The word ‘vélorution’ is now in the Larousse dictionary
Refers to activism that promotes cycling as an alternative form of transport
On Wednesday, Vélorution Montréal shared the news that the word “vélorution” in the latest edition of the Larousse dictionary. According to the collective, vélorution is an international movement that supports and encourages cycling as a form of transportation, all while countering the predominance of car culture.
The Vélorution Montréal statement added that having the word in dictionary is important for two reasons. “It is not only the importance of the struggle led by millions of cyclists from the four corners of the globe, but also of their cycling victories that are multiplying at lightning speed,” it read.
“We are over the moon that Larousse has added ‘vélorution’ to their dictionary,” Mathieu Murphy-Perron, founding member of Vélorution Montréal said. “It is an important recognition to those who have struggled for decades to make our cities safer and more bike-friendly. It is becoming growingly evident that the ‘vélorution’ is in full swing and that it will not stop until road-use is more equitable between users so that more people will feel comfortable getting around on bike or on foot. Even here in Montreal, we have much work to do in order to catch up to the Amsterdams, Londons, Paris’s and Singapores of the world.”
That being said, currently only two per cent of Montreal’s roads are for cyclists, as opposed to 78 per cent for motor vehicles. The group hopes that the new addition to the dictionary will help further its cause to bring more awareness for the need increased cycling infrastructure to the city.
