Quebec – Cyclists have never been so numerous on the city’s cycle routes. Indeed, a considerable increase was observed for the 2023 season. Ridership which confirms the City’s desire to accelerate the deployment of the cycling network in its territory.
Remember that in spring 2023, the City announced four projects aimed at accelerating the deployment of its cycling network, namely the new cycling link on Chemin Sainte-Foy and upgrades to the cycle lanes on Dalhousie Street, on the 4 e Avenue Est and Laurier Boulevard.
Counters made it possible to accumulate data on ridership on different cycle links during the season. For Chemin Sainte-Foy, the flow of cyclists experienced a significant increase from the observed peak of 114%, with a weekday peak reaching 2,000 cyclists per day. Interestingly, the number of pedestrians on this link also increased by 41%.
“These figures confirm the strong potential of the Sainte-Foy road axis identified as a future Vélocité corridor to connect Old Quebec to Laval University over the coming years,” declared the Mayor of Quebec, Mr. Bruno Marchand . Ridership data demonstrates the growing appetite of the people of Quebec for an accessible and secure network. This also reinforces our vision focused on equitable sharing of public roads between different modes of transport. »
For the Dalhousie Street cycle lane, a 26% increase in the number of cyclists was observed compared to the best year recorded on this route.As for the cycle links already established, several have experienced a significant increase in flow compared to 2022. Indeed, the cycle path on Boulevard du Loiret recorded an increase of 55%, Parc des Saules by 28%, Rue du Bridge by 24% and the Church road by 19%.
Positive impact on safety
In total, in 2023, 18 projects in favor of active mobility have been implemented, representing an investment of more than $20 million, including $9.3 million in subsidies from the Quebec government . All these projects aimed to improve the safety and comfort of road users, during all four seasons.
“The new cycle route on Chemin Sainte-Foy has led motorists to reduce their maximum speed on average by 6 to 13 km/h. The proximity of the cycle lane encourages them to be more careful and to respect the speed limit of 50 km/h, mentioned the vice-president of the executive committee responsible for transport and mobility, Mr. Pierre-Luc Lachance. We observe better coexistence between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians who also benefit from this new link. »
The complete list of 2023 active mobility projects is available in the appendix.
Citizen participation and future projects
In order to support the City in its planning of future achievements in terms of active mobility and road safety, several questionnaires are available online to survey citizens on their habits, their needs and the issues for sections specific.
The arteries in question are Neilson Boulevard, 22nd Street /Boulevard des Alliés, Rue Marie-de-l’Incarnation, Côte de la Pente-Douce, Rue Dumont, 60th Street and Rue des Oblats. Neighboring residents will receive an invitation to participate by mail and all interested citizens are invited to respond by going to the City’s website in the Public Participation Activities section and selecting the project concerned. They can also consult the Active Mobility Vision to learn more.