For years, the City of Montreal had hoped to take advantage of the arrival of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) to build cycling routes toward Deux- Montagnes and the Anse-à-l’Orme nature park. It has finally reached an agreement with CDPQ Infra to plan the construction of bike paths along the REM’s railway rights-of-way.

The city’s executive committee approved an agreement Wednesday setting out the terms for planning and managing bike paths along REM rights-of-way within the Montreal agglomeration. The agreement specifies the sections that could be developed and the division of responsibilities between CDPQ Infra and the city. It provides, among other things, that the Caisse subsidiary will be responsible for work sites within its rights-of-way, while the city will have to cover the cost of the work and manage and maintain the cycling lanes. 

According to information made public by the city, CDPQ Infra will launch feasibility studies this spring and work along the REM rights-of-way is expected to begin in 2027.

A long-standing wish

As early as 2019, the city had hoped CDPQ Infra would take cycling routes into account in planning the REM branches toward Deux-Montagnes and Anse-à- l’Orme. It had then asked the Caisse subsidiary to conduct a study on the matter. That study, however, found there was not enough space everywhere on the network for cycling infrastructure, particularly on overpasses and elevated structures, Radio-Canada reported in 2022. 

At the time, Valérie Plante’s administration criticized CDPQ Infra for its lack of co-operation on the file. The agreement unveiled Wednesday identifies the sections where cycling infrastructure could be possible. In all, 24 sections are being considered, with lengths ranging from 50 metres to 2.2 kilometres.

While he was in opposition, Saint-Laurent borough mayor Alan DeSousa joined the mayors of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Saint-Eustache and Deux-Montagnes in 2022 in asking CDPQ Infra to use delays in the REM’s launch to incorporate a cycling-route project toward Deux-Montagnes. 

On Wednesday, DeSousa, now the executive committee member responsible for mobility, was not available to comment on the file, Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s office said.

Better late than never

For Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, the agreement reached between the city and CDPQ Infra represents an important step forward on the file. If they are built, the two cycling routes will have the advantage of providing “high-quality” cycling corridors, while also making it easier for residents in the areas concerned to access REM stations. 

Rheault nevertheless regrets that it took so long to launch planning for the cycling lanes. “It’s good news, but I think all of this should have been planned from the outset,” he said.

In his view, CDPQ Infra is now more attuned to the issue of active-mobility infrastructure in its projects than it was previously. “If they were doing the same project today, it wouldn’t unfold the same way,” he said. “Besides, when CDPQ Infra proposed the REM de l’Est, a bike path was included from the outset.” Developing cycling corridors will not only be more complex, but is also likely to cost more than if the infrastructure had been planned upstream. “We’re fixing a mistake, but it’s not a mistake from last week. It’s a mistake from 2017.”

For its part, CDPQ Infra welcomed the city executive committee’s approval of the agreement. “[This agreement] reflects the close collaboration between the REM project and the City of Montreal to better integrate the REM into its environment and maximize its use for the benefit of users,” CDPQ Infra said in an email. Discussions are also underway with other municipalities affected by the cycling-route projects, it added.