Yeah but I understood quickly that you are not the type I want to discuss politics with. Don't take offense to that. You said things here and there I did agree with though.
I have other forums I frequent for politics.
If you were the mayor of Montreal, what changes would you bring to the city?
- Thread starter Skym
- Start date
I have other forums I frequent for politics.
Almost 1 Billion dollars was spent on Bike Paths !!!
Say that out loud a few times and see how it goes down
Complete insanity!
The fact they weren't investigated for that is shocking
Imagine what could have been done with half
I'm done commenting on this, my blood pressure is rising
Say that out loud a few times and see how it goes down
Complete insanity!
The fact they weren't investigated for that is shocking
Imagine what could have been done with half
I'm done commenting on this, my blood pressure is rising
Maybe that's why you should do some cycling.
That 1 billion$ number isn't accurate.
Its about 250-350millions between 2018 and 2025.
Meanwhile in the next 10 years the city plans to spend 6.7 billions on roads.
So chill out.
Not offended at all. We all got our beliefs. But it is just not you and me, as we witnessed for example the topic of bike paths is very polarized.
As new bike paths hit Montreal, why this local group is mulling legal action - Montreal | Globalnews.ca
In Montreal, a group of residents is trying to hit the brakes on new bike lanes and threatening to sue the city over how it handles setting up cycling infrastructure.
globalnews.ca
^^^^^ Here is an example of what I am talking about. The Plante administration decided to build a bike path on Terrebonne St in NDG in front of the St-Monica church. It removed street parking in front of the church. It caused many issues. People with mobility issues it complicated things for them, it made it impossible for limousines, hearses, and elderly parishioners to access the building directly. The church suffered a big drop in donations since the bike path, about $80,000 drop in donations. The Plante administration never bothered to consult the local community. The bike path was removed then put back. But these are the kinds of things I am talking about. The whole thing is so politically motivated. There is no pragmatic approach to this. There are better ways to build bike paths without forcing cars out in this way.
Yes they are used in the summer but from October to April the bikes paths are empty. You might see the odd bike here and there but it is just too cold to ride a bicycle. And to add the way these bike paths make it more complicated for snow clearing operations. You cannot change the logistics of Canada, we are not living in a tropical country.
Yes there are way more cars than bikes. There are also a lot more roads for cars than bike lanes: https://projetmontreal.org/assets/common/PistesCyclables1.png
Having more space for bikes, pedestrians, public transit, etc. is good for everyone. Can it be improved? Yes! And they are still improving it. Every mayor for decades has seen an increase in alternatives to cars and it's not going to chance, I'm sorry you can't accept it.
You completely lost the point. Do you really think to a wide sidewalk that is triple the width of a standard sidewalk, and turning a street into a one lane one direction street is the solution??? The politicians have no will to improve. Plante's plan was 100% politically motivated she hated cars and that was obvious. All those measures were done with the sole purpose to get people to get fed up and drop their cars. The fact there are more cars makes it more imperative to make traffic flow for cars better not worse. Do you not see this?
Bike paths are more or less unused for 4-6 months of the year. They are not an optimal use of public road space in a climate like Montreal. Their social utility is minimal.
Moreover, many of the gung-ho, sunglass-wearing, spandex types who use these bike paths are a danger to pedestrians.
If elected Mayor of Montreal, I pledge to turn bike paths into endless red light districts(no pun intended) and arrest all the gung-ho, sunglass-wearing, spandex types for reckless and dangerous behaviour, a menace to the average law-abiding pedestrian and taxpayer.
I would offer them bail and the opportunity to redeem themselves by offering their services as free knob polishers in my newly created red light districts.
Moreover, many of the gung-ho, sunglass-wearing, spandex types who use these bike paths are a danger to pedestrians.
If elected Mayor of Montreal, I pledge to turn bike paths into endless red light districts(no pun intended) and arrest all the gung-ho, sunglass-wearing, spandex types for reckless and dangerous behaviour, a menace to the average law-abiding pedestrian and taxpayer.
