Overview of doorings in Montreal
Environment
Learn more about the environmental benefits of cycling and its impact on the built environment, in both urban and rural settings.
Discover all 4 subjects of the thematic
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Biking and the City
Whether it is in an urban, suburban or rural context, biking is comparable to driving for short distances and is sometimes even more effective. In dense urban areas, where more short trips are made, it is particularly efficient, especially since it takes little space, helps fight congestion and contributes to a more equitable distribution of the public space.
Biking, the Most Efficient Way to Get Around
Quick, direct and reliable, biking is especially well suited for the city.
In urban contexts, factors such as road design, numerous intersections and congestion diminish the average speed of cars, which often drop below 20 km/h. Considering this, with its average speed of 14 km/h in cities, and without the need to look for a parking spot, biking is a competitive alternative to cars.
Grab left and right to see full graph. Click on each symbol to see data.
Travelling speed in an urban context used: 4 km/h for walking, 14 km/h for biking, 20 km/h for cars. A starting delay is considered for biking (5 mins) and for cars (10 mins) to include the necessary time to get to the vehicle, to set off and make one's way from the vehicle to the final destination.
Always on Time with a Bike
Never impacted by congestion, the average travelling speed of bikes remains stable at all times during the day, showing much less variability compared to car trip or public transit. Therefore, cyclist are the most punctual road users along pedestrians!
A More Rational Use of Urban Space
Because they take on average 10 times less space on the road than the average car, bikes reduce the need for certain infrastructures in our cities (parking, urban highways, etc.) and yield more space for everyone.
Necessary space to move 40 people by bus (40 m²), by car (800 m²), or by bike (80 m²). Credits: Picture taken by Renaud Philippe for the Question d’espace exhibition by Accès Transport Viables
By switching to biking, cyclists free up space on our roads for the ones who need it the most (emergency services, people with reduced mobility, etc.)
Moving People, not Cars
Amongst all the means of transportation, individual motorized vehicles are the least efficient way to move people. Even with carpooling, it is impossible to reach flow rates comparable to public and active transportation. Ironically, they remain the mode that occupies most of the public space in cities.
Source: National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) through the website of Streets Alive Yarra
An Inequitable Distribution of Public Space
Despite the inefficiency of individual motorized vehicles in urban contexts, Quebec’s cities were developed around this means of transportation since the 1970’s, leading to an inequitable public space distribution. For example, in Montreal, even if they only represent 30 % to 50 % of trips, cars occupy 75 % of the public space. This ratio also tends to be even bigger in most other cities of the province.
Sources: (Graph + Bubble Biking Infrastructures) Lefebvre-Ropars, G., Morency, C. and Negron-Poblete, P. (2021). Caractérisation du partage de la voirie à Montréal : Note de recherche, Polytechnique Montréal - (Bubble Parking) International Transport Forum (2021). Reversing car dependency : Summary and conclusions, ITF Roundtable Reports, No. 181
Improving the City with and for Active Transportation
Urban design and transportation modes, two faces of the same coin.
Car-dependent communities always need more space to develop, leading to urban sprawling and longer distances for everyday trips, which in return leads to a stronger car dependency. In opposition, communities that favor active transportation are more compact and denser, with a wide array of services (schools, restaurants, shops, workplaces, etc.) accessible by walking or biking. Moreover, usage of active transportation by the inhabitants contributes to the apparition of more proximity services.
Active Transportation, a Way to Reduce Inequalities
By creating communities around active and collective transportation, the need to own a car for inhabitants to find a job, get to school or do their daily errands disappears. Investments in these forms of transportation therefore reduce inequalities by providing similar opportunities for everyone, no matter their revenue, age or capacities.
However, if these investments are too localized, they can induce the gentrification of boroughs and lead to displacement of lower-income households. Safe walking and biking infrastructures must therefore be planned and deployed globally to prevent such a phenomenon.
Credits: Samuel Girven on Unsplash
Congestion, the Main Urban Issue
Across Quebec, congestion costs a lot to our society. Beyond time-waste, traffic jams cause stress and increase gas consumption and levels of greenhouse gases emissions.
Ranking of the Most congested Cities in 2024
Montreal
32nd
most congested city in the world (2nd in Canada)
Hours Lost in Traffic Jams
58h
lost in 2024 in the Montreal Metropolitan Community
Estimated Cost
$6.3 billions
for the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which represent 3.1 % of the region’s GDP
Evolution of Associated Cost
x6
in 30 years for the Montreal Metropolitan Community
Sources:
Biking to Fight Congestion
If biking infrastructures are often perceived as aggravating congestion in our cities, it is actually the opposite.
Numerous studies across the world showed that the reduction of roadway space dedicated to motorized traffic leads to a global reduction of congestion, as drivers adopt new mobility habits.
By positioning biking as a true alternative to cars, safe biking infrastructures accelerate modal shift in favor of active transportation and improve traffic conditions for everyone.
