BIXI Montreal hibernates for the winter

For the Canadian cyclist, there a several harbingers of winter: cyclocross races, earbands under helmets and, unfortunately, less time in the saddle. Another sign that winter’s icy grip is imminent is BIXI bikes disappearing from the streets of Montreal. This week it was no longer possible to borrow a bike but still possible to bring one back. Crews are collecting the bikes for maintenance and storage and dismantling the locking stations.

The popular but money-hemorrhaging BIXI bike program, which originated with the parking authority of Montreal, has spread around the world, with bikes available in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Melbourne and several U.S. cities including New York next year. Considered untenable in the harsh Montreal winter, the operation shuts down from mid-November to mid-April. Last year, BIXI ran later into November, but a snowstorm saw Montreal city officials rushing to remove the bikes and locking stations from downtown.

The BIXI bike-sharing program runs year round in Toronto and Ottawa.