I would offer them bail and the opportunity to redeem themselves by offering their services as free knob polishers in my newly created red light districts.
It may be an unpopular take but here it is...
Montreal was built for horses and charriot. It never was built with the optic of cars. And thats the whole issue. It need a complete redesign. Streets need to be wider, every house/appartement need its own parking. Maybe its because i am from a small town but the simple concept of having to park in the street 24/7 to me is mind buggling. So often peoples bump the cars too...
The whole bike thing has gotten out of hand. Where i live bikes (mostly) just roll on the side of the road and thats where they should be. Yes that mean going slower, yes that mean being more careful, but the fact that parking spots and streets are being torn apart for bikes is crazy to me. Im not even a driver, i don't have a car, not even a driving liscence, but Montreal is so hellish to circulate for cars even to me its too much.
Now i doubt any of this is feasable without extreme costs and other prejudice, so of course another solution would need to be tough but as Good ol JR would say "BY GAWD" stop making more bikes stuff !! Like stop it completely. And some of what was made need to be undone, even if it mean wasting money again...
And while i enjoy walking in streets like on St-Catherine or St-Denis in the summer, i think it create headach for peoples that it shouldn't. When we had the party in June there was some kind of festival or event, not sure what it was, but basically there was no way to park at a decent distance from the place. We would have had to walk 45 mins or something. Its not normal (he ended up just taking the parking tickets...). You should be able to park at 5 mins or less at all time.
Now again, i most certainly do not have the competence to find the right solution. Im just giving my opinion as a normal non-driving guy but who comes from a place where its never an issue to park or drive.
And it seem to be a 100% Montreal only issue. I been a few times to Longueuil and i never see these problems. If anything Longueuil for the most part feels like Sherbrooke ...
Montreal was built for horses and charriot. It never was built with the optic of cars. And thats the whole issue. It need a complete redesign. Streets need to be wider, every house/appartement need its own parking. Maybe its because i am from a small town but the simple concept of having to park in the street 24/7 to me is mind buggling. So often peoples bump the cars too...
The whole bike thing has gotten out of hand. Where i live bikes (mostly) just roll on the side of the road and thats where they should be. Yes that mean going slower, yes that mean being more careful, but the fact that parking spots and streets are being torn apart for bikes is crazy to me. Im not even a driver, i don't have a car, not even a driving liscence, but Montreal is so hellish to circulate for cars even to me its too much.
Now i doubt any of this is feasable without extreme costs and other prejudice, so of course another solution would need to be tough but as Good ol JR would say "BY GAWD" stop making more bikes stuff !! Like stop it completely. And some of what was made need to be undone, even if it mean wasting money again...
And while i enjoy walking in streets like on St-Catherine or St-Denis in the summer, i think it create headach for peoples that it shouldn't. When we had the party in June there was some kind of festival or event, not sure what it was, but basically there was no way to park at a decent distance from the place. We would have had to walk 45 mins or something. Its not normal (he ended up just taking the parking tickets...). You should be able to park at 5 mins or less at all time.
Now again, i most certainly do not have the competence to find the right solution. Im just giving my opinion as a normal non-driving guy but who comes from a place where its never an issue to park or drive.
And it seem to be a 100% Montreal only issue. I been a few times to Longueuil and i never see these problems. If anything Longueuil for the most part feels like Sherbrooke ...
You hit the nail with this and that was one of the points I made in this thread.
Yeah it seem the previous administration was inspired by Bangkok. But we don't have the population nor the climate for this.
Well we do, it is not too far. Got to look at the big cities because people are not spreading. Montreal population density in 2026 is about 4833 people per square kilometer, while Bangkok is about 5277 people per square kilometer. The big cities in Canada are overcrowded. The previous administration was inspired by far-left politics. About Thailand or any other country in the East they are not actively forcing people out of their cars by intentionally making streets narrower or turning streets into one direction one lane streets.
