A day after fatal collision, Montreal puts $150M into cycling

Montreal has announcedan investment of $150million over five years in an effort todevelop the city's cycling infrastructure.

The goals of the investment include:

• more connectivity for downtown cyclists
• more bike parking
• the promotion of cycling as a safe, effective and comfortable way to get around

The planis part of the city'sVision Zero approach to safety. It comes less than two months before the upcoming municipal election, to be held on Nov. 5.

Projet Montral, the Coderre administration's main opposition at City Hall, has a reputation as a strong advocate for urban cycling.

Cyclist killed at dangerous intersection

The announcement comes the day after two separate collisions involving cyclists in the city left one61-year-old woman dead and a 24-year-old-man seriously injured.

Thewomanwasstruck by a school bus at theintersection of des Pinsand Parcavenues at3:40 p.m. Thursday and died of her injuries.

The city councillor responsible forbikesafety,Marc-Andr Gadoury,said the tragic incident highlights the need for a plan like the one put forward Friday.

"We have a plan for a secure bike path on Avenue des Pins," said Gadoury. "But first, we need to do the sewers and the aquaducts."

The plan had been in the works long before Thursday's collision.

ArefSalem, theexecutive committee member responsible for transportation, said the previous day's collision was "really sad" and that the city is enacting measures to make the Montrealsafe, but "it takes time."

Friday, a makeshift memorial was set up on a lamp post on the corner where the fatal collision occurred.

Cyclist Zvi Leveremarked the speed at which cars drove at the intersection.

"Did you see how fast they were turning?" Leve said.

"Yet another needless tragedy. This is really something that, the city likes to talk about Vision Zero, but unfortunately they are not walking the talk."

Plateau-Mont-Royal MayorLuc Ferrandez, a member ofProjetMontral, also slammed Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre's commitment to cyclist safety.

He said the mayor's plan to make Montreal safer for cyclists is just talk.

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"We want Coderre to say, 'I don't care about cyclists, I don't care about deaths, I'm not interested.' That he say that. Because that's what he's doing behind closed doors,"Ferrandez said.

On Facebook,Ferrandezdetailed how Coderre struck down plans to make the intersection on des Pins Avenue safer earlier this year.

"In June, to the executive committee, Denis Coderre personally intervened to block a cycling route projectproposed by his experts on des Pins Avenue at the exact site of yesterday's death," Ferrandezstated.