Cycling is increasingly popular in Saint-Laurent - Saint-Laurent Now Has the Most Electric BIXI Stations in Montréal

SAINT-LAURENT, QC, June 8, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Saint-Laurent is pleased to welcome six new BIXI electric bike-sharing stations on its territory. With a total of nine stations of this type, it is now the borough with the largest number of these facilities in Montreal. And with 7 conventional BIXI stations already available to them, Saint-Laurent residents and workers now have access to 16 BIXI stations in all. These cyclists will also be able to take advantage of the borough's 57.7 km of bicycle paths, including an additional 2 km this year, set up as part of its 2021-2030 Ten-year capital investment program. This new section is part of the 2021 cycling program announced by Ville de Montréal on June 3.

Quote

"Saint-Laurent is proud to offer its residents and workers on its territory the largest number of electric BIXI stations in Montréal, after having been among the first to welcome this type of facilities. As a sustainable municipal territory, we are pursuing our objective of promoting active and ecological transportation that is affordable and accessible to the most people. This is even more appropriate now, as bike-sharing?which is more suitable for short trips?is on the rise, with people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic."  

Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent

Highlights

Three new electric BIXI stations have been installed in Beaulac and Saint-Laurent parks as well as at the Bibliothèque du Boisé, replacing the conventional station that was there beforehand. In July, three other electric bike stations will be installed at Painter and Noël-Nord parks as well as at Place des Nations (Parc Bois-Franc). Electric bike stations are already available at the Centre des loisirs, Place Rodolphe-Rousseau and the municipal workshops.

In addition, a new conventional BIXI station has just been installed at the corner of Stinson and Montpellier.

For cyclists, the main advantage of the electric bike stations is that they have access?at all times?to bikes that are charged right at the station. Created by the Québec firm PBSC Urban Solutions, they also give cyclists the opportunity to rent electric bikes and regular ones at one single location. Montréal is one of the only cities in North America to offer these two-option stations.  

Following a pilot project conducted during the summer of 2018, notably in Saint-Laurent, BIXI officially launched 160 first-generation electric bikes in 2019. A great favourite of "Bixists," electric bike rentals are now 60% more frequent than regular BIXIs. In all, the network includes more than 9,000 bicycles (1905 of which are electric) and 680 stations within a 317-square-kilometre territory that includes Montréal as well as Laval, Longueuil, Westmount et Ville de Mont-Royal.

Cyclists will benefit from a 57.7-km bicycle network in Saint-Laurent?an increase of more than 54 km over the past 10 years. A 2-km bike lane will moreover be set up this summer on the following sections in the industrial zone:

• Boulevard Poirier, from Boulevard Thimens to Rue Cohen
• Rue Cohen, from Boulevard Poirier to Chemin du Bois-Franc
• Chemin du Bois-Franc, from Rue Cohen to Boulevard Thimens

As part of its 2021-2030 Ten-year capital investment program, Saint-Laurent is planning this project in conjunction with Ville de Montréal's Direction des transports, which recently announced the 2021 program for bicycle lanes in the Montréal network on June 3, 2021. Investments of $13 million will make it possible to launch 31 projects to develop or repair existing bikeways in order to make the network safer as well as more accessible and more user-friendly.

Related links

World Cycling Day ? Ville de Montreal announces its 2021 cycling program (June 3, 2021) ? in French
The BIXI Season is Starting Early This Year! (April 8, 2021)
BIXI - Renting electric BIXI bikes 
Saint-Laurent adopts a $73.7 million budget and a 10-year capital investment program of $97 million to pursue its development (October 7, 2020) (in French)
Plan local de déplacements (2017) de Saint-Laurent (local transportation plan) ? in French

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent