Le dernier paragraphe est assez inquiétant. Je trouve que ça valide toute l’énergie que j’y ai mis sur le dossier. Espérons que les parties prenantes réagissent.
Jason Magder
August 29, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.Last Updated: August 29, 2026 at 9:03 a.m.
Andrew Kuzbel moved to Dollard-des-Ormeaux more than two years ago from the east end in hopes that he would be able to take the REM to work.
The public servant for the government of Canada said having a REM station near his house is a boon for him to get to his job in downtown Montreal. Kuzbel’s Elm Park home is a short bike ride from the Sunnybrooke REM station. However, on days when his bicycle is in the shop or during cold and snowy weather, Kuzbel said it would be convenient for him to take a Bixi from a dock near his home to the REM station.
“I loved using Bixis when I lived in St-Léonard, and I used it to get to the métro all the time,” Kuzbel said.
That’s why Kuzbel was disappointed when Bixi rolled out to the West Island municipality last week because the closest Bixi dock to the REM’s Sunnybrooke station is an 800-metre, or 10-minute walk away. The situation is no better for the Des Sources or Pierrefonds-Roxboro stations.
After filing several access-to-information requests, Kuzbel said there appears to be a financial obligation for the REM’s owners, CDPQ Infra, to pay in order to place Bixi stations on their property.
Kuzbel said he was under the impression the arrival of the REM was a catalyst for getting Bixi stations in Dollard and said it would only make sense for bikes to be located close to the three stations.
“I like Bixi. I want it to continue expanding westward, but if the REM isn’t going to put Bixi stations on their lots, it’s going to be a failure,” Kuzbel said, adding that the initial network in place makes it seem like planners placed docks to deliberately steer clear of REM stations.
Bixi officially announced the new stations on Wednesday, saying that in Dollard there are “seven stations located near high-traffic areas” and a “fleet of 64 bicycles, including 32 electric-assist bicycles and 32 regular bicycles,” according to a news release.
On Friday, Dollard-des-Ormeaux Mayor Alex Bottausci said he’s excited about the arrival of Bixi, including the fact that his residents will have access to electric bikes, which will improve mobility for seniors or those who are not fit enough to bike long distances.
However, he admitted to being disappointed with the initial rollout.
“I think it’s a work in progress,” Bottausci said, adding that while the city can suggest locations, it is Bixi that has the final say in where docks are finally placed.
“It has to happen,” he said of Bixi docks located at REM stations. “Because if not, it would be foolish money and time and effort spent.”
Bottausci said if money is an issue, he would be glad to talk with CDPQ Infra about possibly sharing some of the costs of installing the docks.
“It would be nice for there to have been docking stations at the REM stations, obviously. I think that would enhance success; it’s common sense,” he added. “But my last interaction (with Bixi) was that they were working on a type of deal.”
Dollard councillor Anastasia Assimakopoulos also reacted in writing.
“The Des Sources and Sunnybrooke REM stations are important transportation nodes in my area of D.D.O., despite being outside our city’s territory,” she wrote.
“Many of my residents here in Dollard have expressed wanting to use the REM but not having great options to get from their homes to the stations in Pointe-Claire and Pierrefonds, respectively. As you might know, I have a specialization in urban planning from Concordia, where I studied mobility and transportation modelling. In my opinion, it is fundamental for Bixi to have their network feed into our closest REM stations; to reach the most commuters and to provide a viable option for their last mile.”In an emailed statement to The Gazette, an unnamed Bixi spokesperson said the bike-sharing company is currently in discussions with CDPQ Infra in order to come up with a deal to place Bixi docks on REM property.
“Connection with different modes of public transit, and specifically the REM, is among Bixi’s priorities in order to promote integrated mobility and facilitate daily travel,” the statement read. “For several years, Bixi has been in discussion with CDPQ Infra to implement Bixi docks adjacent to REM stations. This type of implementation requires planning and discussion with different partners that are not necessarily completed when the network is deployed in a new area.”
For its part, CDPQ Infra said it is open to integrating Bixi bikes at its stations in the West Island.“The proof is that we have several places in our network where there are Bixi docks, notably at the Deux-Montagnes, Ste-Dorothée and Ville-de-Mont-Royal stations,” the communications team wrote in an email. “We are in discussion with Bixi to add stations throughout the network, including at Sunnybrooke and Pierrefonds-Roxboro. These discussions are going well.”
Bottausci said his citizens ultimately don’t care who pays the bill at the end of the day because Bixi, Dollard and CDPQ Infra are all financed with public money. He said, however, Dollard is paying for all the bikes currently placed on its territory as part of a four-year-deal with Bixi — a deal that allows it to share in Bixi’s revenue generated in the city. If the city is disappointed with the results after that time, it won’t renew its contract with the bike-sharing group.
