Montreal announces new hotline to report bike lanes blocked by cars
Service will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Montreal has introduced a new hotline that operates 24/7, allowing cyclists and concerned citizens to report obstructions in the bike lanes caused by vehicles or other obstacles. To monitor these calls, the city has employed 24 agents who can be reached at 514-868-3737.
In Montreal, parking enforcement agents already issue fines of $170 to those who block bike lanes. By calling the hotline, individuals can now request an agent to be dispatched, reducing the burden on other frontline services.
“With the new hotline, we can respond to calls more efficiently and take more effective action,” Laurent Chevrot, the head of the city’s parking authority, the Agence de mobilité said.
Montreal cyclists park bikes on roads “just for two minutes”
According to Jean-François Rheault, the president of Vélo Québec, prior to the establishment of the hotline, calling 911 was one of the limited options available to request the intervention of a parking enforcement agent.
“”It’s a problem because, for some people who don’t feel safe riding with cars, when the bike lane stops and they’re no longer protected, they will feel unsafe and will perhaps not choose bicycling as a mode of transportation,” Rheault said to the CBC.
