The City of Montreal is gearing up for a mayoral election and bike lanes have become a key talking point. Right now, the city currently boasts an impressive 1,082 km of cycling infrastructure. That represents a whopping 35-per cent increase since Valérie Plante took office in 2017. But just like we’ve seen across the country as of late, not everyone is stoked about adding bike lanes. Whether it’s Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia–there are those who quite vocally oppose cycling infrastructure.

Everyone says they like bikes but…

All candidates claim to support cycling in principle, but their approaches vary. Ensemble Montréal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who has suggested temporarily halting new bike lane construction, stressed during an interview that she is “pro-bikes.” However, she has also pledged that if elected, she would order a 100-day audit of existing bike paths to determine “which paths should be maintained or removed.”

Projet Montréal leader Luc Rabouin has focused on expansion. He said to the CBC he would increase access to Montreal’s Bixi bike-sharing network so that “all Montrealers would live within 15 minutes on foot from a Bixi station” by the end of his first mandate, which would involve adding roughly 1,000 stations. For Transition Montréal’s Craig Sauvé, bike lanes are a public safety and health issue. He plans to introduce baby seats for Bixi bikes and expand electric-assist options to make cycling safer and more convenient for families. That includes a winter pilot project, and bike shares with trailers (!)

Other candidates are prioritizing balance between cyclists and drivers. Futur Montréal leader Jean-François Kacou would freeze bike path construction on commercial arteries and limit new lanes to residential streets, green corridors, and parks. He argues this approach “would improve safety.” Action Montréal’s Gilbert Thibodeau, running for a third term, said to the CBC he would “remove or adjust” lanes that impede traffic or essential parking and increase on-street parking to accommodate drivers.”

Montreal heads to the polls on Nov. 2.