Pedestrian-cyclist cohabitation: a case study of pedestrian streets in Montreal
Practice Overview
Discover who is cycling on our roads and explore the various cycling practices across Quebec.
Discover all 3 subjects of the thematic
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Biking as a Means of Transportation
Far from only being a recreational activity, biking is becoming recognized as a means of transportation for all, children and adults alike. Still largely unexploited, its potential is phenomenal and could launch cities in the province to the top of the list of the most bikeable cities in the world.
An Enormous Potential to Tap
According to the 2021 Canadian census, 39 % of worker in Quebec live 5 km or less from their workplace, which only represents a bike trip of 20 minutes. This proportion even reaches 46 % or more in mid-sized cities like Trois-Rivières, Saguenay or Sherbrooke and is over 60 % in smaller cities like Val d’Or, Victoriaville or Matane.
Beyond commuting trips, 18 % to 25 % of all trips in larger cities in Quebec could be done by bike. When considering only short trips without cargo or passengers, this potential can even be increased by taking into account the longer distances made possible by electric bikes and the ability to carry children or groceries by bike. considérant les distances accrues parcourables grâce au vélo électrique et la possibilité de transporter des enfants ou des courses avec son vélo.
Credits: © Anne Williams
Limits to Bike Usage for Youth
By their behavior and decisions, parents act as role-models for their children’s mobility, especially under the age of 12 years old. In addition, many factors influence their propensity to let their children walk or bike for their daily trips and commute, the two main ones being children’s safety and distance to travel.
Therefore, adapting our environment with biking infrastructures separated from vehicle traffic and education programs on how to bike safely for children are the two best ways to develop their autonomous mobility and reassure their parents.
In 2020, 39 % of parents in Quebec reported that their children’s daily trips were too long to be done by bike. For elementary school children, parents seem to be comfortable with a maximum distance of 1 km to let their child walk to school and 1.2 km for biking. That being said, in the past, most children walkes and biked longer distances. For instance, in 1971, 80 % of them walked to school.
Furthermore, trips of 2 km are easily done in around 20 minutes by children in grades 5 and 6 of elementary school. For the same duration, adolescents can easily cover up to 5 km.
For 23 % of parents, road safety and motorized vehicles are the main obstacles to let their children walk and bike autonomously. although legitimate, this concern induces nonetheless a vicious cycle. As the streets are seen as dangerous, parents prefer to drive their children to school, contributing to the number of cars on our street and increasing the danger level, which discourages other parents from letting their children bike to school.
Socio-economic condition and parents’ mobility habits are key factors when it comes to children’s transportation choices. They are more susceptible to use active transportation if their family are more comfortable financially and if at least one parent is using this type of mobility. Children from immigrant families are less likely to walk or bike.
Beyond the essential role of parents, the social environment is also an important factor. Having an older sibling or having an occupation during the school year will encourage autonomous mobility.
