Until that happens, we will continue to see cyclists 'ignoring' the signals!

Politics and policy aside, cyclists are foot-powered and therefore pedestrian; as such, they belong on sidewalks and pathways with walkers and runners - not on streets and roadways. The collision between a walker and a cyclist is far less injurious than the collision between a cyclist and an automobile. The cyclist in me avoids streets as much as possbile out of personal safety and common sense. The driver in me is frustrated by the cyclists that think they're motorbikes and monopolise roadways. I know it was once fun to put a baseball card in your spokes and pretend, but let's grow up here. Then there is the group that follows pedestrian rules when convenient, and road rules the rest of the time.

The bottom line is that automobiles are not going anywhere anytime soon. Being self-righteous about cycling does not entitle one to disrupting traffic. Traffic congestion in major centres is bad enough without being speed-limited by the one cyclist pretending to be Streethawk. Vrrrm Vrrrrm.

Jean, getting off because the cop is not there only happens in the movies! The city provides a representative to act on their behalf, and the court has the complete 'violation report'.

You could have just said “this is simply not true, there must have been a mistake made somewhere”, and since the cop wasn’t there, the city had no witness to defend the contention that, perhaps, you might have possibly violated the law and therefore you would have been off scott-free.

Well, let’s say this has been an expensive lesson for you: don’t agree in court if the cop is not there.

Verdict: Guilty

I have brought the pictures and explanations of that blog to argue my case. They refuse to see the document because it wasn't ''mine''(I am not the one who make that document).

According to the law, I have past on a red light.

That close the case (''In a way ...'') and Montreal signalisation will still be deficient.

MC

As for busy streets versus quiet ones, it depends what one is doing. The busy streets tend to be faster, for cyclists as well. Note that the few times when I have had serious altercations with drivers (as in them actually trying to run me off the road) have almost always been on quiet residential streets. Go figure.

I am willing to use bicycle lanes if it makes my ride faster and more comfortable. Bicyclists are just like everyone else – they want safe and convenient routes to their destinations!

True. I will take some bike paths if I do not feel they are dangerous. I will gladly take the Lachine Canal path if it's late at night.

I definitely am not a fan of bi-directional bike lanes because they make things much more complicated (and stressful). On the other hand, if there are not too many people using them, and not much cross-traffic (like on Cote Ste. Catherine) they can be OK.

I will only take the bidirectional ones that have parking besides them in the direction near the sidewalk, so I don't get a door prize from someone who did not expect a bicycle coming from the side near the sidewalk (parking should be prohibited next to a bike lane, especially if it's separated from the street by a curb, for this very reason). As of the Maisonneuve bike lane, which does not allow parking, the westbound direction has the very redeeming value of giving a lot of potential for giving hell to motorists (I love giving hell to motorists). The eastbound direction, on the other hand, is unattractive. I'd rather go on La Catherine instead...

Given Montreal’s extensive network of one-way streets (which is a good thing), it is only logical that there will be contra-flow bike lanes in many locations. If a bicycle wants to go North from Mount Royal, why should the only options be Ave du Parc or St. Laurent? Keep the cars on the main arteries, but create an unobstructed direct path for cyclists!

There is already one: all the streets not named Parc nor St-Laurent... :)

I am very happy with all of the painted lanes which has been put down in the last few weeks (we are in the run-up to an election!), but there needs to be much more systematic thought about how bicycles interact with other vehicles and pedestrians AT INTERSECTIONS. Bicyclists need safe spaces to wait to make their turning movements and the there need to be dedicated bicycle signals which are actually set to bicycle operating characteristics.

Bicycles can be very safe at intersections. This is simply dont by not being unobtrusive. By being as flashy as possible and very assertive towards motorists (that includes eye contact), a bicycle can do many things safely. Extra points are granted by infuriating motorists. Bonus points are awarded if this is done legally.

As for whether or not paint constitutes a valid bike lane – I have used St. Urbain to go from Mile End to downtown both before and after the paint went down. Sure nothing has physically changed, but I find that with the bike lane my path is blocked far less frequently. On the other hand, it is possible that cars do pass closer to the bike lane than they would to a bicycle which was not occupying a well-defined space.

That people would bike on big busy streets is beyond me. I've been biking in the city for more than 35 years (I didn't start at 7, though), and although traffic does not annoy me, I avoid big fast streets; the quiet small streets are much nicer for biking if only for the scenery.

