In response to a letter I sent Montreal borough of Côte des Neiges-N.D.G. Mayor Michael Applebaum to consult with neighbouring municipalities concerning the local routes being planned for future  Tour de l'Île events, I have received some encouraging news. Mayor Applebaum called to discuss the matter with me a few days ago. He is a personal fan of the Tour and appreciates the opportunity for 35,000 cyclists to pass through Côte des Neiges, Snowdon and N.D.G. "Many of these people may never have seen our borough before," he stated.

As I noted in my letter, I am not a fan of the Tour. Never have been and never will be. It always seems to fall on a day when I must get somewhere and avoiding one of the Tour routes is impossible. A case in point is this year when a normal 20 minute drive to Westmount turned out to be a one hour obstacle course. I felt like I was in the Amazing Race.

The mayor told me that next year he would be happy to provide municipalities like Côte Saint-Luc with a copy of the West End route as soon as it is approved by his borough. This way we could at least advise our residents well in advance which streets to avoid. I think this would indeed be a positive step forward.