Photo Source: Route Verte

After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable.  A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go.  You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.  ~H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

The Route Verte is a 4,350 km network of bicycle paths linking communities across Quebec. National Geographic has selected it as one of the top ten best bicycle routes in the world.  One day this past June, I discovered the Route Verte’s charm and beauty first hand as I rode my bike on a section in the Laurentians called the Petit Train du Nord.

The Petit Train du Nord is a former train corridor that has been converted to a trail, or “linear park”.  I chose to start my ride at St. Jerome and proceeded to go north about 50km to St. Agathe and then returned in the afternoon.  Along the way, the trains stations have been refurbished into rest stations with washrooms, food, and other amenities.  The route follows rivers and lakes, beautiful countryside, B&Bs, and quaint towns ready for exploring.  In winter it serves as a cross-country skiing trail.

The Route Verte has recently been linked to a major Ontario bike trail system, the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail and Greenway, a 740 km stretch running along the shore of Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec Border.  And Velo Quebec has ambitious plans to further expand the Quebec trail network.

Why can’t we do this in Ontario?  The Ontario Cycle Alliance does have a vision to create an Ontario Bike Route – a cycling network that connects all regions in Ontario.  Earlier this year, they released an Ontario Bike Plan which is a master plan focusing on the development and implementation of the Ontario Bike Route.  But if Ontario is to develop their own “Route Verte” bike network, one major hurdle still needs to be addressed: who pays?

From the Metrolinx Green Paper on Active Transportation:

In Canada, the Ministère des Transports du Quebec (MTQ) and the B.C. Ministry of Transportation are showing great leadership in investment in cycling facilities. In contrast with Québec and British Columbia, GTHA municipalities receive little support from provincial government or regional transportation bodies for active transportation.

The Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) has budgeted $98.6 million toward cycling facilities since 1996, 23 per cent of which was provided to municipalities under cost-sharing agreements. In particular, the MTQ focused on the completion of a 4,000 km provincial-scale bike network, La Route Verte, which was inaugurated this past summer. A further $22.6 million was contributed to municipalities by other Québec ministries.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation has also invested heavily in cycling facilities. Since 1995, it has contributed $17.5 million for cycling infrastructure to municipalities under cost-sharing agreements and $1.7 million is available for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

A bold plan to make active transportation the first choice for travel will require collective participation from all levels of government, the private sector, and other agencies. Senior levels of government can support and guide municipal infrastructure development through cost-sharing, promotional programs, and supportive legislation and policies.

In the future, I hope to return to the Petit Train du Nord so I can complete the full route which is over 200km all the way to Mont Laurier.  There is even a shuttle bus service that can take you anywhere along the route.  Here are a few photos I took on my journey along the Petit Train du Nord…