 « J’adore le ton irrévérencieux du Monde à Bicyclette. Souvent très drôle, et clairement militant. Par contre, la présentation visuelle est vraiment ringarde. » Ho, Caroline, ringarde comme cette bande de mecs ? Yessss ! |
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Le Monde à Bicyclette
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Dustin Hoffman Nearly Played Silverman in Movie by John Symon, West End Times
Culminating Montreal’s eighth annual In Town, Without My Car!, a bicycle advocacy workshop was held at UQAM from September 24--26 2010. At the beginning of the three-day Velo Velo workshop, Robert (Bicycle Bob) Silverman was brought in as the keynote speaker. Silverman has been an active bicycle advocate in Montreal since the mid 1970s and has gained international fame during that time. Speaking just before Silverman was Jacques Desjardins, another long-time bicycle advocate. He related how, in the 1970s, Montreal was not a bicycle-friendly city. The bicycle advocacy group, Le Monde a Bicyclette (MAB) formed in 1975 after a meeting in Silverman’s living room. The group adopted the slogan, “pas seulement un sport, mais aussi transport” (it’s not only a sport, but also a form of transport). MAB differed from most other political movements of Quebec in the 1970s because it was pacifist, non-confrontational, bilingual, media savvy and often very funny. Desjardins related how Silverman, who then called for bike paths on city streets and on bridges over the St. Lawrence River, was 35 years ahead of his time. Silverman drew much inspiration from the writings of Ivan Illich. He faithfully relayed to city hall meetings every month what cyclists were asking for from their municipal leaders. In the 1970s, it was impossible to take a bicycle across the St. Lawrence River as all five bridges and the metro system forbade bikes. At one rally where MAB announced to journalists it had finally figured out how to take a bike across the river to Longueuil, Silverman turned up dressed as Moses and carrying a big staff. There were also stunts where MAB members got onto the metro carrying all kinds of large and awkward items (including a 12-foot ladder), but were stopped by metro personnel when they tried to bring a bike onboard. Now, all metro stations have signs welcoming cyclists. “At one point, a Hollywood producer wanted to make a movie about Bob, and tipped Dustin Hoffman to play his character role. The producer then got cold feet, mainly because he didn’t think it was possible to easily sell a movie filmed in Montreal.” Silverman then took the floor, speaking in French. He explained that at age 76, he prefers to be called ‘Robert’ rather than Bob. Silverman then elaborated about how difficult it was to take bikes across the St. Lawrence River. By the 1980s, things had improved but there was a short missing link between Ile Notre Dame and the South Shore. A short stretch of water there required another $300,000 to be bridged. A colleague of Silverman’s, Claire Morissette, read in the newspaper about a Quebec cabinet minister who had spent that much to build a bridge to a remote fishing lodge used by only four people. She telephoned the minister’s office and promised to make things very embarrassing for the minister unless he could free up the money for 100,000 cyclists to use a bridge near Montreal. A short while later, the money was forthcoming from Quebec. There was an attempted takeover of the MAB by Trotskyites, but the fringe communists were chased away after it was exposed that their manifesto advocated rights for everybody else, but not cyclists. In recent years, Montreal was twice voted, “the most bike friendly city in North America” by U.S.-based Bicycling Magazine. [In 2009, the Lachine Canal bike path and the adjoining Les Berges bike path were voted, “the third best urban bike path in the world,” by Time Magazine.] Recounting a recent bike trip he took along de Maisonneuve Blvd’s Claire Morissette bike path, Silverman saw so many cyclists, “that I thought I was in Amsterdam.” Silverman then emphasized most of the positive changes for cycling in Montreal were not “imposed by political leaders from the top down, but rather by grass root cycling movements.” Has Silverman now become an advocate for elderly cyclists? He no longer participates with Critical Mass rides because the group insists on riding up the steep Berri Street hill. He also talks about installing an escalator for cyclists up that same hill, similar to one installed in Norway. |
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Hands up for RAY LA HOOD
"People want out of their cars, they want out of congestion, they want to live in livable neighborhoods and livable communities." "People get it. People want to live in livable communities," LaHood told the crowd, after hoisting himself atop a table in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room so the large gathering could see him. "People want streetcars that are made in Portland, Oregon. People want walking paths, biking paths, and opportunities for families to really do the things they do best, which is to hang together and have fun. You all created an opportunity for America with all of your hard work." "I’ve been all over America, and where I’ve been in America I’ve been very proud to talk about the fact that people do want alternatives. They want out of their cars, they want out of congestion, they want to live in livable neighborhoods and livable communities." He added, to thunderous applause, "you've got a partner in Ray LaHood." |
 In Surprise Appearance, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Caps Off National Bike Summit by Bryan Goebel on March 12, 2010 |
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