31 October 2023 Rue de Terrebonne - Revisiting the Jewel in the Crown

    In 2020, the first full year of the Covid 19 Pandemic, suddenly, due to the need for outdoor social distancing Montreal experimented with many pedestrianized streets / bicycle paths  most of which have since disappeared.

   Rue de Terrebonne, in Montreal's Notre Dame de Grace (NDG), had a bike path in the summer of 2020.  Before 2020 it was a two way street, with parking on both sides. That summer the parking was removed from both sides and replaced by two unidirectional  bicycle paths.  This original bike path was controversial, as it involved the removal of some parking spaces. That was eliminated later that fall.

  Just before its removal a bicycle parade was held on the path on the 4 September 2020.  On that day the MBC had a Fixture ride in NDG reviewing all the bike paths. The blog post was entitled "The Jewel in the Crown". 

   This morning, A.T. awakened to the radio news that the Terrebonne path is to be resurrected in the summer of 2024.  This time the street will be split in half at Cavendish into two different one way sections; west only for cars west of Cavendish, east only for cars east of Cavendish. Both sections will be one-way only for cars, have one parking lane, and have two unidirectional bike paths.

   The proposed resurrection of the Terrebonne path was discussed at Ma Bicyclette and prompted the title of this post,  31 October 2023 Fixture "Rue de Terrebonne - Revisiting the Jewel in the Crown". Just as on the last day of the 2020 Terrebonne Path, we took a bike tour around various nearby bike infrastructure projects and discussed associated issues.    The MBC is not single minded about bicycles however, so we also discussed  various aspects of train / bicycle eco-tourism.

   The group decided the day's route would be Lachine canal to the Dalle Parc Bicycle Bridge.  Then, using the  bike paths near the Falaise St Jacques, we headed Westwards to the new Montreal West EXO Train Station, north to see Fielding, which presently has a bike path and Terrebonne which does not. We finished by riding east along Sherbooke, our favorite street on which to promote an expanded Réseau Express Vélo (REV) network.

Lachine Canal Bike Path

 

The Lachine Canal is an historic park operated by Parks Canada.  The bike path along the canal is one of the most popular in Montreal and also serves as a main bike artery between the downtown and the South West.  Because it is considered by Parks Canada an historic park rather than  part of a transportation network there has never been full access to the path during the winter months.  In December 2022 it was announced that the path would only be open from Atwater to the Old Port.  We hope that this upcoming winter the path will be fully open but we do not yet know what  Parks Canada plans are.

 

The Dalle Parc, a north-south link, Pedestrian-Bicycle Path,  Living Bridge 

 

  The Dalle Park, initially described  as a "living" bridge was a part of the initial Turcot Highway re-construction project, removed, then added again as part of an expanded Grand Parc. It will link the Bande Verte North of Highway 20 to a new park lands to the South of the Highway.   The MBC  members stopped by to look at what progress has been made. Nothing to see.....

New Bike Paths near the Falaise St Jacques

   New bike paths were built by the MTQ as part of the Turcot Highway reconstruction project. Best known among these is the multi purpose Bande Verte between Highway 20 and the Falaise St Jacques woodlands. However there are also new separated bicycle paths at both  the eastern and western ends of the project as well as along sections of Notre Dame to the South. We rode along the new connection from the Western tip to Montreal West.  Where the MTQ project ends and the City of Montreal West begins, the bicycle path abruptly ends.

New Montreal West EXO Train Station 

 

    A new train station in Montreal West on the north side of the tracks was completed August of this year along with a tunnel that connects to the old Montreal West Station on the south side of the Tracks.  None of the MBC members present had yet been inside this station so we stopped by to take a look.

 The main observations were:

1.  The pleasant design connecting the old Train Station to the new tunnel.

2. The lack of handicap access. There are only stairways to access the tunnel.  However, the Montreal West Station, like most EXO train stations, has an improper platform height which requires going up stairs to enter the train.   The tunnel stairs are just a reflection of just how far behind Montreal is in terms of handicap access.

3. It seems a bit odd to the MBC members that a water fountain was included in the new station yet no washroom facilities.

 4. Bicycle Path Access.  Although the new station's Sherbrooke street entrance has nice bike parking there is no bike path on Sherbrooke street.

Fielding Bike Path

Fielding (within the Montreal section) was re-paved this summer and the painted line bicycle path appears to have been expanded with a double line of separation.  In what seems to be a pattern. it abruptly ends at the city limits of Montreal West.

 

  Montreal public parks get washrooms.  EXO train or Metro stations do not.

Everywhere, parking on bike paths and sidewalks seems to be an accepted practice.

Rue de Terrebonne 

  Rue de Terrebonne has a large number of schools. It would be great if the children could ride their bikes to school as they do in Blainville.

   Fixture ride 30 May 2018 - School in Blainville seen from P'tit Train du Nord bike path

Riding along Terrebonne the members passed by the park where the earlier bicycle parade marking the end the 2020 Terrebonne bike path started.

4 Sept 2020 Last Day of the Terrebonne Bicycle Path Parade

 

Rue du Terrebonne 31 October 2023

 Bicycle Parade 4 September 2020

 

Sherbrooke Street REVe

Sherbrooke Street could become the principal east - west Réseau Express Vélo of Montreal.  Alas, it remains only a dream.

  The the monthly Critical Mass ride is the most active Montreal event promoting replacing polluting, dangerous car culture with a safer, better for the environment bicycle .  In addition to Sherbrooke REVe buttons, all sorts of slogans are passed out to riders.