Safe active transportation circuits: tips on travelling this summer

Last updated October 11, 2024
Reading time: 2 min

The warm weather and progressive reopening make for busier streets. In order to leave more room for pedestrians and cyclists, Montréal is creating more than a hundred kilometers of safe active transportation circuits this summer. Here are some tips to get around.

New rules and new configurations

Safe active transportation circuits allow for a reconfiguration of public space, providing more room for pedestrians and bikers, in order to make travelling around the city and accessing businesses easier in the context of COVID-19. Overall, these developments allow us to add axes connecting Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Maisonneuve, Parc Jarry and Parc Frédéric-Back. On foot or on your bike, physical distancing and hygiene measures are more important than ever, and they must be considered in addition to existing road safety regulations.

Behaving in compliance with public health directives

To protect public health, here are some simple tips: 

  • Physical distancing remains absolutely necessary as you travel around the city. Think of the person in front of you, but also of the one following you, and avoid abrupt stops. Physical distancing is causing us to take up a lot more room than we used to. 
  • Be careful at intersections: even at a red light, pedestrians and cyclists must keep a 2-metre distance.
  • Wearing a face covering is recommended where the 2-metre distance cannot be maintained.

Rules for harmonious road sharing

Safe active transportation circuits offer a new way of getting around Montréal this summer. These new configurations provide an opportunity for people to choose alternative modes of travel. As a result, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers adopt new habits based on respectful road sharing.

Here are some tips to drive or bike this summer: 

  • When driving a car, be mindful of pedestrians and cyclists 
  • Drive slowly, in order to allow yourself enough leeway to react if necessary 
  • Road safety rules apply to cyclists and pedestrians as well, and they are in force on all streets

Make room for others when you travel

Always act in such a way as to protect road users who may be more vulnerable than you. Thus, drivers should be even more mindful of pedestrians and cyclists. The latter should also act responsibly with regard to drivers.