seems like is being pushed as a sport (there are self-help free bike repair tools, and pumps available at most managed parks and trails). I'm trying to push the agenda by taking the risk of riding (commuting) on my bike on the streets whether they have bike route / lane marking or not. Im hoping more and more people would do this instead of riding on walkways, to get the message across for the operator of metal monsters to become better operators especially being more cautious around slower vehicles on the streets. I've been encountering at least 2 specific type of drivers who are uncomfortable to ride around. 1 type likes to slow down next to me to avail the opportunity to honk at me before speeding off. This type is actually safe to be around because they seem to know how to drive, but its no fun being honked at out of the blue. But the second type, are the ones who are really just aweful drivers. Their vehicle is always closer to the right lane marker or the curb, always turning into the wrong lane, coming too close to the bike so on. I have 2 concerns if anyone including Tom can help me with, 1 related to what I mentioned above. 1. Is this a good approach that I am taking, forcing my way into the street and taking the risk with these awful and antagonistic car operators? How else can I push my city to make bike lanes and routes so I can go places, in addition to all the different ways they're pushing biking through community programs? It makes me feel the city is in struggles within itself in how on one hand it's pushing people to get into cycling but lagging behind even Toronto to lay down the proper infrastructure to support safe commuting on bikes. 2. This question is more about etiquette/rule. There are several streets that have round-abouts at the 4 way intersections. There are marked bike lanes on each of the streets but no marking at all on the round about. So, when I'm riding along on my bike lane and it suddenly ends at the round-about, am I supposed to take over the whole lane to keep going straight or make my turn? It seems especially difficult for many drivers to drive safe distance away from a bike side by side when on the same lane going in a circle (more so than when going straight). The bike lane continues, as I said, in any of the other intersecting streets, so the question is about how I should be approaching the round-about where bike lane marking doesn't exist. One last thing, I recommend Tom take a look and comment on the biking infrastructure laid down in Mississauga, a city ~30km SW of Toronto. I feel Mississauga has the best and safest biking infrastructure of any other cities at least within 100km of Toronto. I became aware of it recently in the last 2 years and been hoping my city would emulate that. Thanks.

[@ziba89]

Wait what is the app called? the one for improving mobility in Montreal?

[@PaigeMTL]

MTL Trajet, it's not currently collecting data from the looks of things

[@bobavontanelorn5713]

„Should we crack beer on camera?“ - Of course! (as long as you do not drink&drive or it is not legal there…) the audience wants real life! Thank you for the amazing video…!!! Kind regards from Bremen, Germany, where politicians have started to make the city centre car free…

[@codylittlefield7885]

Incrementalism is definitely painful, but is honestly the best path forward for places like Calgary (my current home) and San Diego (my former home). But change happens. We do have some backbone-adjacent infrastructure, but obviously could use more. I'm lucky enough to be able to use the river paths along the bow and elbow + the downtown network to get most places I need to go. But we are lucky to have these massive stroads and arterials that honestly have the space to add bike infrastructure and improve pedestrian infrastructure (*cough* Macleod Trail *cough*). But also Anderson Trail, Blackfoot Trail, Southland Dr, etc (I acknowledge these are all south of DT).

[@dominicvasturia9326]

What was the app called? Is it just specific to Montreal?

[@PaigeMTL]

Yes, it's called MTL Trajet

[@ps7549]

But how did this incrementalism start? Were there protests, and/or a city plan that provides the backdrop for these changes?? Idk how to implement this type of change in my still car centric suburb.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Yes, there were protests and organization and missteps along the way. For me, the history of bicycle advocacy in Montreal is personified in a photo in the 70s when a guy named Bicycle Bob Silverman dressed as Moses and tried to part the waters of the St. Lawrence because there was no safe bike route across the river.

[@anne12876]

It started 20-25 years ago. One borough's mayor (each Montreal borough has its mayor and some autonomy over its decisions) decided to start the change (Richard Bergeron is also an urbanist and city planner). He was faced with many criticisms from its citizens and the rest of the city. His decisions were made fun of but he and his party kept being elected election after election. So, they continued with their vision of a city for the people living there, not their cars.

[@lateve6243]

Activism started in the 70s with Le Monde À Bicyclette (Claire Morisette and Robert Silverman), the first protected bike lanes appeared in the 80s and 90s. There was a generational shift in municipal politics in the 2000s-2010s and 'urbanists' got elected in some borroughs, then later at city hall. Current city mayor Valérie Plante is from this political party "Projet Montréal", they have mayors and councilors in most the burroughs. Before some of these changes were only seen at the burroughs level but since Plante took office at the central city projects like the REV that are city-wide can be realised. There are plans put in place to connect all the burroughs cycling paths in a coesive network.

[@eugenetswong]

[Sorry to those who have read this already] Try to find streets, where there isn't room for expansion, and then suggest converting lanes to parallel, angled, or perpendicular parking. In some cases, the parking can protect the bikes and pedestrians. In other cases, the slow traffic can mix in the middle. The key to success is to offer "passing lanes" between intersections. This can be 2 spaces + a drive way entrance, or something similar. Drivers will slow down and be considerate. It works in Vancouver city.

[@alexseguin5245]

This all started because the shadowy cabal that we call Vélo Québec has been plotting and pulling the strings of the municipal apparatus for decades now, probably from a dimly lit room, all of them wearing black robes over their lycra skin tight suits. At least that's what the terminally car-brained motorists seem to believe.

[@peterdelmonte9832]

“Click on it in the description below this video”. I’ve heard that many times but haven’t ever been able to find where that bit to click on is. I’ve also never been able to negotiate any part of Instagram despite having had it explained a number of times…and I try most days. I’m a couple of generations adrift I think. But even in my dotage I have a titanium gravel bike, a Brompton and a recumbent tadpole trike. And I’m subscribed to this channel, so not all is lost!

[@Deckzwabber]

Good job Montreal! I wonder if the narrower streets and reduction in parking spaces is incentivising people to buy smaller cars.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I'd be interested in this too. Good question.

[@PaigeMTL]

Some of the cities arrondissements have higher parking fees for large vehicles, also something that I think was pretty early

[@claudelalonde1732]

Small cars are best sellers in Québec in general.

[@Jinnitaur]

Maybe I missed it in the video (all too often good ideas make me starting thinking about them, and then I miss parts of the video) but how does Montreal prevent drivers from parking in or driving down those wide cycling lanes? Are the residents just that much more respectful than in the rest of North America? Or do they have effective enforcement of the laws? I didn't see any real and solid bollards protecting the lanes from that kind of behavior. Plastic sticks might stop cars, but not delivery trucks. Great video nonetheless! 👍

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I think the answer is mostly that they are built in such a way that cars can't access them. It's mostly a design problem. Thank you for the support!

[@Jinnitaur]

@@Shifter_Cycling You're welcome and thanks for the reply. It does answer more than what I could see in the video.

[@katiem.3109]

If you ever have the chance, I'd love to see what your thoughts are on Minneapolis. It actually outranked Montreal in the recent People for Bikes ranking, though only narrowly (and placed first in the US, of course). I'd love to see how it's similar or different to bike infrastructure in Canadian cities.

[@beardannyboy]

When is Paige's next video?

[@Tomartyr]

9:30 In the UK we call this 'free parking'

[@JAKempelly]

It's so nice to see the success stories. I wish Portland would do something bold. Especially on our arterial roads. I could see them being turned into those "highways" and sacrificing a car lane. I see so many people and bikes on the sidewalks. And I dream of a day when we have dignity for people who happen to be crossing or shopping or commuting along arterials

[@EastWindCommunity1973]

Oh, over gain, I know the feeling. Cool vid!

[@pavlodragobetskyi5745]

3:45 Huh. In default Finnish city, not only Oulu, but in my case Turku, you just cycle those 15 kms/30 minutes where you need via uninterrupted cycle paths and don't bother naming it cycle highway. In Tampere or Rauma you're also sure that on your way from point A to point B in urban area you'll find dedicated cycle path or separated cycle/pedestrian path or 30 kph street

[@greevar]

Another way to make places where cars and people mix safer is to make all pedestrian areas raised to sidewalk level so that cars have to slow down to cross those spaces, because they act like speed bumps.

[@Scarlet-Coral]

In some parts of Montreal, raised and paved intersections are the thing now, like the newly done Ottawa Street in Griffintown It has paved sidewalks and intersections and the one direction cycling path is mid-raised . There are also curb extensions.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Some places call these 'continuous sidewalks' and I don't know why they aren't the default way of building crossings.

[@Jackofhearts214]

Does anyone know what the street names of the intersection they're at on the section of the video on Pedestrian Streets?

[@Haggan514]

Is that Montréal mobility app still a thing? What is it called? I couldn’t quite make it out when Paige mentioned it.

[@PaigeMTL]

MTL Trajet, it's not currently connecting data from what I can tell.

[@Haggan514]

@@PaigeMTL Thanks for replying! Yeah, I don’t see it in the app store. Still very cool that the city had it and gave the average citizen a way to communicate route needs!

[@_bats_]

Incrementalism can really help overcome psychological barriers a lot of the population has to reducing car access and making places more pedestrian/bike friendly, but sometimes it can be such a tough battle. As an example, the McDonald's in the pedestrianized part of my city's centre just closed up shop, despite it being extremely busy all the time. The reason was that the company's modernization standards in the country require putting in drive-thrus, which aren't possible at that location anymore. Rather than make an exception to their standards they gave up the location to focus on more car-accessible locations elsewhere in the city. The reaction of the public to this was that the recent pushes to pedestrianize the city centre are killing businesses and that the whole area is dying due to limitations on car access, and evidence like McDonald's closing up shop only helps that perspective when in reality, the long-term benefits are going to be huge. The city centre had been dying a slow death for a long time with all of the retail moving to power centres in the suburbs with huge seas of free parking, so turning into someplace pleasant to spend a day walking and talking and shopping and eating and drinking and just living life is going to do wonders for the city in the long-term. Hopefully incrementalism wins out, but every new proposed bike lane or push to change a street to pedestrian-only receives massive pushback unlike anything Paige was talking about in this video.

[@claudelalonde1732]

I am surprised. Urban McDo don't have drive-thru. In Montréal there is many.

[@Blizat1]

What bike are you riding in this?

[@JujuForTheWin]

Bixi bikeshare.

[@Blizat1]

Cannondale Adventure, or Specialized Roll

[@hahafalseflag5090]

I wonder if they're making that street named st. Catherine a pedestrian street too? I was there and it was a crazy shopping area crowded with people..

[@Catelia805]

Parts of Ste-Cath have been pedestrianized. If I am not mistaken, the street that cuts through Place des festivals is car-free the whole year while the Village is pedestrianized during summer. I would love to see and enjoy the entire stretch of Ste-Catherine car-free from Atwater to the Village.

[@kajani]

Have you been to Aarhus? I’m moving and wondering how the bike paths are there

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

The conclusion is great but I think that it would not have been possible without the pandemic. The pandemic was the perfect opportunity to start implementating these changes. The pandemic slowed down activities and it has allowed the implementation of vital changes that made many people change their view points. It's was a convergence of the city trying to attract young families (competing with suburbs), the need for measures to control the traffic flow, the elected officials (more accuratly the mayor and her political party) willing to use cycling and pedestrian infrastructures to achieve these goals and unexpected opportunity to make major basic changes. Once the population and the local businesses saw the impact, they've ask for more in their each of their own neighborhoods. And boy, am I glad it happened !

[@Laurynas_LTU]

I watch this with envy. Yes, we probably don't normally see the incremental change, we just want it to happen today. I'm totally for cheap plastic sticks in every streat rather than concrete barriers in every 10th street.

[@fallenshallrise]

This all looks great and seems so obvious. First ignore the outrage from the 5 people with time on their hands. I searched my city name + "outraged" and there are so many stories in the media about us being outraged about things I've never even heard about and I live right downtown. It's all made up. 90% of people are like yeah make some bike lanes, whatever. Then make a list of 10,000 things you could change and figure out which ones are cheapest and which changes will net benefit the most people. Then start ticking them off the list in order. Like in this video at 9:25 - move the parking spots over 10', paint some new lines, put up some plastic sticks if you want. Now the painted bike lane that was too dangerous for kids because it was out in traffic and in the door zone of every parked car is now protected by those same parked cars, nobody loses out and it costs next to nothing.