Friday, April 29, 2011

Law 71 changes Quebec Highway Safety Code with one big improvement for road cyclists

Velo Quebec reports on some recent changes to Quebec's Law 71, amending the highway safety code.

Original news story in french here.

bad google translate here:

Highway Safety Code
Changes with the passage of Bill 71

On December 10, 2010 Bill 71 was adopted amending the Highway Safety Code of Quebec. The most publicized measures proposed by this bill - or lowering the maximum blood alcohol and driving, 05 and the imposition of helmet use among children under 12 years - have not been included in this version of the Code. Que reste-t-il donc, en particulier pour les cyclistes?

What remains is the matter, especially for cyclists?
No revolution, but some additions or modifications with greater consideration of reality and the current use. These measures were also among various ideas put forward by Vélo Québec during the preparation of Bill 71. They are now in effect.


Reflectors
In Quebec, the reflectors are required on bikes for over 30 years. To comply with the practice of manufacturers often equip the bikes with reflectors wheel white, color wheel reflectors prescribed date (yellow or red) was eliminated. Also, if an object is placed on the bike and obstructing a reflector (basket, bag, baby carrier, etc..) This object should be equipped with reflective tape.

Use of bicycle paths - no longer mandatory
Until immediately before this revision of the Code, the rider had to use the bike path if the public road where he was driving contained a bike path. This obligation is now removed, which can reduce stress, especially when bike lanes are not designed to provide direct access to certain destinations and fluid. This new provision should have little effect on the use of bike lanes if they are attractive, safe and effective. This will be particularly popular with sport cyclists who, during an outing, a bike path crossed a few hundred meters and continued their journey on the road instead of taking the track illegally.


Two-way bike path on one-way street (for municipalities)
This is a measure to allow cyclists to take a one way street in both directions. We prefer two-way path, as coined by our French cousins. For this type of intervention and some fairly specific conditions (low-speed motor, low speed, little movement of vehicles), cyclists can travel in both directions on a street called one-sided. This measure can be ensured simply by signage. . It does not limit only to contraflow bike lanes. This can be applied on a designated roadway or a street without a particular designation, with the installation of a sign "except bicycles" in the prohibition to take the street in the opposite direction only allowed. The double meaning cycle path (with markings though) have been successfully implanted in the vicinity of McGill University in Montreal. With the new Code provision that Quebec City will set up the bike boulevard Père-Marquette, like the cities of Portland (OR) and Vancouver. It is up to municipalities to implement this measure on their territory.


However, Vélo-Quebec had suggested other changes to Quebec cycling laws that are not included in law 71. These include:

  • Obliger les automobilistes à maintenir une distance d'au moins 1,0 mètre...
  • Permettre aux cyclistes de circuler dans un corridor de 1,5 mètre de largeur du côté droit de la chaussée et d'en sortir pour éviter un obstacle, dépasser un autre cycliste ou un véhicule lent, ou effectuer un virage à gauche.
  • Permettre aux cyclistes de circuler au centre de la voie lorsque la largeur de la chaussée est insuffisante pour permettre un dépassement sécuritaire.
  • Permettre au conducteur d'une bicyclette, face à un feu rouge, de suivre les indications des feux pour piétons
  • Permettre aux enfants de moins de 9 ans de circuler sur les trottoirs
  • Ne pas limiter le nombre de cyclistes en file
  • Permettre de circuler à deux de front, sauf à l’approche d’un véhicule venant de l’arrière.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

AMT announces new bikes-on-commuter-trains policy

The AMT has a new AccessVélo policy concerning bikes on the suburban commuter trains.

With a title like "Accessvélo" it is a bit of good news in the service improvement department.

You can check it out yourself at www.amt.qc.ca.

Finally some good news, and some trains now have bike access that had never permitted bikes before.

But you have to wait until May 1 for the new policy to take effect (oh, don't you love bureaucracy!)

Here is the AMT Q&A info sheet. You should still use the link above to find out specific information for the train line you want to use.

From May 1, 2011, bicycles are authorized on board of the 5 commuter train lines. In order to ease your commute, consult the schedule and the directive to find out what type of bicycles are allowed and at which times they are welcome on board.

