The head of trauma at the MUHC says helmuts need to be a part of Montreal's Bixi bike rental program. The head of trauma at the MUHC says helmuts need to be a part of Montreal's Bixi bike rental program. (CBC)

The head of the McGill University Health Centre trauma unit said Monday the city needs to make helmet rentals part of Montreal's Bixi bike-sharing program.

Dr. Tarek Razek said he’s seeing Bixi users admitted to hospital with a wide range of injuries.

“We do know of a few serious injuries, including many broken bones, chest-wall injuries, rib fractures and, of course, unfortunately the ones that are most preventable which is significant head injuries and we've seen a few of those,” said Razek.

Razek said it is irresponsible for the city to promote cycling without making helmets available, adding a helmet program would be cost-effective because caring for patients with acute head injuries is expensive.

The head of the Bixi program, Alain Ayotte, said it's too difficult to make helmets available. He said helmet sharing could create hygiene issues. He also said it would be difficult to ensure everyone had a helmet that fit properly.

Ayotte said he encourages riders to bring their own helmets.

Ayotte also expressed disappointment in the number of Bixi bikes that have been damaged across the city over the past month. He said several bikes and stations were vandalized on both St-Jean-Baptiste Day and Canada Day.