From Gizmag:
"Public bike systems are an environmentally friendly and practical urban transport solution, and in theory they benefit everyone in town, but sadly, most programs quickly fold when the bikesare routinely stolen or smashed by vandals. Montreal's Public Bike System plans to use clever design, RFID and a membership system to see if they can keep a public fleet of bikes on the road. We wish them the very best of luck!
You have to feel for the people that run community bicycle programs - clearly, the ability to grab a public bike from somewhere around town, ride it to your destination and leave it for somebody else to use is of great benefit not only to everyone in the town, but to the environment as well, as the bikes replace other, polluting forms of transport for a given number of journeys."
It works at Google. Although of course they pretty much pave the roads with money at Google.
ReplyDeleteWe have a bikeshare program at my university. It seems to work great, but the problem is they run out of bikes. This take-a-bike-leave-a-bike system seems to be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteYeah well, Montreal isn't exactly a polite society built on civic courtesy. We can't even observe simple bike path rules.
ReplyDeleteIt seems a good idea. But feasable only in the New World. In the Old World (well, here at least) everybody would steal all the bikes around lol.
ReplyDeleteA bit out of context, I have heard that Montreal is like a paradise and melting pot of francophonie. All French speaking people gather there from all over the world. Is that true?
Ciao
MOR,
ReplyDeleteMontreal is highly cosmopolitain despite the parochial and populist politics of Quebec and does host the Francophonie.
As you know, life is full of contradictions. Despite the progressiveness of Mtl, Quebec tramples on civil liberties by putting culture before the individual.
I love 'La Francophonie'. It is highly refined, linked to our Latin roots etc. I have visited parts of Africa where the English and the French ruled. In the anglophone parts they sorted things out a little bit better, but they didn't transmit this high refinement of life. And the black people I spoke (from both sides) sort of agreed on this too. Or maybe I am just a romantic lol
ReplyDeleteAll the best
from the other side
of the West
I tend to agree with that assessment. The British were masters at leaving behind functional systems but the French (heck, even the Italians lol) left a cultural legacy behind. I've met a few Africans who spoke impeccable Italian. Better than mine anyway.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Francophonie is great.
Ineed, I have noticed you have great reverence for Latin/Greek/ Mediterranean cultures and how they influenced Italian culture and history.
Your respect for classicism and how it relates to contemporary culture makes for a great read.
Thank you Canadian Commentator. I hope my blog cam be of some help and it isn't just intellectual masturbation. Sometimes it is not easy reading tho.
ReplyDeleteYes, also Italians did something, though on a smaller scale. Their cultural roots are similar.
Of course I adore the Mediterranean cultures. Rome is a Mediterranean city, more than Milan or Turin and our classical world comes from there.
Ciao