Hitting the Benchmark is a student-driven project about sustainable urban design that was awarded a Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) grant from McGill University in February 2011. The project creates a pair of unique benches made of scavenged materials for McGill campus. By providing street furniture made of reclaimed waste, Hitting the Benchmark provides a platform for youth- driven design that engages the student body and community at large to interact with campus space and challenges the creative reusability of waste. Come celebrate the unveiling of the benches Friday, April 8th from 2 pm - 4pm on ...

STM’s direct bus link between downtown and the airport has arrived none too soon. The former route’s multiple confusing transfers (one of which was so close to the airport the weary traveller might have inhaled jet fumes) seemed to have been designed with jet-lagged torture in mind. The old route had been in place since at least 1999, when I was cruelly initiated with duffel, trunk, and bicycle in tow. Montreal’s 747 is a welcome option for frugal travellers, and probably a cause for celebration among airport employees who make the daily commute. It proves to be ...

In a response to Saturday’s Gazette article on the city’s car-bike-pedestrian power struggle, a reader asked: “Enough of this story. When was the last time you saw anybody who rides a bicycle to work who actually owns that business and employs people?” This picture was resurrected from Jacob Larsen's summer post on dangerous intersections. Although I don’t share the sentiment, my curiosity was piqued. It seems that I share the bike paths with people of all types (perhaps even business owners), and it's easy to see that more people are cycling regularly every ...

A few days ago spray-painted footsteps appeared at intersections in the south-west part of Villeray, with the stencil "Réclamez un passage." I'm happy to see them. From my home nearby I frequently hear tires screeching as cars stop abruptly for pedestrians and other cars, and at the end of the workday north-bound traffic races from stop sign to stop sign on the side streets. I've seen two accidents since moving to the area in May, and a recent car-pedestrian accident inspired workers at a neighbourhood restaurant to petition for all-direction stop signs at ave. Henri-Julien and ...

Over the past few months I've come to know the Boul. St. Laurent underpass between the Mile End and Little Italy quite well, adjacent to the parc sans nom. Jacob recently asked readers for their dangerous intersection beefs, and here's my own contribution. Today I spent 15 minutes watching numerous cyclists, pedestrians, and cars navigate the dangerous corner on the northern side. The lack of an efficient bicycle route across this divide (see map below) causes cyclists to take to the sidewalk when headed south (against car traffic). Pedestrians around the corner cannot ...