Bike Watching as a Retirement Hobby

I’ve been doing some serious thinking about my future lately. As a lifelong resident of a street adjacent to a lovely park, as I shift from semi-retired to outright retired, I have been wondering what I can do to maintain whatever degree of lucidity I have managed to retain over the years.  I am a

Cycling Rights Versus Personal Safety

Yesterday Montrealers awoke to the sad news that a woman cyclist had been hit by a car on a main downtown street. Thankfully she was alive when transported to the hospital.  I wish her well. When these incidents occur it brings about the debate about the safety of bike riding in urban areas, particularly during

How Do Costa Rican Motorcyclists Survive?

During my second trip to Costa Rica to visit in-laws over the holidays, I could not help but consider yet again how it can be possible that any motorcycle riders survive the roads and traffic. Those of us who are used to more recent urbanization, including streets set out in a grid formation, are at

Even electric vehicles need parking spots

In Montreal, we are entering the final weeks of municipal election campaigns. The two main candidates vying for mayor of the city are locked in a virtual tie. Promises are coming fast and furious. The incumbent, Valérie Plante, is hoping to hang on to her mayor’s seat, but her opponent, Denis Coderre, whom she defeated

Road Configurations Then And Now

It’s a popular topic on local radio talk shows, especially as this is an election year in Montreal. Of course, I refer to street configurations. Our current mayor, one Valérie Plante, is at best not a fan of cars. At worst she is downright anti-car. Since her election four years ago she has overseen the

What Kind Of Mind Rides A Bike On A Sidewalk?

While not a big fan of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s plans for downtown, I do understand the need to temporarily widen the sidewalks during the COVID-19 pandemic. By dedicating half the existing street surface to pedestrians, physical distancing can easily take place. However, one wonders if a greater health risk than COVID-19 may be the

Time To Crack Down On Sidewalk Cyclists

I live in a part of Montreal that, were I writing a real estate advert, I would refer to as downtown-adjacent. As such I find myself in the downtown area on most days; perhaps doing chores, having a beer, or just out for a walk to fend-off Pandemic induced cabin fever. … cut-back traffic to

Shock Advertising And Cyclists In The 1940s

The photograph above was taken in 1941. The location is just up the street from where I live. At first glance it looks pretty sinister: a Nazi plane has apparently just crashed nose-first into a public park. In the tree is a parachute, evidently, the pilot was able to eject and his whereabouts are not

Two-Wheeled Rentals in Montreal

Montreal has just introduced a ‘pilot project’ that allows people to rent E-Scooters from various points around the city. Ideally these little LIME two-wheelers will be dropped-off at another designated point. Interestingly non-LIME E-Scooters are illegal and uses are liable to be ticketed.  The competition for hop-on-hop-off transport is getting heavy in Montreal. Until you

Bicycles On Sidewalks

Here in Montreal, the weather has finally shown signs that spring may just arrive at long last. Most if not all of the snow has been washed away by rain, sidewalks are being cleaned of the various abrasive substances used for pedestrian safety during the winter i.e. sand and gravel. I saw a few top-down