STM and City of Montréal announce new strategy for bus-and-bike sharing in reserved lanes

Press release

A new strategy for bus-and-bike sharing in almost half of the existing reserved lanes and four new ones that will be implemented in 2020

Montréal, July 8, 2020 – In an effort to promote road sharing between different users and encourage both active and public transportation, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the City of Montréal are announcing a new strategy for bus-and-bike sharing in almost half of the existing reserved lanes and four new ones that will be implemented in 2020 within the territory of the City of Montréal.

The lanes where sharing can be implemented were determined by several established safety and performance criteria, mainly regarding lane configuration (available space) and bus volume. The same criteria will also guide the implementation of future reserved lanes on the Island of Montréal.

The lanes that have been targeted for bus-and-bike sharing meet the criteria established by the STM and the City of Montréal. These criteria include safe lane width and maximum traffic volume to ensure both cyclist safety and bus performance. For safety reasons, bikes will not be allowed namely in reserved lanes that run along highway corridors, including service roads and BRT lanes. The high speeds and significant volume of buses and cars on these roads make it impossible for bikes to share these spaces safely.

This is just a first step. Some reserved lanes could be widened, and the number of bus-and-bike sharing lanes could be increased using other possible reserved lanes on the City of Montréal’s territory. Additionally, the STM and the City of Montréal will collaborate with their partners on the bus and bike committee to monitor the user experience of these new bus-and-bike reserved lanes going forward. The results may call for changes and adjustments to the safety and performance criteria or the thresholds at which they are applied.

This morning, the City of Montréal’s executive committee approved an order to establish new lanes reserved exclusively for buses and certain other vehicle types, such as bikes, taxis and carpools. The committee also approved the extension and modification of existing reserved lanes’ hours of operation.

The STM will now be able to take steps toward implementing new sections of reserved lanes on major streets in the City of Montréal. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) will also be consulted in advance about reserved lanes in the metropolitan area. The new lanes will total over 14 kilometres in length, adding to the existing 258 kilometres of reserved lanes and leading to significantly more reliable and punctual bus service.

The STM will begin road work in the fall, installing new reserved lanes on sections of Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse, Queen Mary Road, De Lorimier Avenue, Langelier Boulevard, Trinitaires Boulevard and Louis-H. Lafontaine Boulevard. Extension work on the current lane on Rosemont Boulevard is also planned, and schedule extensions will be applied to the lanes on Louis-H. Lafontaine Boulevard and René-Lévesque Boulevard.

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