Kaiser…

It’s great to see how those bixis have increased cycling use in such a short time. It’s quite a spectacular increase actually, with all sorts of benefits from better health to fewer traffic jams as well as cheaper transport.

Keep on the good work Mike.

I miss the place too and am so glad they have got Bixi going. Helmets do a sense of security and some actual security, though the protection is overrated. My main worry is that the compulsory helmet laws you and we have, are going to stop Bike Share coming which it a really civilizing power for urban cycling. Mike

I lived in the Village for a while, rue Logan, near Pont Papineau then shifted to a friends place in NDG, near rue Sherbrooke.

I used to live in Vancouver before I moved to Montreal, and I biked alot in Vancouver. I had a Schwinn bike. I was so proud of that bike and the freedom it gave me. I was fortunate that Vancouver had alot of bike paths e.g. along West 10th (Broadway), and over Cambie Street Bridge.

When I moved to MTL I biked there til it got cold – so I biked til end of September, and started again in May. STCUM had montly passes so I had to time my bike riding period with the monthly passes and the weather. Generally it worked out fine.

I used to ride down Sherbrooke to NDG, and over to ST Helen’s Island (there’s a neat bike path around that island), and over to Vieux Port – up the Lachine Canals. I rode everywhere – up to the markets at Jean Talon, all over the Plateau, everywhere… but not out West or East Island. East was full of scary francophones. The West was simply too far.

I wore a helmet, religiously, in Montreal. There was simply no way I was going to put myself at risk. The one time was a taxi driver that cut me off dangerously along rue St Denis – I banged on his trunk – he took to forcing me into a furniture delivery truck. I went to Concordia, called the cops, who very nicely came, and held up rush hour traffic while I explained to them what had happened. I was sooooo mad and I’ve never trusted taxi drivers since.

Yes, Montreal was fabulous, cheap beer, cheap clothes, cheap food, and lots of students – and everyone was poor so the creativity was astounding. Je le manque.

When I think of bicyling, its not a trendy, metropolitan sport for the hip and healthy. Its the feeling I felt when the blue bicycle was complete, and I hopped on it for the first time. When I rode it down the driveway, and down the street to my friend’s house. Just like Tommy Tricker and his friends would pal around downtown, my friends and I would take turns riding my “new” bike all over the place.

I’m older now, and my height forced me to give up the blue bicycle for a taller, store-bought one. Fortunately, the feelings of pride and the fond memories of spending quality time with my dad are treasures that I’ll never outgrow.

Mike, thanks so much for Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveler! I’d love to see you make another childrens movie, but this time about bicycles!