Cycling on the rise across Quebec
Velo Québec unveils 5-year study into Quebecers' biking habits
Cycling is growing in popularity across the province, with about half of all Quebecers taking to the roads on their bikes in 2015.
Vélo Québec has unveiled the findings of a five-year study that shows cycling is not only good for the environment and health but also for the economy.
- Fines for 'dooring' a cyclist in Quebec to go up as much as 10 times
- Montreal spending $15M on new, existing bike paths
The report found that more people, especially in urban centres, are opting for cycling as a mode of transportation. About 1.9 million people bike to and from work and school.
In Montreal, rides as transportation rose by 57 per cent in the short span of five years. There are about 116,000 trips made on a daily basis across the city.
Vélo Québec credits the spike to an expanded network of cycling paths and the city adopting bike-friendly policies.
Popular across the board
The report shows that biking is equally popular across the sexes. In Quebec, about 45 per cent of 3.2 million adult cyclists are women.
The biking trend is also continuing to grow — an additional 600,000 Quebecers have taken up biking in the last 20 years.
There has also been a spark in cycling among children and teens. Seven out of ten cyclists between the ages of six and 17 hop on their bikes every week.
More cyclists are also choosing to brave winter weather and bike year-round, at least in part because cities and towns are adopting more bike-friendly policies.
Biking is also beneficial to the Quebec economy.
Vélo Québec's report shows that biking and cycling tourism is worth about $1.2 billion every year, with close to $150 million going directly to the provincial government.