1- Can we bring bikes aboard any commuter train line?
Bicycle transport is authorized on all five commuter train lines.
2- Can we get on or off at all of the stations?
All of the stations are accessible except for Hudson and Île-Perrot on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, and the Candiac station on the Candiac line.
3- What are the times we can bring bikes on the train?
On weekdays, bicycle transport is permitted outside of rush hours and only in the non-peak direction. On weekends and holidays, you can bring your bicycle aboard any time, but do check the schedule to find out what trains you can use and at which times.
4- Is there a minimum age requirement for bringing bikes on board?
Anyone can bring a bicycle aboard a commuter train. Children less than 14 years old must be accompanied by someone over 14, however.
5- Where should I be standing on the platform while I wait?
Locate the sign near the station entrance and follow the direction to the proper spot on the platform. At the designated area, there will be another sign indicating Embarquement (boarding).
6- Are there bike racks in all cars?
The 3000-series cars, i.e. the double-deckers, are equipped with bicycle racks for a maximum of 4 bicycles per car. On the Deux-Montagnes line, only the engine cars (the MR-90’s) have bicycle racks (4 spaces per engine car).
7- How do we know which cars on the Deux-Montagnes line are engine cars?
There will be a “bicycles authorized” pictogram by the door of the engine cars. If you see this pictogram, you’re good to go!
8- What do we do if we get on board and all of the bike rack spaces are used up?
If the bicycle racks in the car you are in are all occupied, you will have to get off immediately and wait for the next train, as indicated on the schedule.
9- Do we need to secure the bikes on the train?
Yes, bicycles must be secured to the racks at all times while the train is in motion.
10- Where on a commuter car are the bike racks located?
In 3000-series cars, the bicycle racks are at either end of the car. In MR-90 cars on the Deux-Montagnes line, the bicycle racks are in the middle of the engine cars.
11- How many bicycles are allowed per train?
The maximum number of bicycles is 12.
12- Can we move between cars?
Moving from one car to another is never permitted. The only time you are permitted to do this is when you are securing your bicycle or picking it up to leave the train.
13- Can someone refuse me admission on the train if I have a bicycle?
If you are travelling outside authorized hours or failing to follow stated directives, or in the event of an emergency, service interruption or any other valid reason, the AMT’s authorized employees may prohibit access to bicycles on a particular train.
14- Can employees help cyclists bring their bikes on or off the train?
Train employees and inspectors have specific duties that make them unavailable to help travellers with their bicycles. You should be able to bring your bike aboard and get it off again by your own means.
15- Are bikes permitted in Central Station?
Cyclists are free to travel to or from Central Station.
16- Can we use the platform 9-10 and platform 11-12 elevators on the Deux-Montagnes line?
Yes, this access is authorized for getting down to or up from the platform with a bicycle. The second option is the central stairway. All other accesses are forbidden.
17- Can we use any of the exits to disembark?
You should exit only through the doors marked with the bicycle pictogram. The authorized exit doors are the ones at the end of the central stairway and off the elevator.
18- Can we go anywhere in the retail area (Les Halles de la Gare) of Central Station?
You are entitled to use the concourse, but only to get to the train platform or to leave in the direction of the La Gauchetière exit. Bicycles are not permitted in the retail area. If you need to enter the retail area to go to the ticket office or one of the stores or restaurants, you will have to go outside, lock up your bicycle, and then come back in.
19- Are foldable bikes permitted in Central Station?
Yes, at all times, provided they are packed away in a bag.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Frelighsburg-Mystic magical mystical ride


A beautiful 52 km ride in the eastern townships





Another rest stop, and another cemetery.

This is the smallest old rural cemetery we've ever seen.




Downhill back into Frelighsburg


Our ride is counterclockwise, so we didn't have to climb up this hill the hard way.




Really old anglo cemetery on very scenic Philipsburg Road




Basswood tree and cemetery





12-sided barn in Mystic, now part of the Missisquoi museum.




Frelighsburg is one of the better places in Quebec for road bike rides. You can park here and ride across the border into mystical magical Vermont. or you can stay on this side of the border, and ride to mystical magical Mystic.

Or you can park in the new parking lot in Mystic and bike to Frelighsburg.

Today's route was very good. We'll be back again, perhaps even looking for a longer version of this ride.

Here is the map on Bikely.



The ride in relation to Montreal: southeast!


The Eastern Townships are east of Montreal.

The Chateauguay Valley is NOT part of the Eastern Townships.

