Montreal\u2019s cycling network is already seeing its first changes under Ensemble Montr\u00e9al\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
At Outremont\u2019s inaugural council meeting under Mayor Caroline Braun, councillors approved converting roughly 200\u202fm 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.<\/a><\/p>\n Ensemble Montr\u00e9al\u2019s plans are already beginning<\/p>\n Braun said on Facebook that the rollback reflects the borough\u2019s usual winter approach. \u201cLast winter\u2019s attempt to keep the lane open during snow created major challenges with clearing operations and drew many citizen complaints,\u201d she wrote. She said the change is seasonal, however.<\/p>\n The move aligns with the broader city-wide approach under Montreal\u2019s new mayor, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, also of Ensemble Montr\u00e9al. She campaigned on auditing the cycling network before launching new projects.<\/p>\n \u201cI find democratic dialogue to be extremely polarized at the moment,\u201d Martinez Ferrada said before the election, as reported by CityNews<\/a>. \u201cThe best example I can give you, and I\u2019ve been a victim of this myself, is the issue of bicycles. You can\u2019t have a conversation about bicycles without being called anti-bicycle.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Mixed reactions<\/p>\n Reactions were mixed. Former councillor Val\u00e9rie Patreau called the rollback a \u201cmajor setback for sustainable mobility.\u201d\u00a0 Braun said the aim is to balance safety and mobility for all road users, not eliminate cycling infrastructure entirely.<\/p>\n The temporary winter change in Outremont is the first major adjustment to Montreal\u2019s bike network under Ensemble Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n Before the election \u2014 which was held in the first week of November \u2014 outgoing Montreal mayor Val\u00e9rie Plante issued a warning to her successor. She asked them not to strip back the city\u2019s hard-won cycling network. \u201cI\u2019m really crossing my fingers we keep moving forward \u2014 not backward. That would be terrible,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n