The REV : an express bike network

Last updated March 9, 2022

Reading time: 3 min

The REV or Réseau express vélo is a proposed 184-km bicycle path network connecting various points of interest on the island of Montréal. This network, consisting mainly of protected lanes, will ensure the comfort and safety of cyclists. Once completed, it will have 17 axes accessible all year round

Montréal is a city for cyclists. The REV allows residents to get around safely, efficiently and enjoyably. The REV will enable achieving the goal of 15% of utility trips by bicycle in the metropolis by 2027.

Benefits for the entire population

The REV offers numerous benefits, not only for cyclists, but for all Montrealers:

A reduction of 16,800 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions

Traffic calming
Reduction of noise and visual nuisances
Safer travel by bike
Improved access to downtown and points of interest
Improved quality of life for residents
Revitalization of commercial streets and neighbourhood life
Higher customer traffic in stores.

A distinct space for each type of user

The REV provides clear boundaries for spaces dedicated to each mode of transportation, whether foot, bike, bus or car. This improves everybody’s comfort and sense of security.

Features of the REV

Cyclist comfort and safety is ensured by several design features:

Bicycle lanes separated from vehicular traffic, accessible year-round, with sufficient width for passing
Routes that allow travelling long distances by the most direct path possible
Connections to existing bike lanes.

Signage and path markings are provided to help you find your way around.

Simplified map showing the EBN’s projected axes — In red, REV axes planned to be built between 2019 and 2022. In black, projected future axes.

Completed axes

AXIS 1 – Berri / Lajeunesse / Saint-Denis

Two cyclists on an EBN bike path in the summer, located between parked cars and the sidewalk.

Crossing the island from north to south, Axis 1 has more than 8.7 km of bicycle paths. From Boulevard Gouin to Rue Roy, this backbone axis passes through four boroughs and connects many important sites, such as Rue Saint-Denis (a major commercial thoroughfare), the Sauvé intermodal station, the Jean-Talon market, and the Marc-Favreau and Plateau libraries.

AXIS 3 – Souligny

A family biking on the EBN’s Avenue de Souligny axis, between the railroad tracks and the street. Bikes are protected by a buffer zone marked on the ground, bollards and concrete blocks with flowers at regular intervals.

Axis 3 extends from Rue Honoré-Beaugrand to Avenue Hector in the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. It provides connections to the Maison de la culture Mercier, École secondaire Édouard-Montpetit and Aréna Clément-Jetté. It consists of a 2.1 km bi-directional bike path.

AXIS 4 – Peel

The mid-height bike path on Rue Peel, with automobile traffic on its left and planting trenches and the sidewalk on its right.

From Boulevard De Maisonneuve to Rue Smith, this 1.7 km long axis will cross downtown Montréal, passing through the Quartier des gares and the Griffintown district. Many points of interest will be linked by this axis, including McGill and Concordia universities, the École de technologie supérieure, the Bell Centre, Rue Sainte-Catherine, the Peel Basin and several metro and REM stations. Bike lanes will be located on both sides of Peel Street. Construction of Axis 4 has been integrated into the Rue Peel infrastructure project. Learn more about the Rue Peel project.

AXIS 5 – De Bellechasse

Two cyclists riding on the Bellechasse EBN, on a section painted green to delimit a protection zone at the intersection.

From Avenue De Gaspé to Rue Chatelain, this 6 km axis connects many establishments, including the Marc-Favreau, La Petite-Patrie and Rosemont libraries, the Collège de Rosemont, the Montréal Heart Institute, and the Maisonneuve-Rosemont and Santa Cabrini hospitals. For more information on bike path projects in the Rosemont La-Petite-Patrie borough, visit the Vision vélo page (in French).

Planned axes

AXIS 2 – Viger / Saint-Antoine / Saint-Jacques

A group of cyclists seen from behind on the Rue Saint-Jacques EBN, where a green bike traffic light appears, while to their right, a car is stopped at its red light.

From Avenue De Courcelle to Rue Berri, this 5.4 km route will cross the Sud-Ouest and Ville-Marie boroughs, connecting downtown landmarks such as the Quartier des spectacles, Old Montréal, the École de technologie supérieure, the Bell Centre and the Atwater market. Part of this route located in the Sud-Ouest borough was built in 2021.

Various forms of bike lanes

The REV can take three different forms, depending on the surrounding environment.

Evolutionary

A section of the Bellechasse EBN: on the left, the sidewalk and a planted curb extension. In the centre, the bike lane, including a section painted green to indicate the crossing of two bike lanes. On the right, a buffer zone delimited by white ground markings and green bollards. On the far right is the lane for automobiles.

The evolutionary type of installation is favoured on routes where traffic is already calm, where there are no trucks or buses and where no civil engineering work is required on the street. This is the fastest way to implement a bike lane and also the one that requires the least amount of work. There are markings on the ground to delimit the path and bollards to physically separate it from the automobile traffic lanes.

Example of an evolutionary REV: Axis 5 – De Bellechasse

Transient

Cyclists riding on an EBN lane, protected by a concrete sidewalk extension with a garden trench.

This design is used when there’s a desire to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety at specific locations without major construction. In addition to the features of the evolutionary design, there are additional features within the existing roadway, such as concrete walls near intersections and bus stops.

Example of a transitional REV: Axis 1 - Berri / Lajeunesse / Saint-Denis

Permanent

The EBN bike lane on Rue Peel, at mid-height between the street and the sidewalk. A painted white bicycle pictogram indicates that the area is for cyclists only, and an arrow indicates the direction of travel.

Permanent REV lanes are built as part of a major street construction project. For example, when replacing water and sewer mains, the surface configuration is also redesigned. Mid-height bike lanes are installed between the sidewalk and the roadway.

A representative permanent REV segment: AXIS 4 – Peel