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Video: A View of NYC Cycling From Montreal

9:45 AM EST on November 19, 2010

Noah and I are busy with meetings and the Stop Speeding Summit today, so posting may be a little light until the afternoon. I do have a couple of items to share, including this short video from EcoMobility.tv. I know the title is over-the-top and there's some egregious wrong-way riding, but I like the outsider's viewpoint you get in the vid -- it was made by two guys from Montreal who think New York's new bikeways are great and want to understand why the press makes such a fuss over them. Also, I got some experience being in front of the camera.

I asked the producer, Aki Pagratis, about how Montreal's bike infrastructure has been received and how long it took for new street designs to become just another part of the city's landscape. He wrote back:

A few years ago, several new bike lanes were installed and a new bike rental program was launched (Bixi). We now have over 5000km of bike paths and 4000-5000 Bixi-bikes on the island of Montreal and it seems like everyone is cycling someplace. There was a little bit of controversy in the first couple of weeks after bike lanes started to be constructed downtown. A few shop owners complained about the loss of business due to a lack of parking, but it was minor and didn't last long. I think people in New York will eventually start to appreciate what enclosed bike lanes will bring to the city. I'm sure when you get a bike rental program, things will really turn around.

Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

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