The emergence of the coronavirus led to the closure of borders, resulting in many people having to spend their summer holidays at home.

Faced with this situation, the city of Montréal came up with a project to allow citizens to safely enjoy and rediscover the city. The idea? To create a safe active transport circuit. In this way, the people of Montréal could move around worry-free and safely access the city's parks, essential services, and business. The aim was also to make the commercial streets more dynamic and enable citizens to enjoy the shopping experience while supporting local businesses in difficult times. 

In addition to more than 900 km of already existing paths for pedestrians and cyclists on the island of Montréal, this ambitious mobility plan created a total of 327 km of new pedestrian and bike paths in the summer of 2020.

Considered one of the largest active transport networks in the world, this ambitious programme was carried out in two phases. The first was carried out in early June, where 61 km and 5 pedestrian/cycling corridors were adapted by reconfiguring Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Rue Saint-Denis, Avenue Christophe-Colomb, Boulevard Gouin and Avenue du Mont-Royal, pedestrianizing 2.300 meters of the latter.

As the motif selected for the pedestrianisation of Mont Royal is the current, the image of a stream meandering along the Avenue is obvious. The path supports the highlights, offers stops, promotes physical distancing and generates a cohesive experience from east to west. Castor et Pollux also creates signage for the entire site. Beacons were placed in the current, taking the form of buoys or docks which promote ownership in addition to providing information on the project.

In the second phase of the programme, 51 km and six additional corridors were added, where more shopping streets were pedestrianised and new health corridors were set up. Moreover, forward-looking redevelopments are planned in various boroughs and their connection to the city, totalling 88 km of local streets designated for pedestrians and cyclists.

On the other hand, Montréal's safe active transportation circuits join other active transportation initiatives like the Express Bike Network (EBN), creating 24 new kilometres. 33 new off-EBN bike paths and 70 new kilometres of local bike networks in the boroughs were also installed.

The paths’ benefits were multiple: they helped support commercial streets as they reopened, promoted discovery of Montréal's historical and cultural heritage, and ensured compliance with distancing measures.