COPENHAGEN | Just as it is difficult to revolutionize travel habits – which Bruno Marchand wants to do in Québec – the mayor himself received death threats in Copenhagen, now regarded as the quintessential sustainable city, while the first pedestrian zone was being set up.
Photo Karine Gagnon
Mayor Bruno Marchand (left) wants active mobility to be given much more space in Quebec. “I will do it because I have to and because people are asking for it,” he said yesterday after meeting Klaus Myging, vice-president of Copenhagen’s Executive Committee, along with Copenhagen Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer and Granby Mayor Julie Bourdon.
Indeed, it takes a lot of courage for politicians to change habits, argued Klaus Myging, vice-president of the Danish capital’s executive committee yesterday. Bruno Marchand met him yesterday at the local town hall.
Mr Myging says politicians “may even have to agree not to be elected next time […] We mustn’t be afraid to set up uncomfortable rules,” he stressed.
In the case of Copenhagen, the city’s main street, Stroget, which stretches for a kilometer, became pedestrianized in 1962.
The city center of the Danish capital was then literally invaded by cars, a bit like Quebec.
Bruno Marchand believes the future lies in the pedestrian streets, thanks to which he wants to appease Old Quebec.
In Copenhagen, the then mayor Alfred Wassard wanted to check whether the pedestrian street model was viable.
Stroget has eloquently demonstrated this with his residential and commercial activities, but has earned him no fewer death threats.
However, the Copenhageners quickly recognized the many advantages. Citizens were able to reclaim their street. Traders have benefited from this and set up outdoor terraces.
Since then, the pedestrian streets in Copenhagen have multiplied, making it its charm.
Idle and unattractive 40 years ago, today the city stands out as a champion of sustainable mobility.
pilot projects
However, achieving this requires good communication with citizens and traders, as stressed yesterday by Mr Myging, who sees pilot projects as an interesting way forward.
Bruno Marchand has to see to that if he wants people to board. In Quebec, half of the merchants are against the return of the pedestrian zone on Cartier, while the citizens, on the contrary, are in favor.
The mayor says if they’re not convinced, we’ll work on other arteries as a priority.
For example, he mentions the Rue Racine. A pilot project will also start in Old Quebec this summer.
More bikes
Then the example of cycling in Copenhagen is also interesting, which despite its northern climate also stands out as the world capital of cycling.
Strolling the streets is fascinating as there are more bicycles than cars.
“All opposition parties are now in favor of urban cycling, but that was not the case 14 years ago,” Mr Myging said.
In fact, Copenhagen’s elected officials believe that everyone who lives within 15 kilometers of the city should cycle. The services are organized accordingly.
The winter is harder in Quebec, but we’re still a long way from our goal.
We would do well to expand the bicycle network, as Mr. Marchand wishes and as we did in Montreal.
The mayor said yesterday that 92% of all trips of three miles or less in Quebec City are not made using active or public transit.
He promises to make announcements about bicycle corridors in April.
Go back
I was listening to the Danish MP yesterday and I said to myself that the same phenomenon can be seen all over the world when new projects transform travel, be it a tram, a pedestrian zone or bicycle corridors.
Even if there was a lot of resistance at times, no one backed down, quite the opposite.
The Danish capital’s active mobility model cannot be implemented as such in Quebec due to the city’s density, proximity and size, agrees Bruno Marchand.
Still, he believes Quebec can draw inspiration from its transformation.
Quebec is far from idle, of course, but we need to take care of its appeal before we get there.
And there is no getting around it: active mobility is becoming a determining factor in modern cities.
