Montreal - October 14, 2010
From its cobblestone streets to its poutine and hot dogs, Montreal is a melting pot of culture.
"Here everybody speaks at least three languages," said Livio Profiri, a visitor from Rome, Italy.
But trying to get around the town is no easy feat. Parking is a pain and taxis are taxing.
"Taxis are not very stressful but they're very expensive," Profiri said.
And the subway? Well, you obviously can't see much when you're underground.
Thankfully there is an alternative.
Montreal is home to North America's first bike sharing program called BIXI. And once you figure it out, renting a bike is as easy as, well, riding a bike.
And renting a BIXI bike is dirt cheap. It only costs $5 a day, so long as you return the bike every 30 minutes and trade it for a different one. That's actually very easy because there are literally kiosks spread out every couple of blocks across the whole city. If you ride one bike for more than 30 minutes at a time, it'll cost you another $5.
"It's meant to go from point A to point B because we need a rotation of bikes," explained Berengere Theriault of BIXI.
BIXI got its start in Montreal in 2009. The city installed the solar-powered system as a way to encourage public transportation. It's since expanded to a handful of other cities, which include Minneapolis, London, and Washington, D.C.
"You can get a BIXI at all the red dots that are BIXI stations," Theriault said.
There are more than 5,000 bikes and 400 BIXI kiosks in Montreal, each separated by a distance of about 1,000 feet.
"You get a code to rent the bike and then every time you swipe your credit card you get a new code," Theriault said. "It's a very sturdy bike. We say it's almost like a tank. It's a little bit heavier than normal bikes."
Each bike has three speeds, which makes them easy to ride.
"It's very user-friendly," Theriault said.
There are more than 300 miles of bike trails within the city of Montreal, and from the harbor to Chinatown to old churches and city squares, there's no shortage of things to see.
"It's an interesting city," said Lloyd Vetter, a visitor from St. Paul, Minn. "A big city. A pretty city."
"The nicest thing about Montreal is there is so much culture together," Profiri said.
A great way to see one of North America's oldest cities for just $5 a day.
And if you want to rent a BIXI bike you still have about a month and a half to do it. The bike kiosks are removed at the end of November and put into storage for the winter. Click here for more information on BIXI.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
