Winter cyclists push for a clear path on Jacques Cartier Bridge

180,000 Quebecers cycled through the winter at least once in 2016, and a few winter cycling devotees are fighting for more city infrastructure that suits them. 

Around 30 cyclists and pedestrians rallied at Veterans Park in Montreal on Saturday to demand the Jacques-Cartier Bridge bike path be opened during the winter.

• Montreal cyclists gear up for cold and 'lovely' winter weather

The bridge corporation responsible for the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges has rejected the request for years due to security reasons.

The company says it has not yet found an adequate way to de-ice and de-snow the narrow and winding path.

For winter biking enthusiasts, that excuse isn't good enough.

"This is the fifth year I'll be crossing the bridge despite the path's closure," said Mike Muchnik, a spokesperson for the Association of Pedestrians and Cyclists on Jacques Cartier Bridge.

• 'If you do nothing, we will continue to die': Cyclists call for better road safety

"I've lived through every weather condition possible, between 12 and -30 degrees, wind, snow and hail."

He added that he thinks the bridge is the safest place to cycle in the winter.

In 2017, there were 475,000 bridge crossings on the Jacques Cartier. Two people have died cycling across the bridge in the summertime.

Crews to test ways to clear path this winter

In response to the growing popularity of winter cycling, crews will spend this winter testing out ways to clear snow and ice from the Jacques Cartier Bridge bike path.

The project will cost almost $2 million — but the path won't be open for cyclists to use.

Tests will include traditional ways to remove snow from the path, like using a small tractor, and more innovative ones, like heated sidewalks.

• Feds to pay $2M to clear snow from Jacques Cartier Bridge bike path, but keep it closed

Using salt to de-ice the bridge is not a possibility, according to the bridge corporation, because it could damage the bridge.