NDG residents once again call for removal of bike lane

In 2020, a bike path was installed on Terrebonne Street in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. But after it sparked controversy, largely due to the impact on vehicle parking, it was removed shortly after.

This summer, a similar bike path project was implemented, turning the street into a one way, with residents saying that’s causing disruptions.

On Wednesday, community members held a press conference to talk about the challenges the bike path has brought on for them.

They say the bike lane has removed much needed parking spots and caused safety and accessibility issues for local schools and the church in the neighbourhood.

“This is an utter disaster of a thing that has inconvenienced so many people along Terrebonne. I don’t understand why the council wants to really punish all the citizens who live along this street,” said Steven Jass, a resident of NDG.

Terrebonne Street resident, Nora Kelly, says the bike path caused disruptions for everyone.

“This was supposed to make things more secure, but it’s actually increased the risks for a lot of people,” she said.

“Some people have no choice but to go to Cavendish to get to their house. So they’re stuck with only one route that’s very congested. It’s also an emergency route, which is quite frightening because you sometimes have so much traffic, and the ambulances or fire engines have to sort of maneuver around a congested corner,” she adds.

St. Monica’s Parish is located on the street, and representatives from the church say they suffered a financial loss due to events being cancelled.

“Because of the bike path, we’ve had zero weddings and zero funerals at all during the summer and till present,” said Paul Wong, who is a warden at the church.

“There’s no wedding procession that can park here, there’s no funeral hearse that can park here, and that’s affected the bottom line of the church,” he adds.

The church also had a film project scheduled to be filmed in June, but it was cancelled by the borough’s mayor due to a public safety issue. This project would have brought the church significant revenue.

The church is reporting a deficit of over $5,000 for the first time since Wong has been warden.

“If that continues to roll on for the rest of the year, we’re looking at close to $60,000 to $70,000 in the red, which is really bad news for a church that, like most churches, is scrambling to raise funds to manage and operate,” said Wong.

The church also serves as a community center for activities like tai chi classes. In the past, various community groups have reserved the basement for various functions, which the church has not been able to hold because parking and drop-off have been an issue.

Wong said the church proposed two options to the borough that would make things workable.

“We support what the community wants and what the neighborhood wants. If the neighborhood wants a bike path, then we’ll ride along with it,” said Wong.

“We wanted some sort of exemption for parking, or at least a drop-off for various functions, and it’s not even allowed,” he added.

Sonny Moroz, is a City Councillor for Côte-des-Neiges–NDG with Ensemble Montréal. He’s calling for a mobility review, with hopes that the bike lane will be removed for winter. 

“In the winter here, it might cause even more damage to the church’s reputation. The teachers who have to park blocks away and who don’t live in the area in order to teach our children may not come anymore to teach at St. Monica’s, at Willingdon, and at Mackay. These are places that host our community, and our community is not being heard,” he said.

Moroz feels that this bike lane project wasn’t implemented correctly.

“I’d like to see documents and proof that more people are using this bike path. I’d like to see proof that people will use it in the winter. I’m concerned that the balance we have when we do infrastructure improvements—the good versus the bad, the removal of parking versus more fluidity for all forms of transportation—doesn’t work in the winter because it was never studied. We spent $150,000 on a study for this bike path, but it had no information about what happens in the winter: snow clearing, parking, fluidity, and in general, what the sidewalks will look like when the bike path is paved and what the street will look like,” he said.

“I’m very concerned that too many big changes done quickly will actually move us backwards. I want more bike paths. I want more infrastructure improvements. But I want it done properly, in a way that everyone feels like they’re included in the process, and this clearly wasn’t done properly,” he added.

CityNews reached out to the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. A statement was provided from special advisor, Ezra De Muns. It reads:

“Any change in a neighbourhood can bring its share of stress for community members who need to adjust some of their habits. That’s why, since the start of the Terrebonne Street reconfiguration process, we’ve been working closely with the community to support institutions and individuals who find change more challenging. We’ve also collaborated with certain institutions to adjust the project to better align with their needs. Unfortunately, when we reached out to Santa Monica church to meet with them, we didn’t get an answer. However, we maintain an open-door policy on this project and are always open to discussions with the church or any institution seeking further adjustments.

We understand that some people are still struggling to adapt to the changes. However, it’s important to note that the bike path on de Terrebonne is being used by a lot of people, families and seniors alike. As anticipated, we can see that the reconfiguration facilitates better cohabitation between the various modes of travel on the street, making it safer for everyone. We’ve even heard from initial skeptics, who now acknowledge that the street feels calmer and appreciate the improvements.”