Want to leave the island of Montreal by bicycle? There are few options

While there are 27 points of entry to the island, only three have a dedicated bike lane. And with bridges built to last a century, all levels of government must be forward-thinking about their active transit plans. There's an opportunity to have our bridges be a reason to walk or bike, instead of drive. Watch the video by creator KZbin Paige Saunders to see what obstacles are in the way of making the greater Montreal region accessible to those on the island, and vice versa.
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[@erikhutt5957]

More Paige content! This guy produces great and informational videos.

[@mirrenbodanis5224]

Paige on CBC! YES! And omg so true. Everyone says we should be replacing cars with bikes but then when it comes to replacing car lanes with bike lanes it's clear how much people actually want to save society and the environment

[@weatheranddarkness]

I thought I recognized that mug!

[@Brian-jv8iy]

If cars would be replaced there’d no little value gained for the environment, in most cities zero, none. And always it’d be a massive life quality drop, and time waster for those who switch. I love cycling but it’s not a solution, I’d still take the public transport if I couldn’t use a car for some imaginary reason that will never exist. I had 15 minutes to work cycling, not anymore, now it’s an hour, so no thanks. Car is 20 minutes, direct bus on bus passes same route as the car is 50 minutes.

[@weatheranddarkness]

@@Brian-jv8iy what is it you think you're saying here? On what real basis?

[@jacktattersall9457]

Montreal needs Green Bridges like Brisbane and Sydney: Bridges with bike path, pedestrians, and transit (buses or rail) only.

[@jacktattersall9457]

That's embarrassing a halfway bike path.

[@preste3]

Absolutely right. I can remember as a kid some brave (and maybe stupid) kids would walk across the train bridge to St Eustache and also to Pierrefonds from Ile Bigras. There was a need then, more so now.

[@PaigeMTL]

While filming this I met a guy chilling in Parc Des Arbres who grew up nearby. He told me he would sometimes miss his stop on the train and end up stuck on Bigras for hours waiting for his parents to get home and come pick him up.

[@BaiZhijie]

You go Paige!

[@Alex_Plante]

43 years ago, when I was a stupid and crazy 14 year old, I crossed the Mercier Bridge on my bicycle. At least it was a Sunday...

[@weatheranddarkness]

I tried, and got about 25% of the way before I realised there isn't really a way without riding in traffic.

[@sachamm]

“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.” ― Gustavo Petro

[@Brian-jv8iy]

These are two meaningless sentences that anyone could say. There are some, but very few countries with good public transportation in Europe, rich use cars over there. Remember that bikes aren’t public transportation, and rich sometimes use that if it doesn’t cost them their lives (meaning time wasting). If you’re middle class and there’s good metro, obviously it makes more sense to not use the car if the commute is 20 minutes through the whole city instead of 30-50 by car, but that takes a great metro with so many lines it’s rare. Otherwise the rich person you’re mentioning won’t mind spending 40 minutes in their own comfort and place and music and calmness and cleanliness commuting once or twice a week, because they definitely don’t go to the office more often.

[@carbrained]

​@@Brian-jv8iy ​it's not common but not rare, lots of cities have great metro systems. Maybe you'd understand it better this way: "the rich MAY use public transport". It's not a regular thing but still possible (unlike India, Nigeria or Texas). The rich like central locations and transit can be fast and clean enough, so they may take it.

[@dez7800]

This. We need more of this. Thanks Paige for doing this necessary work, we can't keep living in the status quo anymore...

[@Pib31995]

Yes! I love Paige! Surprised to see him on here.

[@petersilva037]

Great report, Another one of my favourites is the Pont Serge Marcil, for Autoroute 30 crossing the St-Lawrence west of Montreal. They literally built a tunnel under the canal and bike path at the north end, but somehow nobody put a bike lane on the bridge, built in 2012? It's a 32 km detour by bike... have to ride all the way out to Valleyfield and back... Inexcusable...

[@petersilva037]

oh, and there could be a lovely bike path over the les Cedres dam, and than along a lovely island road and another water control dam... very near the bridge... but it's private to Hydro-Quebec... likely the cheapest (and most pleasant) way would be a path there.

[@jfmezei]

In summer, there is a ferry for cyclists between Les Cèdres and Valleyfield island. Also, it is NOT a tunnel under the Canal Soulanges. I repeat NOT a tunnel. The whole point of the 30 was to allow trucks with dangerous goods to bypass Montréal. But a tunnel would prevent such trucks from using it, so officially, it is the canal which bridges the highway. ( Original plans called for canal to be abandonned but the BAPE said "nop, this is historic, must be preserved". ) So the government found a way to use a lophole to keep the 30 relevant. (Irony: to avoid the toll, most trucks pass by the Coteau to Valleuyfield bridge anyways). That ugly style-less bridge is public-private prartnership with toll booth and the private company wouldn't make money from cyclists, so no cyclists.

