Justin Lafontaine and the BikeTrain: 2007 Torontoist Hero!
posted by Joe on Monday, January 07, 2008 - Permalink
Torontoist.com recently started tallying up the Heros & Villians of Toronto in 2007... and made cycling afficionado and productive activist Justin Lafontaine one of the Heros for his commitment to cycle-tourism and getting the Toronto-Niagara BikeTrain going:
The Bike Train was the brainchild of Justin Lafontaine, who managed to convince governments, tourism agencies, and VIA Rail to go along with the pilot project that would see a bike rack-equipped baggage car added to the regular Toronto–Niagara Falls train over four weekends this past summer. Cutting through the bureaucracy alone would be a labour worthy of Hercules, but Lafontaine's work didn't stop in the office. He also manned the Bike Train table at Union Station before each departure, greeting passengers, answering questions, distributing the day's tickets, and disbursing maps and cycling information. His day just beginning, he then rode each train between Toronto and Niagara, mingling with the Bike Train passengers, answering more questions, and being far more personable and approachable than anyone should be on a weekend morning. And as if that wasn't enough, he donned a safety vest upon arrival at Niagara Falls, helping to unload bikes while sporting a broad smile and wishing travellers a good weekend. He then repeated all of the above in reverse for the return trips to Toronto.Read more on Torontoist.
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