While enjoying the respite I am posting these pictures in hope of illustrating better my position on winter, winter cycling and defending my arguments in the last two posts. As of today, the snow has not been cleared on my street yet, while these pictures were taken on Friday.
Enjoy!
Friday night, I went to my sister's place to pick up some of the furniture I put there during our summer renovations.
She lives right across from a metro station but the volume of the furniture was such that we had to go by car. Plus it was -17 Celsius, excluding windchill.
As we do not own a car, we booked 4 hours of carshare program, Communauto.
In case you did not notice, there a bicycle lane right there, right were the car is parked. Yep, a marked one, with paint on the road and all. Can't see it?
Cutting across, we're approaching the station.
It's about 9 pm, my camera comes from El Cheapo, my fingers are freezing so those pictures kind of suck but I am sure you're getting the point.
Plunging view on my right leg.
Left.
Dear Hubby scrapping snow and ice off the car.
The three other cars parked at the carshare station. Usually there are all gone, especially on a Friday night, this is one of the most popular stations in town, gotta book way in advance.
Yet tonight, all cars are home! Nobody is stupid enough to be running errands on such a day but hey...
Finally we take off. For a moment there, I thought I was going to have to push the car out of the patch... Thank Heavens the beast pulled out on its own!
Then we found ourselves behind one of these snow removal machines, mostly Caterpillars and John Deers construction machines converted for the winter season.
Most of these guys are private construction companies, leeching out on public funds in exchange for poor service, half-done work, aggressive and dangerous behaviour on roads, sidewalks etc. Every year people get killed.
Finally we get to destination. And obviously, the street was cleaned already. Damned, before us even!!
Nice right? It warms the heart to see one's hard-earned tax dollars put to such neat use.
Imagine if those guys were to clean the lanes and paths!!! Well maybe you would be getting a better look at the two bicycle lanes right there in the picture...
And I am not even mentioning the segregated one cutting across right in front of the bus and going all the way downtown!
No doubt, winter cycling is such a treat!
Ok, I am being mean-spirited again. Once this mess melts away a little, it is possible that the streets regain some kind of composure. Like in mid-December:
Like these two above, granted you are willing to challenge yourself with some bicycle skating!
Wasn't that just a while ago that there were videos coming out of Montreal showing plows plowing barren streets? Looks like things have changed a bit.
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