May 26, 2014 (Montreal, QC) – Montreal’s borough mayor in the Plateau Mont Royal district, Luc Ferrandez, has promised a number of radical measures to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety in his borough reports La Presse. These measures, which include dropping speed limits everywhere for motorized vehicles, narrowing of streets, converting some streets to essentially bicycle-only traffic, and massive reconfiguration of 22 major intersections, have been dubbed a “bicycle revolution” by the French language daily.

At a press conference, Ferrandez referred to the 3,474 cyclists and pedestrians hit by cars and trucks in his borough over the past 10 years, but the recent death of Mathilde Blais (Pedal reported previously how she was crushed by a truck in a train underpass) was especially poignant. New measures will reduce speed limits on major arteries (such as St. Denis Street) to 40kmh while residential streets will be see new limits of 30kmh. Ferrandez is also calling upon police to properly enforce existing legislation restricting the use of trucks in urban areas.

Ferrandez and his Projet Montreal party-headed by municipal opposition leader Richard Bergeron, have long been seen as “pro-bike”, but these new propositions are bold and expensive at an estimated $1 million per year. Ferrandez is also promising that if he is unable to implement these measures, he will resign as borough mayor. Support seems to cut across party lines but clearly in his camp is the mayor of Outremont, Marie Cinq-Mars, who stood beside Ferrandez at the conference.

Bergeron maintains that the public space in Montreal belongs to everyone and should not be appropriated by only one segment of the population, referring to motorists. Pedal notes that this is the same message has been preached since the 1970s by bicycle advocates such as Robert “Bicycle Bob” Silverman.

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montreal/201405/22/01-4768968-revolution-cycliste-sur-le-plateau-mont-royal.php

Meanwhile, the Ontario Cycling Advocacy Network and others are calling upon political candidates in the June 7 Ontario election to state where they stand on cycling. The group is armed with polling results that indicate strong public support for promoting bike safety and bicycle tourism measures.

Provincial Coalition Calls on Ontario MPP Candidates to Sign Cycling Pledge