Oh, the joys of moving around the city of Montreal. Pothole capital of the world and now the highest gas prices in the country.
Makes you want to ditch the car altogether. Wait, already done that years ago.
Still, I try to have some sympathy for the petrol-dependent. That is, until I observe how the majority of motorists continue to careen around the city with a heavy foot on the gas pedal; oblivious to the waste inherent in how they drive.
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/transportation/cars-light-trucks/fuel-efficient-driving-techniques/7507
So, keep it up oil companies and governments; keep those gas prices sky high. I just wish they would funnel a few of those dollars towards filling the odd pothole; preferably the ones on the bike paths and lanes.
Spring is ever so slow to come to Montreal this April, but the Bixi system still lives thanks to the city taking over the reigns after the company managing it filed for bankruptcy protection in January.
Still, the question is whether the bike share system will survive beyond this current season?
One factor will be a decision by the city to accept Bixi as part of the public transport system rather than an enterprise that should be completely self-funded.
The other factors, however, relate to the dependability and usability of the overall system and its component parts. If users regularly find Bixi stations that are not working properly, such as blank touch screens, they will turn away from using Bixi.
Similarly, if the Bixi bicycles are not maintained properly this will engender a further point of frustration. Last spring I got a three day subscription and by the third day I was so fed up with Bixi as almost half of the bikes I used had some mechanical problem with them.
Finally, I think the city should re-evaluate the usage terms for Bixi. Specifically, the first sixty minutes should be included in the subscription fee instead of thirty minutes. This acknowledges the reality of the terrain and the territory of central Montreal. It will make the system more attractive to users and it should also reduce the number of movements of Bixis by truck/trailer as users will be more likely to take a Bixi from downtown back to their neighbourhood since they will not be penalized due to the uphill journey.
With the buoys finally completed, we got sent back to Beauharnois to concentrate on assisting ships in the ice of the Canal. On our way through the American Locks we encountered some visitors who didn't trust the brash ice left in the track between the locks.
Ships normally meet in the channel between the locks but, with the ice there is only one way traffic. Getting between the locks in ice is pretty easy as there is only one way the ship can go though it makes it harder for the larger ships to get their bows into the locks without pushing ice in there, as well.
Beauharnois Canal usually doesn't have a problem with ice in December because it is held up on Lake St. Francis by an ice boom but the unusually cold weather has made a lot of ice. At the lower end of the canal are the two Beauharnois Locks with the Generating Station to the south of them protected by ice booms along the Canal outside the channel. Once ice gets into the Canal there isn't anywhere for it to go but towards the locks due to the current. Ships waiting for the lock will sometimes get stuck in the track as the ice freezes around them. Then, we have to break a relief track beside them to loosen the ice so the ship can move ahead.
Ice slows every operation down with the tight clearances between ships and locks. Ships waiting their turn are sometimes told to stop in the ice at the nearest anchorage until there is an opening. Of course, they get frozen into the ice, as well, and often need to be broken free to get moving.
With a real winter hitting the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, we are doing double duty as icebreaker while trying to lift our remaining light buoys before they get damaged by the ice.
Our compatriot on the US side of the Seaway is also out on the water lifting their buoys for the winter.
While the Thousand Islands is cottage country in the summer time, it is quite picturesque in the off season, as well.
Merry Christmas to all the mariners for whom Christmas is just another work day on the water.
Oh, there were lots of promises made by candidates at the Debat Velo during the Montreal Municipal election last month.
http://webtv.coop/video/D%25C3%25A9bat-V%25C3%25A9lo-Montr%25C3%25A9al-2013/0504518a681c9737bf0f33b17ba37523
Still, the enlightened Plateau Mont-Royal administration continues to shut the door on their network of bike paths on November 15th even when it is a separated lane such as Rachel Street.
I wonder, are cyclists expected not to use this resource because a date has been posted? Will police ticket them if they do?
Then, you have the situation on Clark Street where car owners gleefully re-take possession of their beloved asphalt that has been stolen by cyclists for 8 1/2 months of the year. It almost makes the coming of ice and snow worthwhile just to have full use of the road again.
Plus, the embarrassment of parking choices available in this transition period where cars park in both places at the same time. You can sense the giddiness in the air as the car is king mantle is firmly set on the transportation crown.
Perhaps someday the city will find the capacity to make bike infrastructure available year-round like, well, roads and sidewalks. Until such time, there should be some consistency in application. If cars are not required to install winter tires until December 15th, then bike paths should, as a minimum, be kept open until the same date.