Ste-Martine to Franklin Centre 80 km and easy hills


Go south of Montreal. Ride your bike.

Do you recognize Montreal island in the middle of the picture?




From the top of Covey Hill you can see Montreal way off in the distance.

It is much better to come here in person and see it with your own eyes.

It is also better to come here when the 100,000 apple trees are in spring bloom. 100 billion flowers have certain positive mental health benefits.




This ride takes you to the rare-in-Quebec Pitch Pine tree.


The Pitch Pine (pins rigide) is the only native three needle pine tree in eastern Canada.

In the middle of "the Rock" (which is what locals call this area, Le Rocher in french) is the only place in Quebec you can find this tree.

This area is an protected ecological reserve as the following sign informs.




Another ride, and another tiny-but-protected rare-tree ecological reserve.




Sunshine, blue skies, smooth roads, even a south wind today.



Sainte-Martine to Franklin Centre in southwest Quebec is another of the excellent medium distance rides in this region.

Lots of geographic diversity on this ride. Lots of options for shortcuts too, if you want or need a shorter ride. We like this specific ride because it has just the right amount of distance, and is almost all downhill after the halfway point.

The map of this ride is here at bikely.


Today's ride was counter-clockwise.

If the wind is from the west, you may prefer to do the ride clockwise.



Getting to Ste-Martine is easy.

Cross the Pont Mercier, follow Rt 138 to Ste-Martine, park at the arena, get on the bike path at the Arena, and ride south and west to Franklin Centre.

This is another favorite/standard ride with much appeal. 80 km but can be shortened a bit by turning back to the east at Ste-Antoine instead of Franklin Centre.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Parks Quebec entry fee rises 57%

A daily pass to a Quebec provincial park is now $5.50, up from $3.50. You can expect additional annual 10% entry-fee increases for the next five years. That means $8.50 in 2015. Did you know that in 2001 entry to Quebec parks was free? Well, that all changed with corporate-style management!

So let us welcome you to the new Parks Quebec: where screwing park visitors each and every day is the number one priority.

Clearly they are learning important fee-management lessons from the airport school of price gouging.

Sepaq, which manages Quebec's provincial parks, will now be able to award clearly well-deserved private-sector-size bonuses to their hard-working executive team for these innovations in revenue management.

Sepaq = ripoff central.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Vélo-Quebec says fix the broken bike paths


Gouin boulevard bike path - occasional short sections are new and improved



Gouin boulevard bike path: normal unimproved version - and this wasn't the worst section



Montreal has many different generations of bike paths. Some paths are new, some paths are old, and some are in-between. What many old paths share are sections of bike path that are wildly unsafe and completely inadequate.

Velo-Quebec to the rescue!

Crappy google translation of the news article:

Sections of unsafe Bike Path need replacing says Vélo-Quebec

MONTREAL - Even if the network of bike paths in Montreal is rated as "generally safe" Vélo-Québec believes that "many sections are totally inadequate and should be redone.

The CEO of the Vélo-Quebec, Suzanne Lareau, made this statement Thursday, just 48 hours after the death of a young skateboarder hit by a bus while riding on the bike path, Rachel, in the Borough of Plateau Mont-Royal.

Lareau cites the north-south section of Berri Street between St. Antoine and Viger, Notre-Dame street, in Montreal's east end, and the Boulevard Gouin, in the far north.

"Cyclists are often used on sidewalks with pedestrians. On the bike path on Gouin Boulevard, there are even telephone booths in the middle, "she said.

More bikes, fewer accidents

However, Mrs. Lareau was glad to see that over the past 20 years, the number of cyclists has increased while the number of accidents has decreased.

"Apart from the slight decrease in children, cycling is increasing, while the accidents are down. It is also proved that more bicycle traffic increases, the less accidents because motorists must slow down, "she said.

Safety a Priority

City of Montreal spokeswoman Renee Pageau provides that "the primary objective is the safety of cyclists."


"Our cycling meet standards and are safe. We have implemented a security program and have improved intersections every year, we conduct the rehabilitation of about fifty "problematic" intersections, "she said, recalling that the City of Montreal wants to reduce the number of accidents by 40% by 2020.

"The incident this week will surely trigger a verification process," said Mrs. Pageau.

