cyclists – The Concordian

Cops litter the Maisonneuve bike path with their cash-grabbing tactics

One of my favourite weather-permitting pastimes is biking. Even in Toronto, where I’m from, I cycled everywhere—to school, to meet friends, to work. As a student, I’ve been using my bike for years to cut back on transportation costs. In all those years, I never once got a ticket while on my bike. I’d never really even considered it. But a few weeks ago, I got a ticket for not making a complete halt at a stop sign—and I am beyond pissed off.

I was biking along a typically quiet, low-traffic section of the De Maisonneuve bike path, around 2:30 p.m. I slowed down as I approached an intersection somewhere between Clarke and Greene Ave but, after seeing it was clear, I decided to continue through, mainly to keep my momentum—which hundreds of bikers do all the time—and it all went smoothly. There were no car-bike or bike-bike altercations. Yet next thing I knew, a whistle was blaring behind me. I stopped and turned around to see what had happened, only to find this G.I Joe-like officer running towards me at full-speed.

It was all so overly-dramatic—the chase, the questioning, the identification process. I mean, I truly could not believe it was me that he was pulling over. I was issued a $48 ticket, which although it isn’t a substantial amount, it still puts a decent dent in my already-too-small student budget.

I thought I was the anomaly until, within 24 hours of being issued my ticket, I found at least two other cyclists on social media who received tickets for going through stop signs. These two cyclists were ticketed in front of Laurier Park and at the corner of Bellechasse and St Dominique, according to two Facebook posts on the MTL Trading Hole page.

The whole situation reached another level of ridiculous when the officer ticketing me attempted to reassure me by saying: “I’m issuing you this ticket in the name of road safety.”

Hold up. Rewind. Let’s pretend that my ticket was truly issued “in the name of road safety.” Firstly, I would have been pegged in an area where the safety of road-users is legitimately threatened. For example, Melville Ave, where cyclists would be emerging from Westmount Park, having gained speed through the sloped, winding paths. This is blocks away from Clarke Ave though, and had I been flagged there, I likely would not be writing this article. But was an officer stopping cyclists there? Nope.

Because you see, fellow bikers, these cops don’t get into their cruisers wanting to make our roads safer. The Montreal police have admitted previously that “officers in the city’s special traffic squad are given traffic ticket quotas,” according to CBC News Montreal. Following this is a statement highlighting how the police didn’t admit to traffic quotas earlier because “it would have created negative publicity,” reports the same CBC News article. Does this sound as though all this ticketing is truly “in the name of road safety?”

And to what avail? The issuing of this ticket to me and a few other bikers won’t cause some societal cathartic re-evaluation of how we navigate and share the roads. It’s time we find a more effective solution—something that really is in the name of road safety.

Déménagement Myette: the environmentally-conscious moving company

At 11 a.m. sharp, the movers arrive at my apartment. The two men have come prepared, and quickly, they begin unpacking their equipment. They start unloading and stacking blankets, ropes, tool boxes and tape. They talk amongst themselves, examine my stairs and point towards my door. They are discussing their game plan. After a few minutes, the men are almost ready to start the big move. Only one thing remains before the heavy lifting: their bikes need to be laid strategically on their side.

For the past eight years, Déménagement Myette has been moving apartments and offices of all sizes across the island of Montreal…on bikes. Julien Myette founded the company in 2008 after quitting his desk job to pursue his two great passions in life: cycling and the environment.

“Julien never uses a car,” said Matthew Gaines, spokesperson of the company, with a laugh. “He bikes everywhere.”

Since its opening, the company has built a good reputation, earning rave reviews on Google, and countless interviews and features in major media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, La Presse and Radio-Canada. The type of moving service offered is unlike anything else on the market. With friendly service, lower rates and lower CO2 emissions than companies that rely on trucks, Déménagement Myette has created an environmentally-conscious moving experience.

“It’s very nice to work for a company with values that I believe in,” said Gaines, who has been working for the company for three years.

The process for booking the movers is the same as with any other moving company. The information for the move is entered online or over the phone, an estimate is provided and, if the client decides to move forth, a date and approximate time is set. What comes after the booking is what steers far from the ordinary.

Gaines explained that, on average, the company sends two movers for a job. The movers arrive with trailers attached to their bikes. The size of the trailers depend on the size of the move. The ones that pulled up to my place were about as long as the bikes themselves, but not much wider than the average desk. The company’s largest trailer can hold up to 300 kilograms, said Gaines. To place the items on the trailers, the movers wrap and tape each item rapidly yet carefully in large blue blankets. Afterwards, they begin stacking the items on the trailers as if they’re playing a game of Tetris. Ropes with locks are used to secure the items in place.

While it sounds like quite the process, on average, an entire move with the company, including transportation, takes less than three hours. The company moves anywhere on the island with a maximum distance of 15 kilometers. There is only one item the company doesn’t move: pianos.

As the last piece of furniture is placed in my new bedroom, one of the men walks over to me with a smile, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts before handing me the bill for the move. The amount is approximately $100 less than what any other moving company offered for the same date. I make the payment and chat with the men for a good 10 minutes. We say our friendly goodbyes, and out the door and on their bikes the pair goes—with pep in their pedal, on to the next move.