Montreal to spend $30M for 60 km of bike paths this year

The city of Montreal plans to spend $30 million this year to upgrade its cycling infrastructure by adding or upgrading about 60 kilometres of bike paths this year.

It has announced 53 projects that will go across 14 boroughs and four neighbouring municipalities.

The projects are part of the Valrie Plante administration's Vision Vlo 2023-2027 unveiled last fall, which includes adding a total of 200 kilometres of bike paths, including 10 new sections of the Rseau Express Vlo (REV), anetwork of high-capacity bike lanes around the city.

The construction of the first leg of the Henri-Bourassa Boulevard REV bike path will kick off in the Saint-Laurent borough, between PitfieldBoulevardand Flix-Leclerc Avenue.

Many bike paths will be fixed up, including the Saint-Denis Street portion of the REV in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.

New one-waylanes will be set up on Christophe-Colomb Avenue, an undertaking that will take two years to complete, though the city says a first part will be accessible this fall. It will eventually cover four boroughs and seven kilometres.

Verdun Street will have a path between LaSalle Boulevard and Henri Street. There are also plans to develop a new bike path on rue de la Commune Ouest, in the Old Port, to complete the cycling network in this heavily travelledarea.

A bike path on Bourbonnire Avenue connecting the RosemontLa Petite-Patrie and MercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs and a two-way crossing on Dcarie Boulevard are also among the city's projects.

The city says the goal is to make it easier for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to share the streets of Montreal.

Followingcallsfor more bike lanes in Montral-Nord, theplans include threebike paths:

• Prieur Street East between Oscar and Garipy avenues.
• Salk Avenue between Gouin Boulevard and de Charleroi Street
• D'Amos Street between St-Julien and Jean-Meunier avenues.

There will also be a cycling strip added on Des Rcollets Avenue between Gouin and Industriel avenues.

The city is urging Montrealersto check out itsinteractive map of the complete cycling network to better plan their travels.