BIXI: Montreal’s Bicycle Sharing System

What do you get when you combine ‘bicycle’ with ‘taxi’? In Montreal they call it ‘BIXI’ and aside from a few technical glitches, the program has been a smashing success since it launched on May 12th, 2009.

I arrived in Montreal on Wednesday after paddling for 11 days from Toronto. I spent the next 4 days testing out the BIXI system to get the scoop behind this amazing idea that is finally gaining momentum in North America. The BIXI system is modeled after a similar program, Vélo'v, which launched in Lyon, France in 2005 and led to the creation of the largest bicycle sharing system in the world, Vélib’, which launched in Paris in 2007.

The $15 million BIXI program – the largest of its kind in North America - consists of 300 bicycle stations scattered around downtown Montreal; supplying 3000 bicycles that are available to anyone with a working credit card. A BIXI user can purchase a membership for $5/day, $28/month, or $78/year. The membership entitles the rider to unlimited use of the BIXI system, providing the first 30-minutes of each trip for free. Additional charges only apply if the bicycle is used for more than 30-minutes at a time. Like Paris’ Vélib’ system - which offers 20,000 bicycles at 1,450 stations - it encourages users to take short trips to increase the user capacity.

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In the Shadows of Taller Men

Photo courtesy of the US Government

The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing came and went with token remembrance to mark the occasion. Sure, I saw the references to the event in the news that invariably included the oft-quoted phrase “one small step for man,” but considering the achievement of that time and the stark fact that NASA’s missions since then have been provincial by comparison, the anniversary scarcely penetrated the global consciousness.

The Apollo missions evoke a pride in a collective achievement that drew upon the best resources and minds from many nations to plant a human footprint on an alien surface. We reached the moon on July 20, 1969, and five successive Apollo missions would do the same, the last in 1972.

It’s hard to find inspiration in manned space flights today. Not in my lifetime has a manned spacecraft left Earth’s orbit. That’s strange. My generation and others that have followed are taunted by grainy black and white images of Neil and Buzz playing on the lunar surface four decades ago. What do we have to show by way of building on their legacy? The Mars Rover? The International Space Station? I think not.

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Toronto to Montreal Kayak Adventure

Yesterday I arrived in Montreal after 11 consecutive days alone on the water. At times I had a feeling of freedom and saw some amazing scenery, and other times it was challenging and repetitive. But overall I really enjoyed the experience and I’ve definitely become a better kayaker as a result of the range of weather I had paddled through.

The trip has served several purposes – firstly, it gave me an opportunity to raise some money for Noah’s Ark in the Philippines – secondly, it gave me an adventure and an opportunity to be close to nature, and lastly it taught me many life lessons that are difficult to learn in our society.

Traveling is a great way to meet some great people, and I was fortunate enough to cross paths with many amazing people who went out of their way to make sure that I was safe and comfortable. I was completely amazed at how helpful people were as soon as they saw that I was camping alone with my kayak.

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India's Golden Triangle: Part Duos

After one day in Gwalior, our next stop was Fatehpur Sikri...

Fatehpur Sikri
This one of India's most historical cities constructed by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had 3 wives, one from each major religion in India: Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. In fact, he tried to create his own religion called Din-i-illahi that intended to combine the best elements of the religions of his empire (primarily Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism ; elements were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism). If only we could do that now and live in peace eh? :)

When we got to the city our car was hauled down at a check point where a guy who claimed to be a government approved tourist guide offered to show us around. We checked his ID which looked legit (always check ID!). We decided to hire him, hoping to learn a lot more about this city from him than being left to our own devices. His fee was Rs /- 350 that would apparently cover the entry fee of Rs /- 20/ person (which is 140 for 7 of us) and the Rs /- 50 parking fee. Sweet deal! (or so we thought). He did pay for our parking as we entered. No one asked for a per person entry fee. We'll come back to this in a sec...let's move on to the historic city itself...

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India's Golden Triangle: Part Uno

Jim has asked me to be a guest contributor on TheUrbanCountry.com for the travel section. This goes to show that sucking up to people DOES in fact work! Thanks Jimmy! I am honored to share my silly travel stories with the Urban Country audience. After my previous update, some of you commented on my brother’s excellent dress sense. You referred specifically to his ‘iPood t-shirt’ and wondered where that can be purchased . I picked up that t-shirt from Thailand in 2007 (among many others such as ‘Know Your Shrooms’ with the Mario Bros mushrooms almanac). Gaurav (my brother) is flattered by the way, and has gone ahead and purchased a few more t-shirts with controversial and funny slogans.

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Toronto to Montreal Solo Kayak Journey

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country – Lake Ontario – 4 July 2009

In about 9 hours, I’ll be departing on a solo kayak journey from Toronto to Montreal to raise money for Noah’s Ark home for children in the Philippines. Noah’s Ark provides a temporary home for malnourished children; providing food, shelter and education until the children can be returned to their families or adopted.

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I *heart* India

Editor’s Note: Kimi Sokhi is a Toronto resident and IT Consultant who is currently on a 3-month work leave living with family in Dubai. She’s currently traveling in India and shared her thoughts with the Urban Country via e-mail about her visit to New Delhi, India.

We landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 4 am on July 7th. My first impression was "Wow! I haven't been hit in the face and overcome by 'The Smell' as we walk off the plane". You see in the past I have always been hit by 'The Smell' (particularly in the summer) which is at the heart of the Indian Experience. 'The Smell' is a combination of dust, pollution, dirt, garbage and human excretions.

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With Glowing Hearts, We See Thee (temperature) Rise

Last Wednesday, Canada celebrated her 142nd birthday. A recent poll suggested that only 21% of Canadians knew how old their country was turning. If it isn’t bad enough that reportedly 4 percent of Canadians think that Canada is younger than 100-years-old, another recent study takes an even bigger dump on our beloved country.

A 51-page World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study released on Canada Day now ranks Canada dead-last in its G8 Climate Scorecard. Yup, no kidding  here; Canada has become the lowest-of-the-low for climate performance - falling behind the United States into last position - while Germany picks up first place, up from 3rd position in last year’s ranking.

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Living Off the Grid

Image ‘Wired-II’ courtesy of Buck Lewis on Flickr 

What do a solar backpack, a wind up lantern, a pedal-pump generator, and a rollable water-proof solar panel have in common? Firstly, they all provide sustainable energy “off the grid”, and secondly, they can all be purchased from a really neat website called Modern Outpost that I recently stumbled across. Modern Outpost “specializes in self-reliant power technology for people who live, work & play in the great outdoors”. They are based out of Courtenay, BC and they have been in business for over 10 years, with a very focused line of products that relate to sustainable energy.

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