>>1764310We have one of those in Montreal, and the mayor decided to make one of our major streets into one on the weekends over the past few summers, ostensibly due to the pandemic. The latter also happened to be the street I lived on at the time.
I didn't own a car, but it was still a pain in the ass, because A) I couldn't bike down them when pedestrianized, B) there were a ton of people in the way even when I tried to bike down them, and C) Delivery trucks, already stumped by my apartment, were even more flummoxed.
The problem is, lanes for cars aren't just for cars - they're for cyclists, buses, trucks, and anything else on wheels that goes more than walking speed. Reducing space for cars also reduces space for us cyclists, and because everyone thinks the one pothole-filled bike lane downtown is enough, there isn't any consideration for bikes on other streets.
With the planned partial pedestrianization of St-Catherine downtown, cars now have one lane to travel in and one lane of parking - and bikes get that same one lane. It's certainly a pants-to-be-darkened moment for me. All I can think of when I see this is, 'I'm going to have to ride down that, aren't I?'