[@bikesarebest]

Great video! Love seeing Paige on CBC

It has always depressed me how bridges in Montreal are so car oriented to the exclusion of anyone on a bicycle or on foot. I feel any bridge renovation should include providing access to non-car users in some form. Jacques-Cartier is one of the few, but what is available is so narrow that it is dangerous to both pedestrians and cyclists. Come winter the bridge is only accessible to cars.

[@jean-philippedecarie2024]

It's actually opened year round for cyclists now

[@weatheranddarkness]

I had to take the Bordeaux biking from the plateau to the industrial park behind Marché 440 a couple times last winter and it was basically doable. A bunch of the bike path through the forest was uncleared though, and it was kinda but not really useable by skiers and stuff. It was a more peaceful morning commute than most, aside from when I had to transfer onto Dagenais. Good point about the Victoria, it's already closed to trucks and apparently a lot of people avoid taking it by car too. It's Montreal's oldest bridge and was the longest bridge in the whole world (that was actually buried even on its wikipedia page) when it was built, it would be a good candidate for some Parks Canada money especially if properly joined with the Lachine canal path via Rue Bridge. It has meagre capacity for cars anyway, only 1 lane each way. It would be by far the most scenic route and shortest. The ice bridge only gets you onto the Estacade, and the height of the Champlain means there is so much excess distance to travel. The Concorde is extremely exposed and dealing with the traffic going every which way under the highway can be a lot for some people.

[@PaigeMTL]

I hope this idea finds its way to the right people. It didn’t make the cut but it initially did allow pedestrians. Nowadays it’s about as bad as a bridge for cars can be, while being an amazing option for active transportation.

[@dez7800]

I live right at the exit of the bridge on the south shore and I hope this happens ! It could even keep one car lane if they absolutely want to, having it towards Montreal in the morning and towards the south shore in the afternoon and the other side for bikes and pedestrians. One side is wide enough to even seperate bikes and pedestrians as well

[@trishsaunders4296]

Makes a lot of sense. I hope many planners watch and consider this video.

[@kb_100]

Great video. Paige is entertaining and informative as usual. The Papineau bridge recently had a car lane closed because the structure can't handle the weight of 3 lanes on each side. However they didn't convert those closed lanes to any other modes. Probably because that bridge turns into the 19 highway on the Laval side.

[@MorseAttack]

So happy to see Paige on CBC!!!

[@electricerger]

Man, I still remember starting Uni in 2012 and biking the Jacques Cartier to get to my sports practice. I honestly thought that the "off ramp" we had to cross was some kind of cruel joke.

[@cmmartti]

Spot the Oh the Urbanity duo cameo!

[@mariospenard5125]

I feel your pain but I am already a very happy Montréal daily bike user!

[@BillyHudson1]

MFW I realize this is a CBC video. 🤯

[@emdxemdx]

The Perry island railroad bridge (erroneously called "Bordeaux") got it's pedestrian lane in 1912 after two nuns drowned after jumping in the river as a train was coming. The CPR responded to the public outcry not by blaming the victims (as it is customary in croporate circles) but by adding a sidewalk.

[@maplessence]

Yay Paige!

[@mremumerm]

it's sad that i look at this with envy from Halifax

[@owenbonertz1415]

it's definitely valid to complain that bridges have no pedestrian/bike path at all, but I think the danger of the Jaques-Cartier bridge path is overstated. How many accidents have there actually been? Yes it might feel a tad uncomfortable but I don't think the numbers support that it's anymore dangerous than other non-bridge bike lanes.

[@aurionson]

Paige for mayor

[@bikesarebest]

You should have mentioned the summer ferries that run in Montreal and the ice control structure.

[@weatheranddarkness]

there's the Oka-Hudson ferry, where else is there one?

[@wavearts3279]

@@weatheranddarkness - Vieux-Port -> Longueuil - Vieux-Port -> Pointe-aux-Trembles - Vieux-Port -> Boucherville - Châteauguay -> Lachine - Pointe-aux-Trembles -> Repentigny -> Varennes - Beauharnois -> Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot - Pointe-des-Cascades -> Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot - Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue -> Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot

[@weatheranddarkness]

@@wavearts3279 I've never seen any of those, and most of them don't show up on maps. Are you sure there are currently active services on those routes?

