Tim Burgess' City View

Montreal: City of Creativity

I'm in Montreal, Quebec with about 60 other Seattle-area business leaders and government officials.  (For the record, I am paying all costs associated with this trip from my personal funds.)  These inter-city study missions are sponsored by the City of Seattle and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce; the first was in 1983 (Baltimore). 

We arrived in Montreal last night and return to Seattle Friday evening.  The focus of the trip is Montreal's aerospace industry, transportation, health care, police services, especially anti-gang efforts, and the creative sector as a driver of economic growth.

Here are a few highlights so far . . .

Best Phrase:  "Transportation cocktail," as in what cities need when engaged in transportation planning.  The phrase was used this morning by Helen Fotopulos, mayor of the borough of Plateau Mont-Royal, one of 82 municipalities that make up greater Montreal.  Mayor Fotopulos said:  "The city has diversity in transportation options, everything from cars, subway, trollys, pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, a transportation cocktail really." 

Mayor Fotopulos (hands raised) describing her approach to urban planning, density, and transportation. 

Note Mayor Greg Nickels in background to the left of Mayor Fotopulos.  Councilmember Jean Godden is partially hidden on the far left. 

This photo was taken during a walking tour this morning that included an old section of the borough that has been redeveloped with small shops, bars, and restaurants while preserving affordable housing.

Best New Service:  Bixi Montreal is a new bicycle service launched two weeks ago in the central core of Montreal by the city government.  Users pay $78 per year for unlimited use of a bicycle in 30 minutes increments; exceed 30 minutes and you pay $1.50 per minute as a penalty.  The service is designed for short rides from point A to point B, not commuting or leisurely rides. Widely used in Europe, the service is aimed at commuters who use public transportation to get to work but might need a bicycle to run a quick errand or get across town for a meeting.  Just over 3,000 users have signed up so far.  By the end of May there will be 300 Bixi Montreal stations installed in the city.  The photo to the right shows Seattle transportation director Grace Crunican examining one of the Bixi bikes.  Bixi Montreal representatives are coming to Seattle in August to show off their bicycles and station technology.

I rode one of the Bixi bikes.  They are made in Quebec just for Bixi, have three speeds, and are heavy.  Thankfully, Montreal is relatively flat.  Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and Mayor Greg Nickels even took a little test ride. 

Best Experience:  Coming up tonight when I ride with Montreal police gang unit officers starting at 9:30. 

Police Surveillance Cameras

The Council's Parks Committee voted on protocols to guide use of police surveillance cameras in four center city parks: Cal Anderson on Capitol Hill, Hing Hay in the International District, Occidental in Pioneer Square, and Victor Steinbrueck adjacent to the Pike Place Market. All four parks generate frequent complaints about graffiti and other crimes.

You can  read newspaper coverage of the committee's action here and here.  The full Council passed the protocols on Monday, June 9th.

However, I believe a more significant issue was also decided when the city's information technology director agreed that future camera installations would be temporary, utilizing WiFi technology, instead of permanent. While nothing bars the city from permanently installing anti-crime cameras in public places where there is no assumption of privacy, I urged city officials to adopt a different approach.  

Police camera surveillance is a practice that raises reasonable concerns in people's minds about increasing government intrusion into our private lives. I believe we must acknowledge these concerns and address them in a manner that strengthens the social environment surrounding civil liberties.  I am leery of moving to quickly or aggressively down a path leading to widespread surveillance. I personally don't want to go that direction.

Temporary installations based on specific facts and circumstances that lead police to believe cameras could serve as deterrence or help solve crimes, instead of permanent installations, would significantly reduce civil liberty concerns. As someone has suggested to me, temporary installations are much like police emphasis patrols. Such focused patrols are used in specific places, at specific times, and are then removed when no longer needed. This should be our model for use of surveillance cameras, too.

Further Resources—The Constitution Project, a group composed of a wide range of political persuasions, has published extensively on the topic of police surveillance cameras.  Their materials are excellent, including model legislation.