When the road network was originally constructed it was constructed with the population of then which was much smaller. As population grew the road networks remained relatively the same, they widened it. But in practice you need to build more roads. The road networks we have should now be double what it is. But that is hard to do since there is already so many buildings constructed. You also got a good point, if going out with friends or taking out your GF will you do that on a bike? You will drive. As you said you went to the festival and it was very difficult. The Plante administration did that on purpose it is a way to force people to use public transit or ride a bike. And they way you said it is hellish to drive you are right.
Montreal’s trucking industry struggles to attract drivers amid road challenges
The Quebec truck drivers’ association says hiring drivers to work in Montreal has become a struggle for many companies, with factors including road conditions and closures contributing to the problem.
www.ctvnews.ca
^^^^ The trucking industry is having recruiting difficulties to find drivers willing to deliver in Montreal. Why is that? It is hellish as you said. The Plante administration's decision was based on misguided far-left ideology and 100% politically driven. Restaurants and grocery stores need to get their deliveries and the companies cannot send bikes. They must come by trucks. But those narrow one direction one lane streets make it hellish. How will they receive their produce?
Bikes should be in small residential streets no oversize Bike lanes
Not just that most truckers want to sleep at night also delivering at night is just driving prices skyhigh since most highway repairs are at nightWhen the road network was originally constructed it was constructed with the population of then which was much smaller. As population grew the road networks remained relatively the same, they widened it. But in practice you need to build more roads. The road networks we have should now be double what it is. But that is hard to do since there is already so many buildings constructed. You also got a good point, if going out with friends or taking out your GF will you do that on a bike? You will drive. As you said you went to the festival and it was very difficult. The Plante administration did that on purpose it is a way to force people to use public transit or ride a bike. And they way you said it is hellish to drive you are right.
Montreal’s trucking industry struggles to attract drivers amid road challenges
The Quebec truck drivers’ association says hiring drivers to work in Montreal has become a struggle for many companies, with factors including road conditions and closures contributing to the problem.
^^^^ The trucking industry is having recruiting difficulties to find drivers willing to deliver in Montreal. Why is that? It is hellish as you said. The Plante administration's decision was based on misguided far-left ideology and 100% politically driven. Restaurants and grocery stores need to get their deliveries and the companies cannot send bikes. They must come by trucks. But those narrow one direction one lane streets make it hellish. How will they receive their produce?
That too and that was one of the things mentioned. I am witness do this. I used to go to stripclubs often but now much less and one of the factors was the never ending construction and detours.
Its precisely one of the issue. With current housing crisis you can't expropriate peoples to widen the roads.
Again im just a low level grunt but i feel the generals were not suited to make decisions. Who tought it was a good idea to allow so many peoples in Montreal when current peoples already had issues finding housing. Then add what we just discussed.
I always said it ... Its fun to go to Montreal as a "tourist" but NO WAY in the 9 hells would i ever wanted to live there. Its all fun and dandy when you rent a hotel downtown and use metro/your legs to go around. Heck even when when me and my buddy go to Montreal for a show he park in Longueuil and we use the metro to go on the island.
But only last week end i had a familly party and got to Montreal (no meeting lol just in and out with family) and even my uncle wich is a pretty good driver (it was litterally his job for years) had to deal with the narrow streets, one ways and reckless drivers.
Unless you were born and raise in Montreal yeah... You can see the issues easily.
I’m all for biking. The only “little” problem is 6+ months Montreal winter
. What are biking passes are good for in winter? Maybe the city should spend more money to convert some into ski or snowmobile trails? This would be fun and may attract some tourists. But the best investment would be to open the city-sponsored mega “erotic” center with strip clubs, massages and incall places rented to independents at reasonable prices. This would be not weather dependent and would bring some real money to the city
. What are biking passes are good for in winter? Maybe the city should spend more money to convert some into ski or snowmobile trails? This would be fun and may attract some tourists. But the best investment would be to open the city-sponsored mega “erotic” center with strip clubs, massages and incall places rented to independents at reasonable prices. This would be not weather dependent and would bring some real money to the city Similar threads
