Just like the car drivers in this city, a cyclist’s biggest problem can sometimes be finding parking.
You see evidence of it all over the Plateau – Mont Royal borough -- bikes locked to street signs, park benches and parking metres.
The problem is leaving a bike locked to city property is illegal in the borough.
“If it causes nuisance for the pedestrians or for other bicycles, we will cut the lock,” said borough spokesman Michel Tanguay.
In May, the borough did a sweep and seized dozens of bikes, most of which were abandoned or broken.
The seized bikes ended up at a city pound. When owners went to get them, they had to pay a fine of $42 plus $3 a day for storage.
The law is especially surprising since it’s on the books in the Plateau, a borough known for being especially friendly to cyclists.
The Plateau now says bikes locked to trees will be seized immediately, but from now on they'll put a warning on bikes locked to city property.
Geoffrey Bush of the Montreal Bike Coalition said there just aren’t enough parking spots for cyclists.
“I don't think someone deliberately parks their bike so it's a nuisance,” he said.
The borough says it's increased the amount of bike stands by 50 per cent over the past five years, and it’s pledging to add more.
