A Montreal Borough Will Give $200 Worth Of Winter Biking Equipment To Residents Who Sign Up

Ahuntsic-Cartierville is rolling out a new incentive to get people to take up winter biking. Looking to up the number of gritty red faces among its residents, the Montreal borough is giving $200 worth of winter biking gear to 50 residents.

Up for grabs are either studded tires or mudflaps, essential equipment for anyone who braves the city's treacherously icy streets and pools of slush on two tiny wheels. Also included are workshops and a "group outing" with other grant recipients.

Prospective winter cyclists have to sign up online and submit a document, such as a Hydro-Québec bill, that proves their residence in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. The document has to be less than two months old. Applicants also have to commit to attending a launch event and at least one group activity (the borough suggests there will be multiple).

Registration opens on October 17 at 10 a.m. on a first-come-first-served basis. It will close once 50 people have signed up. The activities and workshops will take place through April 2023.

Online, the borough suggests that this initiative could spread to other parts of the city if the project is successful.

Officials say the grant is meant to "encourage" "alternatives to driving alone and, by the same token, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." In recent years, Montreal has made a push to make winter cycling easier, clearing snow from 711 of the cycling network's 889 kilometres.

The Ahuntsic-Cartierville project is a collaboration with the Association mobilité active Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Ahuncycle, Solon, and the Espace des Possibles bike workshop.