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<\/p>\nBike lanes, BIXI stations and other micromobility infrastructure make up just two per cent of Montreal\u2019s street space \u2013 even in neighbourhoods where cycling demand would justify more \u2013 according to a new study by McGill University researchers. They think that the measure they developed to arrive at their findings can also help assess the situation in other cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is best used as a diagnostic tool for where there\u2019s too little space,\u201d said Daniel Romm, a PhD candidate in McGill\u2019s Department of Geography and lead author of the study. \u201cIt\u2019s very intuitive: square metres per traveler is a simple way to understand whether infrastructure is keeping up with demand.\u201d<\/p>\n
While city planners may know how many kilometres of bike lanes exist, this study calculated how much area is dedicated to micromobility relative to the full road network and compare that with how people actually travel. The team combined high-resolution street geometry data from the City of Montreal with regional travel surveys.<\/p>\n
The results reveal a clear imbalance: cars occupy nearly 98 per cent of road space, even though they account for only about 95 per cent of trips. Micromobility \u2013 including bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters \u2013 makes up the remaining five per cent of trips, but only two per cent of the space.<\/p>\n
In boroughs like Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont\u2013La Petite-Patrie, where micromobility is especially popular, the mismatch is even more pronounced.\u00a0 According to the study, in Plateau-Mont-Royal, of trips made by either cars or micromobility, 22 per cent use micromobility, but micromobility infrastructure still takes up less than five per cent of the street space.<\/p>\n
The researchers looked specifically at dedicated micromobility infrastructure \u2013 physically separated bike paths, cycle tracks, and BIXI docks.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe found that micromobility infrastructure takes up a very small proportion of street space in Montreal,\u201d said Romm. \u201cEven doubling all existing infrastructure, it still makes up just a miniscule proportion.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly what the researchers set out to test. They modeled various future scenarios, including one where all micromobility infrastructure was doubled. The result? Significant gains for cyclists, without dramatically affecting space for cars. In every borough, more than 90 per cent of road space still remained allocated to automobiles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMicromobility infrastructure is incredibly space-efficient,\u201d said Romm. \u201cThere\u2019s ample available space for such infrastructure without severely affecting the relative space allocated to automobiles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Equal Infrastructure Allocation tool<\/p>\n
The study introduces a new measure called the Equal Infrastructure Allocation (EIA) score, which compares how much dedicated infrastructure space is available per traveler, for different modes of transport. The researchers hope it will help city planners explain and defend reallocation projects that often face public opposition from drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people had a better understanding of how little space it takes, because it\u2019s such a space-efficient transport mode, maybe they would be less upset about giving some of that space to a cyclist,\u201d said Romm.<\/p>\n
While the EIA score was developed for Montreal, the researchers say their methods are easily adaptable to other cities. Applying the approach elsewhere could help expose inequities in street design and support efforts to build safer, more equitable transportation systems.<\/p>\n
About the study<\/p>\n