Michael Lee-Murphy | The McGill

For more stories from this school visit The McGill Daily.

Tweet Email

MONTREAL (CUP) — McGill graduate student Chuk Plante is less than thrilled with the university’s new protocol requiring cyclists to dismount while they travel across campus.

The rule, which was implemented on May 28 and comes into full effect as students return to campus, was devised to prioritize pedestrian use of the campus, as well as look out for their safety.

“It’s not an anti-bike policy, so much as an overly-reactive safety policy,” said Plante. “It assumes pedestrians are pretty dumb, and cyclists are pretty careless.”

The change is part of McGill’s plan to update infrastructure and make campus a greener and safer space for pedestrians. The administration says there have been numerous accidents involving cyclists over the years.

“The reason for making the lower campus a walk-bike zone should be readily apparent: Thousands of pedestrians cross McGill’s downtown campus every day, sometimes — especially when classes change — in substantial numbers,” explained a preliminary document about the new transportation protocol.

“Mounted bicycles are incompatible with pedestrian safety,” the document continued.

“We want to bring people off of the sidewalks,” said Jim Nicell, a university vice-president. “The idea is to give them more social space.”

Nicell says the university doesn’t think it’s a big deal for cyclists to dismount and walk.

“I think a lot of us feel that it’s not a huge compromise,” Nicell said. “To the cyclists, we’re offering them as many parking spots as we can physically fit on the campus. We try to make sure they’re as safe and secure locations as possible. And we’re asking them, as well, to walk the reasonable distance to wherever they’re going.”

But Plante believes the university is unnecessarily antagonizing students.

“The policy makes it seem like the administration is very out of touch,” he said. “As long as it’s in place, [students will] interact with the administration every day in a negative way.”

However, Nicell emphasized the increased ability for pedestrians to take advantage of outdoor space. In addition to the ban on cycling, deliveries are now restricted to the hours between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m., parking permits for about 150 vehicles have been transferred elsewhere and one of the university’s main streets is now completely car-free.

While Plante tends to obey the dismount request, he says others often speed past security guards. On Aug. 27, he witnessed two cyclists on campus attempt to steal a “Dismount Your Bike” sign before the guard was able to retrieve it.

Nicell concedes the change can seem harsh at late hours when there are virtually no pedestrians. As the semester begins, the university may look to reduce the hours during which cyclists must dismount to peak times, he says.

“From a long-term sustainability viewpoint, we need to figure out how we’re going to work with cyclists and put them into the mix with pedestrians,” he said. “We’re trying to find that middle ground . . . and in this case, compromise on the ability of cyclists to pass through the campus.”

Further concerns have been raised, however, about lack of consultation before the protocol’s implementation, but Nicell disagrees, citing weekly planning sessions and presentations made last year. The administration is holding a forum for cyclists and other interested parties on Sept. 23, but some think it’s coming too late.

“They probably should have involved people before it was implemented,” Plante said.

-30-