Transportation Cocktail The STM again adds to its service offer for bikes

Press release

Montréal, May 3, 2013   – With better mobility for clients always in mind, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Mr. Michel Labrecque, unveiled new measures designed to improve the bicycle service offer this summer. Featured are five new bus lines equipped with bike racks, a pilot project for a shared reserved lane on Viau Street, a pilot project for bike slides in two métro stations and a pilot project for controlled-access bicycle parking at the Lionel-Groulx station.

“The future for mobility lies in the transportation cocktail that allows for the use of various modes during the same trip. It’s thus a blend of traditional and new, collective and individual methods of transportation,” explained Mr. Labrecque. And the bicycle is without question a key ingredient in the transportation cocktail on which the STM relies heavily, particularly to offer a healthy alternative to the car,” he added.

Buses equipped with bike racks
Five new bus lines are offering bike racks: lines 34 - Sainte-Catherine; 94 - Iberville; 169 - La Ronde; 185 - Sherbrooke and 715 - Vieux-Port.

These are in addition to the three lines that were part of a pilot project in 2011 and 2012, 140 – Fleury; 146 – Christophe-Colomb and 180 – Salaberry, bringing to 65 the number of buses that will be equipped with bike racks this summer. Over the coming years, this number will increase tenfold.

Reserved lane on Viau Street
In addition, the STM, in collaboration with the Ville de Montréal, is developing various concepts for reserved lanes integrating cyclists. These concepts take into account the environment and the volume of buses and cyclists. That is why, as of this fall, a pilot project will allow bicycles to travel in the bus reserved lanes on Viau Street between Rosemont Boulevard and Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue. It will feature a shared lane 4.5 metres wide with the buses travelling to the left of the bicycles. This pilot project is designed to determine if bicycles and buses can co-exist harmoniously.

Bike slides
The STM is also testing four bike slides at the Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke and Viau stations. The goal is to make the handling of bikes easier for those who have to travel in the métro with their bikes. These slides allow cyclists to go down the stairs alongside their bikes without having to carry them. A plan to equip other stations with this type of equipment is also being studied.

Controlled-access parking at Lionel-Groulx
Elsewhere, the STM, in collaboration with the ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) and the Sud-Ouest borough, will offer parking at Lionel-Groulx station enabling cyclists to park their bikes in a sheltered area. The preparatory work for the installation of the shelter should start in June and finish at the end of the summer. The controlled-access parking should therefore be available in time for the back to school period. It will be able to handle 32 bicycles in 16 racks on two levels. The MTQ’s participation is a continuation of the work of the Comité de mobilité des personnes et des biens in the greater metropolitan area.

The STM will thus provide close to 2 700 parking spaces for bicycles outside 56 of 65 Montréal métro stations. It is hoped that between now and 2020 this number will increase to 3 100 in collaboration with the city of Montréal’s boroughs.

“All these measures are on top of our various partnerships with, for example, the Bike Fest, Vélo Québec, BIXI, the Comité cycliste de Montréal, all targeted at promoting bicycle use by citizens and offering them innovative ways of getting around. This is no doubt linked to the fact that this week Montréal was ranked first in North America and 11th in the world among the best cities for cycling,” Mr. Labrecque concluded.

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