In the latest from the ridiculous Montréal sait faire files: These painted lines directing cyclists to ride down the underpass on Atwater… on the sidewalk:
New paint on the sidewalk on both the northbound and southbound sides indicates that both cyclists and pedestrians are permitted to use it.
[ . . . ]
The southbound side of Atwater Avenue is of particular concern, because cyclists going down the steep hill can gain speed quickly.
[ . . . ]
The city says the new design is part of its strategy to make underpasses safer for cyclists.
The same thing has been done at other problem spots.
Officials say there is no room for a dedicated bike lane on Atwater Avenue — but Sauvé disagrees.
Agreed. I cycle down Atwater every day on my way to work, and I’d NEVER feel safe going down that hill on the sidewalk, no matter what the painted lines say.
Vélo Québec: We desperately need a proper separated bike path linking the De Maisonneuve path, Atwater Market, and the Lachine Canal bike path. That entire stretch is needlessly dangerous. At present, there’s no good way to navigate past the taxi stand near Place Alexis-Nihon, the poor visibility through the tunnel, the Lionel-Groulx metro station (with buses pulling in and out), the Atwater turnoff for the tunnel, and the pedestrian-only zones near the canal.
The whole area isn’t well thought out for cyclists at the moment. And there’s PLENTY of space for a bike lane, if only the city had the political will to build one.
Hey there, I’m a Concordia Journalism student who’s working on a follow-up to this story, and I’m trying to gauge the opinions of cyclists and pedestrians now that this has been in place for a couple months. As a blogger and cyclist, would you like to contribute your voice to this story? I would really appreciate it!