All hypotheses are being considered for improvement. One of them might be to prohibit parking along the medians located between bike paths and lanes, as parked cars block the view to road users.

It would also be possible to reconfigure some tracks to ensure the safety of all. According to one survey, 54% of Quebecers are cycling at least once a week.


Strangely, we took the Gouin boulevard and Notre Dame east bike paths yesterday in an early-spring ride out to the east end and Point aux Prairies nature park. And we noticed these deficiencies!

Tour de l'East End... or Tour of broken bike paths? Both!

Montreal has bike path along the complete perimeter of the island. Today we checked out the east end. The highlight was certainly the parc nature de Pointe aux Prairies as well as the excellent river views and many parks on the St-Laurence and Riviere des Prairies rivers.



On the plus side, the new (soon to open) A25 toll bridge has a bike path/sidewalk.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bixi - bike sharing service or rolling billboard? You decide.

Do you want ads on Bixis or not?

Our view is that we are renting a bike, not a rolling billboard, and the ads have to come off.

No one told us in advance that we would be paying to join a club whose main purpose is to be a rolling vehicle for advertising for corporations.

Share your opinion with the world on the Bixi sans pub on Facebook. (Pub is french for advertisement). More info here at from the La Presse newspaper.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Take your bike on the weekend-schedule commuter train to Vaudreuil or Hudson to ride in the country

The AMT's suburban commuter train line permits bikes aboard the train on the weekend schedule.




Do you want to ride your bike in the country, but have no car to get across a bridge to the countryside?

How about taking an AMT commuter train?

The Vaudreuil-Hudson train goes out to the country 4 times per day on saturday.

What's the catch?

Maximum of 4 bicycles per train.

That's a big catch. If there are are 4 bikes in front of you, then you have to wait for the next train. If that is the last train of the day, and you want to get back to Montreal with your bike, then you're shit out of luck. Thanks AMT!

Do we think the AMT can do better than this? Yes!

We think the AMT could provide a baggage car for bicycle transport in the summer months. And this applies to ALL their suburban train lines.

Get Quebec's official road map free online

If you plan to bike in the Quebec countryside this summer, you need a map.

Start with the official Quebec road map online at Transports Quebec. These are detailed maps by region, formatted for printing and with excellent detail. There is lots more useful info at Transports Quebec's Quebec511 website.

Quebec is big, with many roads. Get off the island and ride them.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Montreal Gazette talks rules of the road - for bicycle riders

Saturday's Gazette has a big feature on getting bike riders to obey a few of the rules of the road.

Read it and learn something. Click here now.

COR-TEN outdoor public art tour of Montreal


That's not rust, that's Cor-Ten.



Université de Montreal's Faculté de l’aménagement on 2940 chemin Cote-Ste-Catherine That's not urban decay and infrastructure collapse, that's Cor-Ten! Whether it is post-modern achitecture's joke on the public is another matter altogether.




That orange glow... is it? It is, it is Cor-ten steel!



Cor-ten is a "weathering" steel. Translation: it is steel that rusts. Isn't that a bad thing? For bicycles, yes. But for public art sculptures it isn't.

"Weathering steel or corten steel is a material that contains a percentage of copper that allows its surface to oxidize. Corten imparts some of its colour when touched, giving people a sensory reminder of its history before it fades." "Sensory reminder" is some artspeak that we are going to add to our vocabulary, and not, ever, in relation to eating beans.

So today's ride destination objective is to visit some Corten steel public art. Preferably, really big public art.

Does Montreal have any Corten scuptures? You bet it does.

Where?

In the imaginary village.

Are you f***ing with us?

We're not. The Imaginary Village (the BIG picture above) is an art work commissioned to mark the 350th anniversary of the arrival of Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Great Recruitment of 1653. it is located in Marguerite-Bourgeoys Park in the Borough of Le Sud-Ouest, which we know as Point-St-Charles.

Any other locations?

McGill at waterfall fountain in new pedestrian mall behind Physics building
The base of the Jean-Pierre Morin sculpture in front of the Grande Bibliotheque (BANQ)
Parc Molson in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie borough: Jean-Pierre Morin, Temps d'arrêt

Our recent urban exploration sunset ride (see below) passed some corten, but we can't remember where exactly. There is a lot of outdoor public art on that ride.

(Update) We remembered! It is in Square Dalhousie. The art is by Jocelyne Alloucherie, Porte de jour.


