The St-Denis cycling path was temporarily rechristened in honor of Robert Silverman, co-founder of Monde à Bicyclette.
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a ray of truth
in a world of lies.
A glimpse of peace
in a universe at war.” — poem by Robert Silverman
With war now raging in Ukraine, those lines by “Bicycle Bob” — who died at age 88 on Feb. 20 in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts — rang truer than ever as they were read aloud to a group of more than 200 people who gathered to celebrate Silverman’s life on Saturday afternoon at the corner of St-Denis and Roy Sts.
And in a stunt that would have likely have brought a smile to Silverman, a cycling activist climbed a ladder up a traffic light pole and affixed a sign: “Piste cyclable Robert-Silverman,” temporarily rechristening the St-Denis cycling path in honor of the co-founder of Monde à bicyclette (MAB).
Projet Montréal councillor Marianne Giguère, who attended the event Saturday, announced the city does intend to rename the St-Denis Réseau express vélo lane after Silverman — a process that must be initiated at least a year after someone’s death.
“If Montreal is now recognized as the most cyclable city in North America, it’s in large part due to the militant actions carried out by Robert and his colleagues at the MAB (Monde à Bicyclette),” said Zvi Leve, a longtime friend of Silverman’s .
More to eat.