Montreal renames bike path for late cycling activist Robert ‘Bicycle Bob’ Silverman

Piste Robert Silverman in Montreal. (Cosmo Santamaria/CTV News)

The bike lane running along the Berri-Lajeunesse-Saint-Denis section of the city has a new name: the Piste Robert Silverman.

The name is to recognize Robert “Bicycle Bob” Silverman, an activist who played a pivotal role in making Montreal the bike-friendly city it is today.

He died in February 2022.

• READ MORE: ‘One of a kind’ Robert Silverman, who reimagined Montreal for cyclists, dies at 88

The path connects around nine kilometres between Berri Street and Gouin Boulevard and traverses the Plateau–Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and Ahuntsic-Cartierville boroughs.

The ceremony renaming the path comes a day after a 31-year-old woman was struck and killed by a truck while riding her bike on Parc Avenue.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante acknowledged the cyclist’s death on Monday.

“This tragedy is reminiscent of the circumstances that led to the decision to build the REV on Saint-Denis following the death of Mathilde Blais,” said Plante. “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the victim’s family and reiterate that no one should die this way on our streets. Today, it is time to name this cycle route that saves lives every day.”

A collection of cyclists lobbied after Silverman’s death to rename the path, which the city did.

Silverman founded the group Le Monde a Bicyclette (MAB) in 1975 and, over the years, organized theatrical protests demanding the city improve its cycling infrastructure.

“From his earliest days as an activist, Robert Silverman proposed a clear vision: that a real place be made for this mode of urban transport in the lives of Montrealers,” said Plante. “Today, the democratization of cycling in the city is one of his most notable legacies for the metropolis, which is often cited as the best cycling city in North America. We were inspired by his movement and continue to be so.”