Roll on

I started to notice it two years ago: the room designated for bike lockup at work would fill up earlier and earlier to the point where if one arrived after 8:30 AM, it meant locking one's bike on the street. There's a definite trend here in Montreal, as in many other North American cities, towards increased bike usage. With increased fuel costs and people wanting to reduce their carbon footprint, urban cycling is on the rise. The recent start of construction on a bike lane connecting east and west parts of the city along De Maisonneuve and the addition of sharrows on other streets to improve the flow of cyclists show that the city is encouraging this trend. A Wired article on trends in bike sales also shows that people are looking for simpler, practical bikes to use for city commuting.

For those of you who've never tried cycling to work (and live close enough to do so), give it a whirl. It's a nice change from standing on an overheated bus or cramped metro. For drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, please use your heads when using this newly shared space: expect the unexpected as people slowly become accustomed to changes in their normal paths to work. For cyclists, biking with your iPod just in't smart. Please don't do it. Cities are busy and you need your ears to pick up on audio cues signaling a potential accident. People who care about you don't want you to end up like this teen. Happy riding.