Dalhousie Square, just across Berri from the eastern edge of Old Montreal in the "Faubourg Quebec" residential redevelopment.

The building at left used to house the Ecole Nationale du Cirque, and is now home to the Cirque Eloize.


The grass in this square is primarily a dog toilet.


We passed the next cor-ten sculpture is in the very nice Parc/Promenade Bellerive in the east end.



Roland POULIN, Continuum 2009 - à la mémoire de Pierre Perrault (2009) at Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Borough.

Another sculpture with a Corten base is in Parc Molson on Beaubien east. There is a great nearby burger joint La Boulette. This sculpture is very reminiscent of the sculpture in front of the Grande Bibliotheque (BANQ). (photos to come later)


Today's project is to go out and find some public art on your own. Here is a list of ville de Montreal Public Art.

Do it on bike.

And remember to have fun.


"A" on the map is the Corten sculpture, B is Maison St-Gabriel.

These are two highly excellent and bikeable Montreal urban destinations in Montreal's Southwest borough of Le Sud-Ouest, aka Point-St-Charles. Maison St-Gabriel is from the 1600s. This is one of the very oldest buildings on Montreal island.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Another short spring ride


Scenic ride through some great scenery, and many different forests.

keep your eyes open for elms, pitch pine, sugar maple, silver maple, and the dozens of giant eastern cottonwoods along the Chateauguay river west of Ormstown.




Country roads, no traffic, no problems.


Spring means a few shorter rides at the beginning of the year. The hard part of spring riding is to find stimulating and fun shorter rides with the all-important smooth asphalt.

Today's ride fits this bill. Scenic, good weather, with a nice circuit of roads and villages and farms and forests and a large region of apple trees (not to be missed during blossom time in May). There is an ecological reserve, this one for pins rigide (pitch pine) trees. These trees in Quebec exist only in the extreme southwest.

The map at bikely is here.

The weather was blue sky and spring sunshine, but with refrigerator temperatures. A little cold on the toes, but everything else was a-ok.

This specific circuit is a life-long favorite ride of ours.



The drive to the Chateauguay river valley couldn't be simpler.

Take Pont Mercier bridge and Rt 138 and park in any of the towns and villages along the river, Starting at Ste-Martine, to Howick, Georgetown, Allan's Corner's, Brysonville, Ormstown, Dewittville, or Huntingdon. (You could start in Chateauguay or Mercier, but these are NOT rural towns.)

After work urban exploration sunset ride


Around and around we go, and where we go next nobody knows!

Cities are big. We come from a wee little village, and are always amazed at the size and variety of sights to see in the big city. Sights that are best seen from the seat of a bike!

Here's an example of a meandering but wide-ranging bike ride we took last night.

We went to the east, we went to the south, we went to the west, we were downtown and in the old town, and we went over the mountain.

We saw the sunset, we saw Mont Royal from several good viewpoints, and we had tons o'fun.

Things we saw:
  1. The field of Giant Trees in Parc Lafontaine
  2. The lakes at Parc lafontaine
  3. some really old houses at the southeast corner of the ride
  4. Notre-Dame viaduct- Post Modern architecture sidewalks & Mont Royal views
  5. Dalhousie Station - Canada's first transcontinental train made its Montreal stop here
  6. Bonsecours street, Montreal's least flat street
  7. Marché Bonsecours dome
  8. Place Jacques Cartier
  9. Vieux Port (old port) Pier Jacques Cartier & Bonsecours Basin to edge of St-laurence river
  10. Oldish Montreal (west end of Old Montreal)
  11. Place Ville plaza with view of Mont Royal
  12. Atwater street climb above Sherbrooke
  13. Mont Royal's Beaver lake at sunset
  14. Descent via Camelien Houde, plus Mont Royal's east-end lookout

That's enough for one night!


Here is another Montreal urban bike tour we did with a different theme and a shorter distance.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Three traffic laws we want to see better enforced

Here are three traffic laws we want to see better enforced.

1) Passing/speeding in the right lane of multi-lane streets.

Often the fastest cars are driving aggressively in the lane for the slowest cars & bicycles.

2) Not using turn signals for turning.

Double or triple the fines for this offense plus points.

3) Changing lanes across solid lines in intersections.

