I was too pleasant outside so I missed half of the Grand Prix. Once I tuned in, I learned that Polish driver Robert Kubica had one of those crashes that usually end up with flags at half staffed in his native country. Fortunately, there has been very impressive progress in driver safety and the same type of crash that killed Arton Senna is now perfectly survivable. In fact, he is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday morning with nothing more than a sprained ankle and a concussion.

A video of the crash is now available online. All I can say is…wow!

At least I got to see history being made with a well deserved victory by Lewis Hamilton.

The city of Montreal announced yesterday that they will be building a secured bike path connecting Henri-Bourassa to Green Ave.

It’s just 4km but it’s 4 crucial km and it’s something we as cyclists have been waiting for, for years and years.

I tip my hat off to the City of Montreal and to Velo-Quebec who have been working this dossier for many years putting pressure on the city to get this project done.

There are now less and less reasons to not ride your bike in the city.

Stop taking your car!

People like me are. Today was a rude realization. A little background. I give English courses and this session, I have several classes out near St Martin and Industrial in Laval. Before the new Metro stations, I had two choices to get to my classes. The fastest was the AMT train to Gare St Martin. The longer took me to Henri Bourassa and then a Laval bus. Each month I calculate the cost to decide if I needed to buy the Tram 3 pass (which costs $38 more than the regular STM pass). Since a round trip bus fare in Laval from Henri Bourassa costs $5.25, I had to go out there 8 times in a month for it to be worthwhile to buy the Tram 3 pass.

But now everything has changed. First of all, I no longer have choices. I must travel to de la Concorde station and take the bus. The AMT has closed the Gare St Martin. And the real rub is this. The round trip bus fare is still $5.25, but to reaccess the Metro in Laval now costs $2.75 extra.

So now it costs $8.00 to go to Laval instead of $5.25. That’s over a 50% increase! Since I was only scheduled to travel to Laval 5 times this month, I only purchased the regular STM pass and a packet of tickets in Laval. Imagine my shock to find today that I have to pay $2.75 extra to make the exact same trip I made Friday. And with fewer choices! I feel like I’ve been had. (It’s still slower than taking the ATM train from Parc too.) I’m sure I’m not alone.

Howdy!

It appears that the all the fundraising has worked. To give you the back story, about a year ago, Dr. Robert J. Lang had a wicked cool exhibit of things he made at the Redpath Museum. They had so much fun with it, that they asked him back in order to get their own giant origami Pteranodon.

No, I’m not certain I know what it is either - but they will be constructing it next week, and if you can’t help, it definitely is worth at least a gander.

if you need help finding the Redpath Museum (it is a little tricky) click on this.

If you haven’t heard the news already, Mayor Gerald Tremblay announced today that he was withdrawing his motion to rename Parc Avenue after Robert Bourassa. Seems that after discussions with the Bourassa family, the mayor finally came to his senses and caved in to the public pressure. He sounded conciliatory in his speech, saying he learned that the opinions of the people do matter. I hope he meant it because it’s an important lesson. I felt a wee bit bad for him because he sounded so defeated but it takes a big man to admit when you’re wrong so kudos to the mayor for making the right decision in the end. I’m pretty sure the Toponomy Commissionn would have overruled the renaming anyway but nevertheless, I’m happy about the outcome that was reached today, as are so many other Montrealers. It’s just great to know that in the end, the people’s voice counted. A city shaped by its citizens is a beautiful thing. If you’re up to partying, I hear they are celebrating tonight at Zorba’s on PARC, corner Bernard. Oppa! Parc Avenue forever babee!!!

.. or should that be Piazza Robert Bourassa. That at least was how it appeared in a Montreal Gazette article this week:

How about Piazza Bourassa?
ARCHITECT DRAWS UP A COMPROMISE
Proposal is suddenly gaining support from foes of Park/ Bleury name change
Linda Gyulai Gazette Civic Affairs Reporter
Call it Plaza, Place or Piazza Robert Bourassa, if you’d like, but a Montreal architect is urging the city to transform the newly rebuilt Pine/Park Interchange into a public esplanade, name it after the late premier and ditch plans to rename Park Ave. and Bleury St.

It is distressing that there should be such controversy and this sounds like a creative solution. Let’s hope that common sense prevails.

Howdy!

I just saw this tiny news item about how they are going to rename a street in Santiago for Gen. Augusto Pinochet in the wealthy Santiago suburb of Las Condes.

President Michelle Bachelet, who was held in one of his torture centers, lives in Las Condes

Pity that there is no Metroblogging Santiago, we’d be able to compare public responses.

Approximately two weeks ago, a fellow bike racer and trackie (velodrome racing in Bromont), Robert Brisson was riding his bike home one evening when he was tragically hit by a truck and killed. The driver fled the scene.

The cycling community here has been in shock ever since. It’s the first thing that is discussed when we see each other.

Now that time has changed and the sun sets earlier, for those of you who ride to work (like I do) get yourselves some LED lights. They are very effective. The better ones can be seen from very, very far. It isn’t so much that drivers can see you, it’s that they are aware that you are there and remember that as they pass you. Without those lights, it’s nearly impossible for drivers to see you.

The Quebec Liberals have decided to complete autoroute 30 with a Private/Public endeavor. Private enterprises will help pay for the autoroute and drivers will be required to pay a toll once it’s completed.

This is an idea I discussed a while back on this blog. If we must REALLY build new roads (and idea I am not in favor of) make the drivers pay. Unfortunately, the money is going to the wrong place: for profit instead of going to the government coffers to help pay for public transport or more bike paths.

Howdy!

I just received a very sad email from Stephanie MacLean of Vehicule Press.

Véhicule Press mourns the loss of poet, novelist, colleague, and friend Robert Allen who died in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Friday, November 3.

As a professor in the Creative Writing department of Concordia University he had a lasting influence on hundreds students over the years–many of whom became writers. As the editor of Matrix magazine he opened its pages to the innovative work of a new generation of writers and illustrators. His 15 published works included poetry, short stories, and three novels.

Véhicule Press is proud to have published Magellan’s Clouds: Poems 1971-1986 (1987) and Standing Wave (2005), both part of its Signal Editions poetry series. Standing Wave reflected themes familiar to Robert Allen’s poetry and novels: the slow rusts and wild incandescences of memory; the myths and delusions sustaining our lives; and the uneasy duo of body and mind. His latest book, The Encantadas, published this year by Conundrum Press, collects together in one volume his important long poem of the same name.

Robert Allen was born in England in 1946 and came to Canada as a ten-year-old. He attended the University of Toronto and Cornell University and taught at Kenyon College (Ohio), Champlain College (Lennoxville, QC), and Concordia University since 1982.

Trails, a poem for Rob Allen by David Solway

Read more

CBC is reporting that Plateau borough mayor Helen Fotopoulos, will vote against changing Parc into Robert Bourassa Blvd. The chances that the vote may even take place has dropped considerably.

Which, is good news for all those that opposed the name change. Fotopoulos stated that she received over 500 messages to her inbox regarding this issue of people who opposed the change.

Now if only all those people who protested against the street change would also rise up against something considerably more important, Harper’s refusal to follow the Kyoto Protocol.