Montreal has a reputation as one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America. With nearly 900 kilometres of bike paths and a lively cycling culture, it looks like the most comparable jurisdiction to European giants such as Amsterdam and Paris. But even here, where cyclists are more visible than in almost any other city […]
Every time a new bike lane is proposed, the same scene plays out: town halls packed with angry residents, headlines warning of gridlock, and accusations that the city is waging a “war on cars.” This resistance, often called bikelash, frames every metre of bike lane as a direct attack on drivers.
The Montreal researchers behind the new study decided to test this assumption. Do bike lanes really steal enough road space to matter? Or is the outrage more cultural than practical?
To answer those questions, the team introduced a new tool: the Equal Infrastructure Allocation (EIA) score. Instead of simply counting kilometres of bike lanes or tallying up bus routes, the EIA looks at how much space each mode of travel gets compared to how many trips people actually make by that mode.
For example, if 70% of trips in a borough are made by car, but 90% of the space is designed for cars, that imbalance becomes clear. Likewise, if 15% of trips are by bike or scooter but the infrastructure only gives them 2% of the space, the unfairness is glaring.
By breaking the city down to the borough level and layering in demographic data, the researchers could see not just who gets road space, but who doesn’t — often the city’s lower-income residents and racialized communities.
The big headline? Even with significant investments in micromobility infrastructure, cars remain the overwhelming winners. A handful of new bike lanes or scooter routes barely make a dent in the total amount of road space available for drivers.
In other words, the cars are — quite literally — going to be alright.
But there’s more nuance. The study found that not all boroughs share equally in the benefits of new bike and scooter lanes. Wealthier, central areas often see faster improvements, while outer boroughs and marginalized communities are left with less. And when it comes to road safety, the risks remain highest for those groups who are already underserved.
Montreal EBN bike network
One of the study’s most interesting insights is that “automobility” isn’t just about cars as machines — it’s about cars as a political and cultural system. For decades, streets have been designed around drivers, and that dominance is reinforced through policy, planning, and culture.
That’s why reallocating even a sliver of road space sparks such fierce debates. A single bike lane doesn’t threaten the car in practical terms, but symbolically, it feels like a challenge to the entire system of automobility.
This makes Montreal’s findings valuable beyond engineering and planning. They show how data can help cities navigate the cultural politics of change.
Montreal is a fascinating case study, but the dynamics it reveals are playing out everywhere. In Toronto, a fight over bike lanes on Bloor Street stretched on for years. In New York, adding protected bike lanes in Manhattan was met with lawsuits. In Los Angeles, plans for safer streets in working-class neighbourhoods collapsed after residents feared more traffic on side streets.
Across North America, city leaders are under pressure to reduce car dependency for climate, safety, and health reasons. At the same time, they face pushback from residents who see every bike lane as a personal loss.
Montreal’s Equal Infrastructure Allocation score gives them a new way to respond. Instead of trading anecdotes, they can show in plain numbers that cars still dominate — and that reallocating a fraction of road space doesn’t spell disaster.
The study also points to where work remains. Building micromobility networks isn’t just about total kilometres; it’s about who gets access. Ensuring that lower-income and racialized communities see real improvements is critical if cities want to make cycling and scooting a fair option for all.
That means pairing new infrastructure with equity goals: building bike lanes in underserved boroughs, investing in safe crossings where crash risks are highest, and making sure that bike-share and scooter-share programs are accessible to residents who need them most.
The next time you hear a heated debate about bike lanes, remember Montreal’s lesson: reallocating a little road space doesn’t ruin car travel. Cars will continue to dominate for the foreseeable future. The bigger question is whether cities will use this moment to build fairer, safer, and more sustainable streets for everyone.
And that’s why the study’s cheeky title hits the mark. The cars are going to be alright — the real challenge is making sure the people are too.
Would you like me to push this even further into feature territory — say, with more storytelling (like setting a scene in Montreal, or giving a vivid example of “bikelash” in action), or keep it focused on unpacking the study?
Find inspiration in our Gear Guide that will keep you out on your bike through wind or rain.
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