Car driver discovers he/she is in a turning lane and just can't wait a few more seconds. Car driver veers into the go-straight-only right lane with lots of speed and zero warning. This is how we, on bicycle, will die.

3.1 Special place in hell for cars turning left from the right (go-straight only) lane. We see this hyper-aggressive madness all the time. It has to stop. And that should start with 1000$ fines with 5 demerit points.

And the epidemic of cell phone driving and driving-while-texting continues with almost zero enforcement.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Battle of the online Montreal Bike maps

The search for an online bike map of Montreal bring many of you to Cycle Fun Montreal.

If that's why you're here, then go here to the Montreal island regional bike map. it was updated last year after a few years of non-current information. It is also available at local public libraries.

Google has bike maps on the Google Maps.

And what about Velo Quebec? Don't they have online maps? Yes but it is not updated since 2008. It also covers Laval and south shore destinations. Click here for the Velo Quebec map. It's actually pretty good, but is getting a bit out of date.

Velo Quebec also sell maps. This is a very good thing. We recommend their 5-map booklet of Montreal region (north, south and the island of Montreal) titled Carte des voies cyclables du Grand Montréal. In fact, it's highly recommended and only $5. They also have guidebooks of the route verte network, quebec bike paths, and books full of bike rides and tours that you can D.I.Y.




Google maps - huge amounts of bike paths and bike lanes are missing.



City of Montreal bike map - much better than Google.


Well, that's your answer.

Click here for ville de /city of Montreal's 2010 online bike map. It has the Bixi stations.

Here are maps for each of Montreal's boroughs (arrondissements).

Another good online bike map is pedalmontreal.ca. It shows Montreal Island, Laval island, the north shore, and the south shore maps in the most complete format of the three map contenders. And, surprise, it is also integrated with Bixi Station locations.

If you are voyaging into the vast Monteregie area south of Montreal, you need the Monteregie bike path map.

For all of Quebec, Transports Quebec has great maps of Quebec by region. They are formatted for printing and have excellent detail. (Essential)

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Ormstown-Dewittville-Huntingdon-Athelstan-Powerscourt


A favorite bike ride along the Chateauguay river and through some beautiful scenery


And a spring classic. (Summer and fall too.)



We weren't the only creature flying through the air today



Cows of the edible variety




harvesting the sap




Boyd settlement road is primo cycle terrain




One of the oldest forests in Quebec

Click it and read it. Trees that are over 300 years old.


We ask: why has chocolate milk morphed into chemical chocolate "milkshake" crap?

We hate industrially-manufactured food.




The only round barn in the valley.




Restored historical plaque at the pont Percy covered bridge.

Click it and read it.




1862 and still going strong - and just restored.




Geese spend a surprising amount of time on the ground.




Someone in Athelstan has a serious train habit.




South of Huntingdon the road is often very close the river.

And the forest is sometimes very close to the road.



High water line



This was a big tree, but not anymore.

Maybe the biggest we've ever seen?

The map of the ride is here at Bikely.

It's a beautiful day - why aren't you outside on your bike?

Some people are crack-of-dawn types, getting out on their bikes as soon as breakfast has been consumed, some people are crack-of-noon types, waiting for the temperature to climb along with the sun.

And then there are the surf all day types, (we're looking in the mirror and wondering... is this us?) but we are finally caught up on sleep, caffeine and calories and ready to assert our 18 inches of the road.

No matter what kind of rider you are, now is the time of year to admit that winter is over, and to get outside and ride, and then ride some more.

Two tips

Oil your chain, and put the correct amount of air pressure in your tires. You might also want to verify if your brakes work.

And now we are off to ride to Quebec's oldest covered bridge, in Powerscourt Quebec.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Outremont bike parking full of dogshit


Broken Outremont bike rack, with bonus dog crap everywhere.


Using a bike for transportation means using bike racks. There are good and bad bike racks. And sometimes they are booby-trapped, or is that poopie-trapped?

Exhibit A is this bike rack on Edward Charles in Outremont, which is bad even for the low-standard that are Outremont's public bike racks. The rack is broken. But that's not the real problem.

The real problem is that some real nice people, I mean dog owners, who use the bike rack area at their dog's personal shit-depository. There is dog shit everywhere.



Nice fresh dog turds.



Older turds... and stepped in!



Oldest turds.

There were 50 more just like this.

Thanks dog owners!