Montrealers with reduced mobility could run into more trouble than usual navigating the city — several streets are closed for major cycling races. The World Cycling Championship on Park Avenue near Mont-Royal is one event expected to make getting around the city difficult. According to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), depending on the days of the competition, up to 30 bus lines will be affected, but signage is already posted. The STM says adapted transport is still available – but users should expect delays. “If those street closures were for two or three days, I think everybody can manage. But now we’re talking for a month,” Steven Laperriere said. Laperriere advocates for inclusion and mobility for differently abled citizens with Rapliq.org and says adapted transit delays in affected areas aren’t acceptable. “Paratransit should be considered an essential service because the people who are registered to paratransit need the transport,” he said. He says street closures greatly impact the lives of people with reduced mobility. “How does it work for people to have their groceries delivered, to have their medications delivered?” Laperriere adds that home care providers are having a difficult time reaching the patients who need them. “People rely on those home care services to have a life, to get to get out, to get out of bed, to be fed, to have to be washed,” he said. Laperriere says making mobility easier is not a favour; it’s a necessity. The World Cycling Championship street closures will remain until Oct. 4 to allow time to dismantle everything.