I do not agree with that. I am a life-long urban bicyclist (rode downtown without telling anyone when I was seven years old and got brought home by the police!), and I am willing to use bicycle lanes if it makes my ride faster and more comfortable. Bicyclists are just like everyone else - they want safe and convenient routes to their destinations!

I definitely am not a fan of bi-directional bike lanes because they make things much more complicated (and stressful). On the other hand, if there are not too many people using them, and not much cross-traffic (like on Cote Ste. Catherine) they can be OK. Given Montreal's extensive network of one-way streets (which is a good thing), it is only logical that there will be contra-flow bike lanes in many locations. If a bicycle wants to go North from Mount Royal, why should the only options be Ave du Parc or St. Laurent? Keep the cars on the main arteries, but create an unobstructed direct path for cyclists!

I am very happy with all of the painted lanes which has been put down in the last few weeks (we are in the run-up to an election!), but there needs to be much more systematic thought about how bicycles interact with other vehicles and pedestrians AT INTERSECTIONS. Bicyclists need safe spaces to wait to make their turning movements and the there need to be dedicated bicycle signals which are actually set to bicycle operating characteristics.

As for whether or not paint constitutes a valid bike lane - I have used St. Urbain to go from Mile End to downtown both before and after the paint went down. Sure nothing has physically changed, but I find that with the bike lane my path is blocked far less frequently. On the other hand, it is possible that cars do pass closer to the bike lane than they would to a bicycle which was not occupying a well-defined space.

Yes, this is only really an issue on bike lanes, but the bike lane network is expanding, and bike lanes are where beginner cyclists are going to go before they take to the streets.

When I was a kid, there were **NO** bike lanes. Drapeau sure made sure the autodoxy was safe. <curmudgeon mode ON>Back then, you went biking in the streets, with the traffic, uphill both ways. Bicycles were **NOT** allowed in the parks; that included the Mountain.<curmudgeon mode OFF> Remember Bob Silverman and how he got in Drapeau's hair whenever he could? Remember the epic bike demonstrations back then???

There are issues on regular roads as well. Can cars pass cyclists in the same lane?

Officially, no, but no car will ever be ticketted, unless he really clips the bike badly. It helps to dangle a 5 pound padlock from the extremity of the left handlebar...

Can cyclists use the left lane of a multi-lane road if they’re going to make a left turn?

Most definitely yes. I do it all the time. Here is the most memorable time I did that (yes, in real life, I am just as bad as on the intarwebs).

There are issues on regular roads as well. Can cars pass cyclists in the same lane? Can cyclists use the left lane of a multi-lane road if they're going to make a left turn?

Don't all of the problems you document result from two-way and one-way contraflow (like Milton) bike lanes? Without them, bicyclists can consistently use vehicle signals, except where an off-road path (e.g. Lachine Canal) connects to an ordinary road.

I went at the ''Conseil d'arrondissement du plateau'' last week. All municipal advisors told me to contest the ticket.

Does meen I'll win ... but if I finally have to pay the ticket, they won't have my money for free. So, that is why I knock everywhere I can.

Thanks,

MC

In such cases, usually the judge will rule that "technically you should have been familiar with the security code, but there are also reasonable grounds for your confusion and lack of understanding."

I haven't yet gotten a ticket for cycling anywhere. But trying to make sense of the rules led me to realize that in some places they don't always make sense.

I just want to let you know that I refer your blog to quantity of people (which is SPVM, Conseil d'arrondissement du Plateau de Montréal, Vélo Québec and la COUR MUNICIPALE de Montréal).

I received a ticket of 37$ + 3 demerits points last month for passed on the pedestrian light with my bike, corner Laurier and Brébeuf. We were 5 persons to be trapped on this corner at the same time ... and by the time we received the ticket, we observed that 90% of bikers were passing on the pedestrian light. Who as to be blame ? Population who are ignorant of the security code (the police said it to me), SAAQ who are not sensibilizing population or the police who just simply apply the law ?

I'm am contesting the ticket, and I am using the contain of your blog as a proof (I was in process of taking pictures of all intersections on Route Verte 1 ... and I finally found your blog. You did a very great job, and that is why I refer lots of people there).

I really hope that my work will change something ... or at least will ''cancel'' my ticket. But I really want to demonstrate that something is very wrong about the bike's signalisation.

I'll try to keep an update of my case on this blog, otherwise if you want to contact me for more details: mcmarcil@hotmail.com.

NB: By the way, have you receive a ticket for that ? Otherwise, why have you done all this work of taking pictures and explain all the intersections ?

Thank you,

Marie-Christine Marcil