Montreal's cycling network has doubled in 10 years. Is it a success? Depends on who you ask

Sia Spanoudakis's parents have found it harder to get around since a protected bike path was installed in front of their house in Montreal's Parc-Extension neighbourhood last year.

To make room on Querbes and Ball avenues, the city removed 250 parking spots, including her father's disability parking spot which was moved to a nearby cross street.

Spanoudakis's father, Emmanuel Spanoudakis, is 92 years old and her mother has mobility and cognitive issues.

If he has to drop off groceries or help his wife get inside, Spanoudakis said her father has to stop illegally on the bike path and then go park.

And in the winter, it's not possible to pull up and stop because of the way the snow is cleared on the path.

"My parents are afraid to leave the house," said Spanoudakis. "It's caused a sense of isolation, especially in the winter months because even though they have a handicap parking spot on a cross street, people park there out of desperation."

The revamped bike lanes ignited a major rift last year. It's one example of clashes between some residents and municipal officials as protected bicycle lanes are installed in neighbourhoods outside of central Montreal.

At its height, thumbtacks were thrown on the bike lanes in Parc-Extension and police were called to monitor the duelling protests in front of the borough's offices.

Vélo-Quebec president Jean-François Rheault says cycling — and the accompanying bike paths — have long been polarizing in Montreal.

The first phase of the city's bike network began in the 1980s and focused on linking parks.

Not much changed until 2009, with the arrival of Bixi, the city's bike-sharing program.

Suddenly, Rheault said there was an explosion in the network: mostly painted bike lanes or "sharrows" where cyclists share the street with cars.

"It was relatively easy to do. You put some paint on the ground and it was helping cyclists to have some space," said Rheault. "But it did not necessarily achieve the level of safety, or perceived safety, that people need to do a modal shift."

By the end of former mayor Gérald Tremblay's tenure in 2012, the city said the cycling network in Greater Montreal totalled 630 kilometres.