Montreal’s cycling network is already seeing its first changes under Ensemble Montréal’s leadership.
At Outremont’s inaugural council meeting under Mayor Caroline Braun, councillors approved converting roughly 200 m of Lajoie Avenue into a shared street from December through March, temporarily restoring curbside parking and replacing the protected bike lane, as reported by The Gazette.
Ensemble Montréal’s plans are already beginning
Braun said on Facebook that the rollback reflects the borough’s usual winter approach. “Last winter’s attempt to keep the lane open during snow created major challenges with clearing operations and drew many citizen complaints,” she wrote. She said the change is seasonal, however.
The move aligns with the broader city-wide approach under Montreal’s new mayor, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, also of Ensemble Montréal. She campaigned on auditing the cycling network before launching new projects.
“I find democratic dialogue to be extremely polarized at the moment,” Martinez Ferrada said before the election, as reported by CityNews. “The best example I can give you, and I’ve been a victim of this myself, is the issue of bicycles. You can’t have a conversation about bicycles without being called anti-bicycle.”
Braun highlighted that future mobility plans include converting Lajoie into a one-way street to accommodate a permanent, all-season bike lane, alongside upcoming school cycling links.
Mixed reactions
Reactions were mixed. Former councillor Valérie Patreau called the rollback a “major setback for sustainable mobility.” Braun said the aim is to balance safety and mobility for all road users, not eliminate cycling infrastructure entirely.
The temporary winter change in Outremont is the first major adjustment to Montreal’s bike network under Ensemble Montréal.
Before the election — which was held in the first week of November — outgoing Montreal mayor Valérie Plante issued a warning to her successor. She asked them not to strip back the city’s hard-won cycling network. “I’m really crossing my fingers we keep moving forward — not backward. That would be terrible,” she said.
Meanwhile, local cycling advocacy groups are already drawing attention to the importance of infrastructure. On Nov. 16, Montreal cyclists held a ‘people’s inauguration’ of the Henri-Bourassa bike path. Vélorution Montréal said that “The REV (Réseau express vélo) is inaugurated by the people — and the people don’t plan to slow down.”