Grand Prix weekend notes
It’s not just the Grand Prix this weekend, but also the Francos and other events. Weekend notes from CityCrunch, La Presse, the Gazette, Le Devoir, CultMTL.
Even the driving advice this week is about the Grand Prix, but in general I’d advise watching out for the drivers who think they’re Gilles Villeneuve.
More driving advice from CityNews.
Ian 12:00 on 2025-06-13 Permalink
I’ve been hearing revving engines in the distance for a couple of days now. Definitely a few performance cars out there bottoming out on the uneven Montreal streets haha
JP 15:05 on 2025-06-13 Permalink
One of the entrances to Royalmount which I work next to is pretty much a permanent F1 track, with revving engines driving into and out of the parking lot every day as of its opening days to just a minute ago. I’m starting to wonder if we should have laws implemented regarding these sounds. I’m really sensitive to loud sounds and find it aggressive, and I can’t be the only one.
CE 15:18 on 2025-06-13 Permalink
I saw a Ferrari being driven by two young guys blast through a stop sign this morning in Old Montreal.
Ian 17:06 on 2025-06-13 Permalink
I saw a half dozen lycra warriors blast through all the stop signs on Chemin Remeberance this morning. I’m sure they had the same rationale – it’s faster, and “nobody” was there anyway.
Kevin 18:51 on 2025-06-13 Permalink
JP
Quebec’s highway code allows up to 100 db for a vehicle in motion, which is pretty damn loud.
CE 00:50 on 2025-06-14 Permalink
I would put the MAMLs in the same category of annoyance as the sports car drivers. The benefit of the MAMLs is that they’re not as loud as the sports car but the MAMLs tend to yell more at people who get in their way which feels more like a personal attack. If I had to choose, I’d take the lycra warriors over the bad drivers but it’s close.
dhomas 20:14 on 2025-06-14 Permalink
A bike can do some damage, but a car can do a whole lot more. The weight of a car and the speed it can travel at give it a much more destructive capacity.
Ian 11:34 on 2025-06-15 Permalink
Yes, I’m sure that’s what the Lycra Warriors tell themselves, too. There’s no shortage of self-indulgent justifications from bicyclists, drivers or pedestrians.
Tim S. 21:30 on 2025-06-15 Permalink
It is possible to agree that both can hurt more vulnerable road users, and that everyone should take a little more responsability?
Ian 22:48 on 2025-06-15 Permalink
Oh absolutely. I’m actually looking forward to the mountain being closed off to traffic so I can walk around & explore, especially the road cuts and rock faces. I am super not looking forward to being screamed at by sport cyclists for being “in their way”.
Even in the zones pietonnees I have to keep an eye out for dopes on bikes. I almost got run down by a MAMIL in Promenade Jean-Brillant just two days ago, who of course cursed me out for not noticing him bicycling up behind me. Of course it would have hurt me less than getting run down by a car but cars generally don’t think it’s ok to drive around on sidewalks or in pedestrian zones then gripe at pedestrians for it. I’ve also never seen anyone drive a communauto the wrong way down a street while texting on their phone with both hands – but Bixis, yeah, pretty often actually.
Sport cyclists ar ethe worst though, they seem to think not following any kind of traffic rules is a badge of honour – or maybe it never crosses their minds that they should try to follow traffic rules as they don’t consider themeselves traffic.
This is just one of the many reasons I prefer to go for walks in the cemeteries instead of Parc Mont-Royal.
Sporty drivers like sport bicyclists are also generally douches on the road. I sometimes wonder if it’s the aggro competitive aspect of road sports that gets them into that headspace. It’s a good thing there’s no competitive pedestrianing or we’d be in real trouble.