Where Are the Mackay Bike Racks?
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I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely noticed the change in season. The days are getting longer, the snow is melting, and aside from the heavies who made it through the winter, bicycle gears are starting to purr into action.
April 1 for a lot of us, especially those of us over 25 who are no longer eligible for student prices for public transit, meant it was officially time to bust out our bikes as our primary mode of transportation. As a student, I spend a lot of my time at or around Concordia. Last week, I was bothered when I realized there were almost no bike racks on the Mackay side of the Hall Building. This space used to accommodate about 100 bicycles, and it was obvious that we needed more.
As a result, bikes are being locked onto the few parking meters, posts and trees around the area. I’ve been lucky to find a place to lock mine near campus, but as the weather gets warmer, it’s clear that the infrastructure the administration has left behind won’t even be a fraction of what’s needed to support the growing number of bicycles that will require parking in the upcoming weeks. There are hundreds of students and workers who use these bicycle racks everyday, and the end of the academic year isn’t going to change the necessity of this type of space allocation.
We’ve already been experiencing a bike rack deficiency on campus, so why is it that the university has decided to drastically reduce and eliminate one of the largest bike racks on campus? Who gets the space? Well, I would hope that it isn’t another expensive food truck, as this would be a double slap in the face to students who have been demanding for better, more sustainable food options and those who have been pushing for sustainable changes on campus.
The bike racks that were previously on Mackay St. need to be put back, and the administration must finally provide students with enough bike racks. This is an action that shows that Concordia is not only talking sustainability but that they’re taking action.
More bike racks, not less, will show that Concordia supports sustainable mobility and encourages members of the Montreal community to explore alternative modes of transportation, which support real environmental changes and shifts in consciousness for a more ecologically responsible world.
—Christale Terris
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