Montrealers Who Keep Cycling Through The Winter Should Know About This App
It could help you retrieve your lost or stolen bike. 🚲
Someone bikes on a snow-covered road near the Olympic Stadium.
Whether you're more of a motorist, a pedestrian or a cyclist, you have to admit that Montreal is a bike town. Earlier this year, it was deemed North America's most bicycle-friendly city with over 2,000 bike lanes (and 200 km more en route). This year, Ahuntsic-Cartierville even incentivized residents to cycle through the colder months by giving away hundreds of dollars in winter biking gear.
For the intrepid few who refuse to give up their two-wheeled vehicles in the face of some measly snow and ice, there's a must-have app to download on your phone. The 529 Garage app is both a bike theft deterrent and a retrieval service.
The Montreal Police joined the service in April of last year, opening a registry for Montreal cyclists. Bike owners can enter their contact info, along with a description and photo of their vehicle, so that they can be contacted if their property turns up in an unexpected place.
"Officers find hundreds of bicycles each year but often have little information to trace their rightful owner. By registering your bike, you greatly increase your chances of recovering it in the event of theft," the site reads.
You can also alert authorities directly if your bike goes missing. Not only does it simplify the reporting process and ensure that police will keep an eye out for it, but the app also documents theft trends in the city.
529 Garage also allows users to file a claim with their insurer or to recover their bike from the police department that finds it.
So far there are over 15,000 Montreal bikes on the registry. You can add yours by clicking here.