Ceremony to remove ghost bike in Montreal marks progress on cycling safety

Article content

Seven years after cyclist Mathilde Blais was killed in an underpass on St-Denis St., the “ghost bike” marking the site of the tragedy is headed for a museum.

In a ceremony Sunday morning attended by dignitaries including Blais’s mother, Geneviève Laborde, and Montreal mayor Valérie Plante, the Vélo fantôme collective removed the white bike adorned with flowers and erected a plaque in Blais’s honour.

More than 100 people attended the event in the underpass at des Carrières St. where the 33-year-old speech pathologist was hit by a crane truck while riding a Bixi to work on April 28, 2014.

Laborde said that while nothing can take away the pain of losing her daughter, it consoles her to know that the tragedy has led to safer conditions for other cyclists.

“I am moved to know that my daughter’s death was not in vain and that it will help future generations to understand that citizens’ actions can move things forward in a constructive way,” she said.

Article content

It’s the first time Vélo fantôme has removed a ghost bike in recognition of improvements in cycling safety, said Séverine Le Page, a spokesperson for the collective. She credited the new Réseau express vélo (REV), which allows cyclists to travel in safety thanks to a concrete barrier between them and road traffic.

“Today is really symbolic as a recognition of the need for the kind of permanent and secure infrastructures that have been created for the REV,” she said.

“If they hadn’t created the REV, we would never have taken Mathilde Blais’s bike away because the viaduct would be as dangerous as it was seven years ago, she added.

A coroner’s report found that Blais’s death was preventable, and recommended the creation of safer bicycle routes and mandatory side guards on trucks.

Article content

While the removal of the ghost bike hails the progress achieved so far, multiple danger spots remain and “there’s an enormous amount of room for improvement,” Le Page said.

Ten other ghost bikes still mark spots in the city where cyclists were killed and two others will be added in the near future, she said.

Stéphan Laroche, director of Quebec City’s Musée de la Civilisation, where the ghost bike will be displayed, said he was pleased to welcome the artifact, which he described as “loaded with meaning,” into the museum’s collection.

“The first meaning is obviously mourning, because it carries the memory of the victim, Mathilde Blais,” he said.

“The second meaning is collective empowerment. It represents citizens’ efforts to bring about change. It forced politicians to make safer amenities for cyclists, so it’s the symbol of positive and constructive actions,” Laroche said.

Article content

Mayor Valérie Plante called on rival Denis Coderre and other mayoral candidates to pledge to save the REV, noting that Coderre has hinted he might dismantle the express bike path if elected.

“I hope that all the candidates for mayor of Montreal will make a firm commitment and say loud and clear that they are not going to dismantle the REV and that they are committed to protecting citizens whether they are on foot or on a bicycle,” she said,

“The REV is first and foremost a matter of safety,” Plante added, noting that two cyclists have been killed on St-Denis St. since 2014, and 300 cyclists and pedestrians have been injured in accidents.

“Dismantling the REV means putting the lives of citizens on foot or on bicycle in danger,” she said.

Le Page said members of Vélo fantôme hope that no matter which party takes power in next November’s municipal election, the city will continue to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

Federal Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and provincial MNA Chantal Rouleau also attended the ceremony.

mscott@postmedia.com