Young business graduate who loves urbanism, green design, climate change policy, and treehouses.
The 2011 Montreal Bicycle Film Festival is set for Thursday, September 1 - Saturday, September 3!
Brendt Barbur, Founding Festival Director, was compelled to start the Bicycle Film Festival when he was hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. He insisted on turning his negative experience into a positive one. In 2001 Barbur started the Bicycle Film Festival as a platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and, of course, film.
The Bicycle Film Festival has been a major catalyst for the urban bike movement, one of the most powerful and culturally relevant forces of the last decade. The BFF is sure to carry this momentum into the next decade.
#bikes #film #montreal #event
Separated bike lanes are my favorite, with one way streets that are empty of cars (more rare) a close second. There is a pretty good separated bike lane along Maisonneuve Street but a common complaint is that cars turn into and through the bike lane too often, at the safety risk of cyclists. The separated bike lane along Rue Clark is a bit better but it’s only semi-permanent (the dividers are taken away in the fall/winter in space for parking) and the street is rife with potholes.
Composed out of a few hours filming on Thursday, July 28, 2011, this video for Spacing Vancouver takes a look at the year-old (Dunsmuir) and six-month-old (Hornby) separated bicycle lanes through downtown, building on last week’s feature on the lanes.
#video #bikes
More on mobility efficiency - take a look at that bike!
Mobility efficiency — Passonneau (by rllayman)
#bikes
Ah, alternative transportation.
Muenster bike vs. car vs. bus vs. walking poster (by rllayman)
#bikes
Oohh… so pretty. Imagine how light a bamboo bike would be to lift up the stairs!
(via The Bamboo Bike Studio - Q&A with Marty Odlin - Core77)
#bikes #photo
More on the Bixi budget debate from Spacing Montreal…
Tuesday night, Montreal’s city council voted on whether to financially back Bixi to the tune of $108 million. The Public Bike Service Co. (société de vélo libre service) a non-profit that manages Bixi, threatened to take the bikes off the street on Thursday May 20th and resign if the city did not intervene. The directors of the non-profit organization could have become personally liable some costs.
The “bailout” consists of a $37-million loan to cover Bixi deficit, incurred during the first 2 years of service, which includes the concept, design, patent, and manufacture of the bikes and stations. They will have 12 years to repay this loan with 2% interest. According to the Bixi webswite, their business plan predicted that operating costs could be covered once they reach 50,000 members and through sponsorship. They currently have 40,000 members.
Furthermore, $71 million would guarantee loans required to export BIXI internationally. The Public Bike Service must put forward money to manufacture of the bikes for export before receiving the full payments.
The Vote
The vote divided along party lines with Tremblay’s Union Montréal in favour of the bailout (35 votes) and the two opposition parties against (25 votes).
Union Montréal underlined that BIXI is iconic success of Montreal, and that the system leads to the creation of 450 jobs (50 to run the program in Montreal and 400 tied to the design and manufacture).
“(BIXI is) the jewel of Montreal, of Quebec, known internationally now,” said executive committee chair, Michael Applebaum (quoted in The Gazette). “And because of its success, it needs more financing…under our administration, we will ensure that Bixi will continue to be a success story, for Montreal and internationally.”
Vision Montréal argued that the city’s coffers aren’t a bank and that the Public Bike Service should have gone elsewhere to finance it’s essor.
“La Ville n’a pas à se transformer en banquier. Pour l’exportation, il y a des organismes comme la Banque de développement du Canada, le ministère du Développement économique ou Investissement Québec. Ce n’est pas aux contribuables montréalais de payer ça,” Louise Harel was quoted as saying in Rue Frontenac.
Projet Montréal, conversely, believes that the city should finance BIXI as a public service rather than leaving the management an arm’s length, non-profit organization.
“Qu’on fasse de #BIXI et la SVLS un véritable service municipal public & transparent et que cesse le mirage de sa profitabilité,” tweeted Projet Montréal leader, Richard Bergeron last night. “Le problème réside dans la transparence que n’ont pas ces OBNL créées par le maire,” he added.
The Auditor General is supposed to release a report on the organization next month. Both opposition parties deplored that the issue went to vote before the complete information was available. In the meantime, Bixi’s website attempts to clear up the facts (or their version of them) here.
#bikes #montreal
The City of Montreal has approved a $108 M bailout for their bike-sharing program, Bixi, last Tuesday.
City council voted 35-25 Tuesday afternoon in favour of the package, initially proposed by mayor Gérald Tremblay.
The package includes $37-million to cover Bixi’s deficit, and another $71-million in loan guarantees to export and develop the system abroad.
The head of the the non-profit rental-service – Roger Plamondon – has insisted the company is not under threat, despite having liquidity problems.
The Bixi system was set up in Montreal, 2009. Personally, I think it’s great. There are a high number of easily accessible stations, the bikes are easy to ride (although forever stuck in that slow gear), and the price is reasonable ($5 for an unlimited day pass). I use it whenever my bike is broken or I need to go somewhere that I don’t want to ride back from.
The lack of transparency on Bixi’s financial health is disappointing. Jacques Bergeron’s office was supposed to audit the bike system, and submit a summary of that review in his annual report. However, his 2010 report, tabled Monday, does not include any Bixi audit and Bergeron says it won’t be ready until at least June.
#bikes #montreal #bixi
