August 2/23 12:02 pm - UCI Designates Montreal as a "UCI Bike City"

Posted by Editoress on 08/2/23
 

The UCI Management Committee decided to award the UCI Bike City label to the cities of Montreal (Canada) and Aigle (Switzerland), and to the regions of Saalfelden Leogang (Austria) and South Scotland (Great Britain). The UCI Bike City label rewards cities and regions which, in addition to hosting major events on the UCI International Calendar, are committed to developing and promoting cycling in their communities, and invest in related infrastructure and programmes. The four new recipients join the network of 22 cities and regions that have already been awarded the UCI Bike City/Region label.

The city of Montreal, which has hosted a UCI WorldTour event for the past 10 years (the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal), has put in place a solid strategy to promote cycling over the past 15 years. With more than 1,600 kilometres of cycle paths in the city centre and 3,200 kilometres in its greater urban area, it has become one of the top five cycling cities in North America, and aims to be number one by 2031. Two-thirds of its population live within 300 metres of a cycle path.

In order to increase the modal share of cycling to 15% by 2027, the city is focusing on promoting soft mobility, improving infrastructure and strengthening services for cyclists. Over the next five years, a further 200 kilometres of segregated cycle lanes will be built. In addition, to improve safety for cyclists, an incident map is available online, and a team specializing in analyzing and improving hotspots has been set up. A city renowned for its snowy winters, Montreal will keep 180 of its 800 public bike-sharing stations open next winter. Finally, numerous mass events organized throughout the year celebrate the vitality of the local cycling scene.