[@patriciamm9859]

How about a shuttle service for the bikers.

[@aaronr.9644]

I love the idea of converting car lanes to bike lanes. But do they keep bike paths clean over the winter in Montreal? If not, it would be shame to loose a lane that will be full of ice and snow for months.

[@weatheranddarkness]

They're getting better, but farming out all the snow clearing to private companies mean there's a huge disparity in the quality of clearing work done. As Not Just Bikes pointed out, the right way to do it is sidewalks-bikepaths-roads in that order, and I think some part of the logistical chain got that memo, and some parts still have the plows dump everything into the bikepath from the road. And even when it's not everything, there remains significant overage that doesn't get properly cleared when they get around to the bike path. But now that they've announced that some bixi stations are going to be open year round they're going to have to take it seriously. Very curious to see how that program goes, as it has a huge hill to climb especially since they've tied a hand behind their back by doing the one thing you should never do to a bikeshare program and make its coverage too thin.

[@jfmezei]

Was going to comment but saw it was produced by Page Saunders who doesn't like me. I'll just say this: bike access on mercier was shut for the reconstruction and were were promised reopening to cyclists by 2013. So yes, there was a definite time lime for re-opening cyclist access to the bridge. (the sidewalk was used as bike path before).

[@danieltrezub8130]

"only" ten years ago 😂

[@yvc9]

Old montreal. De la commune till just passed the flour mill, left till you hit habitat 67 road and ride all the way to ile notre dame then left towards victoria bridge where you can either hop on to st lambert on the south shore or keep going about 15 km to ville ste catherine or go right to jacques cartier bridge where you can hop on the bridge to the ville longueuil on south shore. You can use subway to longueuil. Theres a ferry from montreal east to boucherville. Saying there are few options is extremely disingenuous and smells like click bait. I hope im wrong. Ive biked all over the region and you can bike to your hearts content in this city.

[@PaigeMTL]

The route you described is in the video. It has a lock in it which makes it unreliable for commuting (ask me how I know 😢) Taking the bus, ferry or metro because the active transportation options are bad is not an active transportation option.

[@yvc9]

@@PaigeMTL in over 40 years of biking ive never experienced anything that would make me qualify them as bad.

[@christopher480]

buy a boat....lol

[@jeanbolduc5818]

Champlain bridge is amazing for bikes , Jacques Cartier bridge as well and the estacade ... you may take the REM or the subway with your bike ... stop complaining or move to a lower quality of life city in the rest of Canada

[@ninja1letsgo]

what do you suppose a Chevy CBS

[@christopher480]

wow you embarrass easy.......i totally do not mind using the bus bike racks.......in any city im in.

[@alainbellemare2168]

Been riding the jacques cartier for 50 years , never had a problem , new generation of cyclist see problems where they never used to be , just whining all the time , kick yourself in yourself in the factory reset area

[@Schlabbeflicker]

Honestly, if you're riding so fast in pedestrian areas that you have little chance to stop if a pedestrian walks into the pedestrian walkway, you need to slow down. This is why cars have speed limits, too.

[@Brian-jv8iy]

Bicycle limits and speed control are becoming more common here

[@weatheranddarkness]

A route over a bridge should not be mixing traffic types without providing each adequate space. The bikepath over the Jacques Cartier for instance is not a "pedestrian walkway" that allows bikes, it's a bikepath that allows pedestrians under the rubrick of "mixed use" it's a trap for everyone involved.If you're trying to actually GET somewhere by bike travelling at walking speed is intollerable, besides your average human on a bike isn't very good at riding at such slow speeds.

[@mikehenkes]

This video was created with Canadian Tax Payer Funds.

[@jasperli]

Money well spent, I’d say.

[@davidrobinson9507]

Not true, really. If you are a skilled experienced cyclist that bridge is one of the greatest thrills of cycling. I've crossed on four or five occasions on bike trips out East. It's a highlight. It's an unforgettable treat. You can see for miles. Can't speak for the other bridges but you need to realize that bridge crossings are sober, cautious processions. Once you get over, it's back to normal. Get rid of your car. Help the general situation; there's strength in numbers. Why not consider riding over that bridge and all the way out and around the Gaspesie? It's breathtakingly beautiful. The more people who ride, the more things will change. I got rid of my car eight years ago. Best decision I ever made. If pollution and climate change and fatalities and road rage are things you'd like to do something about, then stop sucking off the teat of the auto industry. Get tough and get on your bike or walk or at least car pool or something.

[@PaigeMTL]

Wow