Amanda Augustsson, 31, died last September after suffering acute head trauma when she struck a parked vehicle and fell while trying to avoid a heavy truck driving behind her.<\/p>\n
Coroner Marie-Claude Boutin found the incident occurred as Augustsson was travelling in a \u201cdense urban environment devoid of dedicated cycling infrastructure,\u201d forcing her to continuously adjust her path to avoid parked cars on one side and moving cars on the other.<\/p>\n
Boutin recommended the city review Parc Ave.\u2019s configuration to \u201cformalize a continuous and safe bike path\u201d and suggested it take measures to moderate traffic on the street.<\/p>\n
Advocates have long argued Parc Ave. has grown too dangerous, with pedestrians and cyclists squeezed between heavy traffic and chaotic intersections.<\/p>\n
![\"Ghost](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ghost-bike.jpg\")
A ghost bike is pictured on Parc Ave. near the intersection of St-Viateur St. in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Residents staged a \u201cdie-in\u201d following Augustsson\u2019s death, lying on the ground beside their bikes to demand new safety measures<\/a>. The issue carried into last fall\u2019s municipal election, with Projet Montr\u00e9al promising<\/a> a reserved bus lane, widened sidewalks and lower speed limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an interview this week, Magali Bebronne, director of programs at V\u00e9lo Qu\u00e9bec, said Parc Ave. is widely considered one of Montreal\u2019s most dangerous streets and changes are long overdue.<\/p>\n Lined with grocery stores, places of worship, a community centre and municipal library, it serves as a neighbourhood hub for both Outremont and Mile-End residents, she said, yet doubles as a busy traffic thoroughfare.<\/p>\n She hopes the city will act on the coroner\u2019s recommendations. <\/p>\n \u201cIt will require compromises, but we are a city that adheres to Vision Zero \u200a\u2014\u200a zero deaths and serious injuries\u200a \u2014\u200a and one of the first things that vision states is that safety must take precedence over traffic flow,\u201d Bebronne said.<\/p>\n \u201cHuman errors will continue to happen. But in a calmer environment, the same human error might only result in a minor injury \u2014 not a serious injury or a death,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n At Monday\u2019s council meeting, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told Labelle-Patenaude she was moved by her intervention and vowed to look into the matter.<\/p>\n The mayor warned there is no simple fix but said she will work with local elected officials, pedestrian-safety advocates and cycling groups to find a solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all very sensitive to the fact that a street like Parc Ave. has claimed the lives of so many people,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cIt\u2019s a major thoroughfare in the city, and we need to ensure the traffic flow provides safety for all cyclists, pedestrians, motorists and everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Labelle-Patenaude said she believes the mayor was sincere but had hoped for a more concrete commitment on the next steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n She fears the street\u2019s commercial nature will make the city reluctant to add a protected bike lane, pointing to the pushback received over similar projects<\/a> on St-Denis St. and Querbes Ave.<\/p>\n Before leaving the council chamber, she handed council a document cataloguing the 11 deaths on the street. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like you to take the time to read through this,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, above all, please take a close look at the faces in the photos.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0514-city-parc-1.jpg\")
Ulysse Mourot-Pelade rides a Bixi down Parc Ave. in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n