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 Year-Round
Mostly know as a summer activity, biking is well appreciated by Quebecers from April to October. That being said, winter biking has gained in popularity as much as a recreational activity, with the development of fatbiking trails, and as a means of transportation, with the expansion of safe and cleared biking networks during the cold season.
The Four Seasons of Biking in Quebec
It is no surprise that biking is at its most popular during summer. Still, at the end of summertime, half of cyclists keep pedaling through fall. And as winter comes, a significant proportion of them remains on their bike for the coldest time of year.
700,000people biked in April 2020
3,300,000people biked between May and September 2020
1,450,000people biked in October and November 2019
190,000people biked between December 2019 and March 2020
Data source: Vélo Québec (2021). L'état du vélo au Québec en 2020
Credits:
- (Spring, Winter) © Anne Williams
- (Summer, Autumn) © Jonathan B. Roy
Varied Seasons Depending on the Location
In Quebec, the same trend is observed everywhere. A few cities, particularly Montreal but also Longueuil or Gatineau, have longer biking seasons than others. Also, Montreal’s cyclists bike on average two more weeks per year than the rest of the province.
Grab left and right to see full graph. Click on each symbol to see data.
Source: Data from l'État du vélo au Québec en 2020 by Vélo Québec, gathered in Poirier, A. and Thiériault, J. (2021). État de la pratique du vélo au Québec en 2020
Spotlight on Winter Biking
In the past few years, winter biking has gotten more popular across the province.
The example of other Nordic cities elsewhere in the world is encouraging. In Oulu, in Finland, which has a similar climate to Quebec, 45 % of cyclists also bike during winter. In cities where climate is warmer, like Copenhagen or in the Netherlands, this number can rise up to 85 %.
Sources: (Montreal) David Beitel, Eco-compteur - (Quebec City) Ville de Québec (2024). Bilan d'achalandage 2024 du CVC chemin Sainte-Foy
Who is Riding in Winter? And Why?
Because the weather can make cohabitation with motorists less comfortable and safe, inequalities between cyclist profiles are exacerbated during winter. In Canada, the typical winter cyclist is a middle-aged white male with a higher income and who rides mostly for commuting.
If recreational biking decreases more than commuting during winter, this type of practice does not disappear either, notably because of the recent development of fatbiking trails across Quebec.
Source: Data from the État du vélo au Québec en 2020 by Vélo Québec, gathered in Poirier, A. and Thiériault, J. (2021). État de la pratique du vélo au Québec en 2020
Fatbiking, Winter’s Mountain Biking
In recent years, moutain bikers keep riding even in winter with the emergence of fatbiking. These bikes with enlarged tires allow a better adherence on rough terrain like mud, sand or snow. They are therefore ideal to feel similar sensations to mountain biking, even in the dead of winter!
In 2015, there was500 kmof fatbiking trails
In 2025, there was1,620 kmof fatbiking trails
In 2015,46 centersallowed fatbiking
In 2025,108 centersallowed fatbiking
Data source: Vélo Québec
Credits: © Anne Williams
Pedaling in Winter, Even More Beneficial than in Summer
Because it can replace car trips and helps remain active, biking has many economic, sanitary and environmental positive impacts. Already significant during summer, these are amplified during winter.
Across the globe, people’s level of physical activity is higher in summer than in winter. In Canada, 64 % of adults lead a sedentary lifestyle as opposed to 49 % in summer. Quebec, along with Newfoundland and Labrador, is one of the worst provinces in terms of seasonal inactivity. This is obviously caused by the harsher weather, but also because daylight is scarcer, which limits outdoors activities.
Commuting by bike in winter is therefore a simple way to integrate physical activity in your daily schedule and spend time outside to enjoy all the associated benefits.
In winter, during thermal inversion events, air pollutants can become trapped in the lower layers of the atmosphere, leading to a decline in air quality near pollution sources. As a major emitter of fine particles, road traffic also contributes to the resuspension of de-icing salts spread on roadways.
Biking instead of driving can therefore help reduce this wintertime air pollution.
In winter, cars’ impacts are more important than in summer. This is due to the fact that lower temperature and harsher driving conditions lead to higher gasoline consumption which produces more GHGs. For example, this consumption can rise by 27 % more when outdoor temperatures change from 24°C to -7°C.
Therefore, winter biking can save money and reduce negative impacts on the environment.
Key Factors that Influence Winter biking Practice
In winter actual and perceived safety can be negatively impacted by the weather and poor visibility. However, most obstacles to winter biking can be removed by developing a cycling network composed of physically separated bike lanes that are frequently cleared and deiced.
In 2020, only 6 % of biking trips (utility and leisure combined) were done after sundown and had an average duration of 18 minutes. 80 % of cyclists declare never riding at night.
Therefore, with shorter hours of daylight, winter poses a serious challenge, notably in terms of visibility and safety. However, proper biking infrastructures with quality lighting can secure cyclists when the days are shorter.
Because roads are more slippery, lanes narrower and visibility poorer, the level of danger of the cohabitation with motorists in increased in winter. Furthermore, infrastructures that were designed for summer (painted biking lanes and designated roadways) are often not an option in winter.
So, if a biking infrastructure is physically separated from vehicle traffic, it is a good way to get more people to bike and make sure they feel safe all year round. It is also crucial to face Quebec’s harsh winter on a bike.
As much as biking lanes need to be separated from vehicle traffic, they need to be cleared from snow and ice to be fit for winter biking. Moreover, 48 % of winter cyclists consider gravel and snow as issues and 61 % consider ice as a major barrier. Similarly, in Montreal, the probability that a cyclist will skip a day of biking is almost doubled when roads are icy and snowy.
As trip duration (or distance) increases, bike usage reduces. This correlation remains all year long and is ever exacerbated by harsh winter conditions.
What is the Situation of Snow Plowing of Biking Infrastructures in Quebec?
Every year, more and more bike paths are cleared in winter, allowing cyclists to ride safely no matter the weather.
Since the first pilot projects in the 2010’s in Montreal, more and more cities across the province are clearing and maintaining their biking infrastructures during winter. This obviously impacts the number of cyclists who ride year-round. For example, between 2015 and 2019, the number of winter cyclists was multiplied by 4 in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough in Montreal.
Sources: Cities of Montreal, Longueuil, Candiac, Gatineau and Quebec City
What Has No Impact on Biking
There is no bad weather, only bad equipment.
Often seen as unfit for biking, cold weather does not seem to rebuff cyclists from riding in temperatures down to -20°C. Similarly, humidity and precipitations do not seem to influence their biking habits.
