BIXI: Easter Bunny Bringing Saint-Laurent "Egg-cellent" News!

SAINT-LAURENT, QC, April 4, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - As Easter approaches and as announced last summer, Saint-Laurent will be equipped with nine BIXI self-service bicycle stations. These will be up and running from April 15 until November 15, 2019 for the first season. The locations were chosen by BIXI Montréal in consultation with the Borough's Section circulation et transport, based on strict criteria identifying areas with a high probability of travel.

Quotes

"We are delighted to welcome these nine BIXI stations in response to the mobility needs of our ever-increasing number of residents and workers on our territory. Users will now be able to travel around more quickly in Saint-Laurent, and also get to neighbouring boroughs by taking advantage of the entire BIXI network in the rest of Montréal. This new service comes within our policy to promote active, environmentally-friendly and sustainable means of transportation. For the past 10 years and more, in collaboration with Mobilité alternative, the transportation division of Développement économique de Saint-Laurent, the Borough has been implementing a strategy to develop alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles. The upcoming launch of Auto-Mobile, Communauto's self-serve car-sharing service, is also a step in this direction. This strategy was part of our Plan de transport (Transportation plan) 2009-2011 and was then developed in our Plan local de déplacements (Local transportation plan) adopted in 2017. This is perfectly in line with our declaration last January that Saint-Laurent is a sustainable municipal territory."

Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent

"With this current thrust to optimize the BIXI network, the connection between the Borough of Saint-Laurent and our active means of transportation is perfectly natural. We are proud of this collaboration, as promoting healthy habits is part of our daily lives. Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in Montréal and since the creation of BIXI Montréal in 2014, the use of this service hasn't stopped growing. In 2019, more than 600 stations and 7,250 bicycles are available for residents of Montréal, Longueuil and Westmount, making BIXI the largest network in North America after New York! I hope that workers and residents of Saint-Laurent will take advantage of BIXI's arrival to discover this practical, environmentally-friendly and economical means of transportation in the city."

Christian Vermette, Executive Director, BIXI Montréal

Highlights
The nine stations will be situated at the following locations:

These choices are aimed primarily at meeting estimated demands based, in particular, on the following criteria:

• The potential pool of users
• Travel-generating points
• Aspects favouring bicycle use as the option of choice
• Intermodality with other means of transportation

These stations will offer a total of 254 bike docks. Some of the bicycles made available, about 125 at the time of their launch, are part of a new generation, as they have seven speeds, unlike traditional BIXIs, which have only three. As a reminder, it might be mentioned that this rollout is part of the expansion of the BIXI network in five new boroughs: Anjou, Lachine, Saint-Léonard, Montréal-Nord and Saint-Laurent. Ville de Montréal has acquired 1,000 brand-new, new-generation bicycles for this expansion.

Users will be able to benefit from Saint-Laurent's bicycle network, which has grown from 2 to 55 km in 10 years. Since 2004, in collaboration with Mobilité alternative, Saint-Laurent has also provided its employees with access to self-service bicycles through the AccèsVélo program.

Ensuring cyclists' safety is one of the Borough's priorities and a permanent objective. Since 2017, a poster campaign has been encouraging people to keep a safe distance from cyclists. Safety has been increased at the Sainte-Croix overpass and the Montpellier crossing.

In 2016, Saint-Laurent also launched the development of a bicycle route and plans to set up a bicycle path along the Deux-Montagnes commuter train line over a distance of nearly 10 km, improving access to the Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville and the Town of Mount Royal. And lastly, Saint-Laurent participated in the electric BIXI pilot project in 2018, with a view to a possible larger-scale rollout of power bikes.

These measures have developed a true cycling culture in Saint-Laurent, and this is why the Borough is taking part in the VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE movement launched in 2015 by Vélo Québec. In fact, five Saint-Laurent establishments have already been certified.

Related links

Plan local de déplacements (2017) de Saint-Laurent (Saint-Laurent's Local transportation plan (2017)
Plan local de développement durable (Saint-Laurent's Local sustainable development plan)
MOBA 
BIXI

About the Borough of Saint-Laurent
Having celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2018, Saint-Laurent is one of Montréal's 19 boroughs. Since sustainable development is at the heart of all its decisions, the Borough declared itself a "sustainable municipal territory" on January 8, 2019. Its population of over 100,000 is one of the most multicultural, with 81% of its residents being immigrants or having a parent born in another country. Located at the crossroads of the city's main highways, with great accessibility to public transit, the Borough extends over 42.8 square kilometres. More than 70% of its territory is devoted to industrial and commercial activities. With 4500 companies and 110,000 jobs, it boasts the second largest employment pool on the island of Montréal as well as one of Québec's main industrial and technological hubs. And lastly, with its two libraries, its Centre des loisirs recreation centre, its new Sports Complex, its arena and some 50 parks, Saint-Laurent offers a wide range of services in many fields, such as culture, sports and recreational activities. In this way, the Borough provides a high quality of life for the families and businesses that have settled here.

About BIXI Montréal
BIXI Montréal is a non-profit organization created by Ville de Montréal to manage the bicycle-sharing system in Montréal. As of 2019, the network includes 7250 bicycles and 600 stations on Montréal territory as well as in Longueuil and Westmount.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent