MOUNTAIN BIKING IN THE CITY: FINDING THE PATH TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

LES AMIS DE LA MONTAGNE PARTICIPATE IN THE BICYCLE SHOW TONIGHT AT PLACE BONAVENTURE

Montreal, February 15, 2008 — Les Amis de la montagne will participate in the 6th Bicycle Show Expodium on Friday, February 15, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. as part of their intervention project to manage mountain biking on Mount Royal.

The purpose of Les Amis de la montagne’s participation in the bicycle show is to raise awareness of participants-mountain biking enthusiasts of this intervention project. Participants will have the opportunity to complete an on-line questionnaire on the practice of mountain biking in the city and will also be able to participate in a “vox pop”-style video to provide their opinion on the role of mountain biking in Montreal and its urban parks, as well as their suggestions for sustainable solutions.

Due to its geographic location and its topographic characteristics unique in Montreal, Mount Royal is the location of choice for the sport of mountain biking. However, the practice of mountain biking on the mountain is not authorized. The sport creates conflict with other users and significantly damages the forest undergrowth, putting the health of Mount Royal’s forest in danger. There are no existing areas in the city where mountain biking is authorized.

“Fifteen years of experience on this issue has demonstrated that mountain biking is not just a passing interest and that the sport is well established and on the rise on the mountain,” said Sylvie Guilbault, executive director of Les Amis de la montagne. “We cannot ignore this growing trend any longer. The success of an intervention to raise awareness, to create by-laws and to renaturalise the forest of Mount Royal requires the active participation of decision-makers and those who practice the sport to find viable solutions that could subsequently be applied to other sites.”

Les Amis de la montagne launched this important project on October 22, 2007, together with financial partners, Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Quebec Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions, in collaboration with a working group comprised of representatives from the Ville de Montreal and the police service, the FQSC, the ADSVMQ and Vélo Québec, and institutions on the mountain, such as the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, the Mount Royal Cemetery and the Université de Montréal.

The project is being carried out in stages, including an analysis of the areas of the mountain where the sport is practiced and the development of a profile of the clientele on the mountain; the identification and implementation of specific solutions to the practice of mountain biking; a vast awareness-raising campaign aimed at cyclists and the general public; and the restoration of damaged sites on Mount Royal.

Les Amis de la montagne will be located at the kiosk of the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes (#104-107, 204, 206). Click here for the on-line questionnaire and here for information on the 6th Bicycle Show Expodium.

Information:
Gabrielle Korn
Director of Communications
Les Amis de la montagne
514 843-8240 ext. 237