The mayor of the Plateau Mont-Royal borough is furious with Denis Coderre after a cyclist was killed Thursday.
The city announced a plan Friday to invest $150 million over five years to encourage cycling across the island. But Projet Montreal's Luc Ferrandez tells CTV Coderre is lying when he says he wants to make Montreal safer for cyclists. Ferrandez went so far as to accuse the mayor of voting against several bike path projects, including one in the area where the cyclist was struck.
Lionel Perez with the city's Executive Committee says not only is that untrue, he accuses Ferrandez and Projet Montreal of fighting below the belt. He called Ferrandez's remarks "despicable" and suggests the opposition is trying to exploit the death of the cyclist for political gain.
Perez says there are bike path projects in the works, but stakeholders need to be consulted before those plans can move forward.
The 61 year old victim was fatally hit by a school bus Thursday afternoon near Park and Pine Avenues. Cycling advocates believe the woman's death could have been avoided with better planning.