A bike path through what was has come to be known as the Vendome Danger Zone in NDG is finally up and running.

The area in question is just outside the Vendome metro station, and is heavily trafficked by pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and buses. Though there was an existing bike path that started downtown and headed westward, there was a 500 meter gap on de Maisonneuve between Claremont and Decarie. The new path links those two streets.

According to NDG Mayor Russell Copeman, the new path was a long time coming, but the complexity of the area made the logistics of establishing a bike path difficult. The opening of the new superhospital put pressure to get the issue resolved.

“The impetus came when the Glen site was open, when we saw the trouble at Decarie and de Maisonneuve.,” he said. “I came on a couple of occasions with my borough director and my director of public works and we stood at the corner of de Maisonneuve and Decarie and watched what was going on and came to the conclusion that this could not stand.”

Copeman said an estimated 2,000 cyclists currently come through the area every day, but that with the new path, which cost $75,000, he hopes to see that number grow.