Home-made rinks become hot potato
The city came and rubbed out two home-made skating rinks people had made in alleys in Villeray a few weeks ago, saying they were responding to a resident’s complaint. Vision Montreal is stepping up to defend them.
I’m of two minds about this. I have no problem with kids playing out back where I live, but the back alley is how the internet and phone companies bring in their vans to make installations and repairs. People also use the alleys to walk dogs. Besides this, an alley isn’t an optimal shape for a rink, is it?
Daisy 15:55 on 2013/02/04 Permalink
It seems to me that if you’re going to do something with a space that doesn’t belong to you, you either get permission or accept the possibility of it being removed. Another example would be guerilla gardening. Or yarn bombing. Or graffiti. The “ruelles vertes” on the other hand have permission and actual official standing.
Stefan 16:17 on 2013/02/04 Permalink
i could never figure out why in montreal van access is required for internet/phone, unless it is for convenience of the repairpeople to drive just up to the box – i’ve lived elsewhere in houses with internet/phone but no van access.
France 16:26 on 2013/02/04 Permalink
Someone has made a little rink in the alley behind my house in Villeray and I hope they haven’t removed it. The kids play hockey on it in the evening and on weekends. There is always a dad on the ice with them, and it’s nice to hear the sound of kids playing outside. The local rinks in Jarry Park are always taken over by teens and adults so there really isn’t anywhere a couple of 8-year olds can fool around on their skates. I don’t have much sympathy for the dog walkers, who tend not to pick up the poo in the alley in winter, not to mention the bright yellow blotches Rover leaves everywhere. Many alleys are not cleared and vans can’t get down them anyway. Maybe Villeray should spend more tme putting grit on the sidewalks where it’s not supposed to be slippery and less time harassing residents who show a little initiative.
Kate 16:44 on 2013/02/04 Permalink
Since living in Villeray (2005) twice I’ve lost internet and the Videotron guy fixes it up a pole out in the alley. Apparently squirrels nibble through the cables sometimes. I don’t know how it works where there’s no alley access out back.
jeather 17:12 on 2013/02/04 Permalink
I’m of the feeling that if you make a rink in a shared alley, you’re good unless someone complains. I imagine there exist people who want to walk in the alley and who cannot if it is a skating rink, and possibly it makes your dwelling uninhabitable because it lacks a secondary exit.
That said, I’d love for there to be a way for parts of alleyways to be used for rinks — if there was only one per alleyway, so everyone had an exit? If you were forced to leave a sidewalk and have an even narrower rink? I don’t know. I think it is a real shame that they got taken away, but I can understand getting fed up if there are multiple skating rinks on public property with no way to get past them.
dwgs 09:20 on 2013/02/05 Permalink
Are the alleys actually plowed in your neighbourhood? Because they sure aren’t in mine so there’s no way V-tron or a fire truck or anyone else could get up there except on foot. There are a couple near my house that make dog walking treacherous for short lengths but if that’s the price to pay for kids having fun I”m okay with that.
steph 09:21 on 2013/02/05 Permalink
Does the city even plow the alleys in Villeray? They sure don’t in many other parts of town. I know many folk who have access to their parking lots in the back will chip in to get a private contractor to plow it for them.
Kate 10:22 on 2013/02/05 Permalink
My alley in Villeray is not plowed, but it’s one of the narrowest ones. A minivan can just about make its way through at any time of year. In past winters, somebody plowed up quite a pile at the southern end, effectively blocking it to traffic, but although they haven’t done that this year it’s still a very uneven surface of uncleared snow with a trampled footpath down the middle where people walk dogs, pull kids on sleds and so on. I haven’t seen a vehicle go past since the storm on December 27. People don’t park in back along here, there’s no room.
Nearby streets with wider alleys, where some houses have parking spaces and garages out back, are getting plowed, but I think maybe neighbours chip in to get it done. Not sure.
Clément 10:27 on 2013/02/05 Permalink
I used to live in Côte-St-Paul, where we had a wide alley (as wide as two cars) and lots of people had parking spaces in the back, but the city never cleared the snow. Neighbours just chipped in with snow-blowers and shovels.