Outremont residents form human chain to protest bike path’s removal

Residents protested the removal of a bike path in Outremont on Dec. 2, 2025. (Martin Reisch)

Dozens of community members formed a chain along a bike path in Outremont to protest the Montreal borough’s decision to replace the section for parking spaces.

Transport Actif Outremont (TAO) and Vélorution Montréal organized the event on Lajoie Avenue, which runs east-west, passing several parks and schools.

The organizations say that the path’s removal forces cyclists back into road traffic, despite the possibility of safe bike travel throughout the winter.

Newly elected Outremont borough mayor Caroline Braun said on Nov. 20 that the path would be removed between Stuart and Outremont avenues until March 31.

“Due to the high number of complaints from citizens and the significant difficulties associated with snow removal operations, it has been decided to return to the winter road,” she said.

Those organizing Tuesday’s protest say that the path is an access route to the REM line.

“That one of the new administration’s first acts under Mayor Braun was to remove one of Outremont’s few protected bike lanes is deeply troubling,” said TAO spokesperson Emanuel Licha. “We urge her to reverse the decision, secure Lajoie Avenue, and implement the protected, coherent bike network laid out in the borough’s own mobility plan.”

The groups point out that other bike paths have come under scrutiny, including the Hochelaga, Atataken and Berri bike paths.

“Lajoie is an essential school corridor. Every morning, dozens of families use it to get to school. We cannot ask children to share the road with cars simply to create more parking spots. It’s a decision that unnecessarily puts lives at risk,” said Vélorution Montréal founding member Julien Gagnon-Ouellette.