DAVIDPP

I guess it's the most suitable forums to talk about that. Here in Montreal it seem that ssidewalk plower driver are playing a game of who run over the mosre bike. Lots of bike locked on post or parcometer are being destroyed this way. I'm always carefull after a storm of where I lock my bike.

What can we do if this happen? Can we sue the city or something like this.

David P P

Plimogz

While having this happen to my bike would make me angry beyond words, I think you have the best solution already by being careful how and where you lock your bike. And while I don't know about suing the city or whomever, it sure would be good to somehow request more winter friendly bicycle locking points. After all, given that the biggest thing I can remember the city doing to improve bike locking possibilities around town was adding secure rings around parking meters and that those spots are often right on the sidewalk, it seems that the problem that you're describing was waiting to happen.

And while I usually side with the cyclists in pretty much any conflict or discussion, I'm rather sympathetic to the snow removal crews whom I've often seen working hard and long to clear streets and sidewalks after heavy storms. And frankly, if a bike is locked a little too haphazardly and extends too far onto the sidewalk which needs to be cleared, that seems like asking for trouble...

Of course, if a snow plow driver actually doesn't make any effort to prevent damaging bikes or even worse goes out of their way to run them over, then that would indeed get my Mtl Bicyler blood boiling. Speaking of which, the storm looks to have died down and there should be a pretty epic whiteness to the landscape by now. Time to go for a ride, I think.

Good luck with it, David. Post back if you choose to pursue this in some way, or if you come across telling pictures of what you're describing. I'd be interested to find out more.

P.S: for a few years now I've been locking my bike behind parking meters when they're close up to walls. If I remember correctly I started doing it when I had a brand new bike and I wanted to minimize chances to something happening to the paint job and derailleur or drive train, so I figured that by placing the bike behind the post with the more delicate bits safely behind the bike, against the wall, I would be less likely to have a nasty surprise when coming back to my locked bike. It's usually a bit of a pain to drop the bicycle into the tight spots, but it clears the sidewalk and places the 4 inch steel post in a guarding position.

Machka 

Many cities issue warnings to drivers, telling them not to park on certain roads because those roads will be plowed. Quite often they will tow a car if it is in the way.

I would think the same would apply to bicycles. Get them out of the way when you know a road/sidewalk is going to be plowed. It's quite simple. Park your bicycles somewhere safe.

Burton

An interesting question and one I think should be followed up with Velo Quebec and the City of Montreal. Velo Quebec has affiliations with the CAA. Took some pictures myself last year of bikes that had been trashed by sidewalk snow removal equipment. What I found particularly unacceptable was that the bikes were parked in bicycle stands installed by the city!

Here in Lachine I saw a sidewalk plow scrap a restaurant sign legally installed on the sidewalk. A call to city hall got the sign replaced the same week.

droy45

Cities are hard on bikes. I know here we have a parking ban from 6pm to 6am on every day that it snows. All the people have to put their cars and bicycles in their pockets or pull them into bed with them at night or they will be towed. LOL. I used to live in those city limits before moving to the country. Truthfully they have to move them to parking garages and then walk back to where they live which could be a couple miles in some cases. That sucks.

Machka 

Like I said, lots of cities have those sorts of bans, and yes, we had to move our cars to whatever streets did not have the bans. It's much easier with a bicycle ... just take it inside.