Ed.: Moto123.com does not necessarily share the views expressed by Père Bleu. In this case, though, Chief Editor Marc Cantin personally and unreservedly agrees with him. Congratulations to the people of St. André d’Argenteuil, Quebec!

Getting pulled over… for the right reason!

Last Saturday, I took a leisurely ride on a Ural Gear-Up on Road 344 heading to Grenville/Hawkesbury. This road borders the Outaouais River between Oka and Grenville, where a bridge allows you to make a stop at the nearby Tim Horton’s in Hawkesbury. The scenery is beautiful, and the road itself is in near-mint condition as well as nicely tortuous - it’s a popular getaway route near Montreal for motorcyclists.

As I entered the town of Carillon, Quebec Provincial Police (Officially the Sûreté du Québec) were systematically blocking the road and directing bike riders toward a parking lot. When I saw the young, jelled-hair officer with his trendy sunglasses, my blood pressure suddenly jumped. "More da…ed discrimination against motorcyclists!" I said to myself.

In the parking lot, fellow riders were handing out pamphlets about noise. As it turns out, the town of St. André d’Argenteuil has received so many complaints from citizens about the noise made by motorcyclists on the 344 that authorities are considering a ban on motorcycles along a 30 km portion, the interesting one!

The municipal authorities have allied themselves with the Centre d’action politique motocycliste (CAPM), the Fédération motocycliste du Québec (FMQ), and several arms of the Quebec provincial government: thee Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, Transport Québec, and the Sûreté du Québec as well as a local custom bike manufacturer, Speed Trix.

The local authorities have also put up road signs along the 344 showing a motorcycle between headphones and reading "Merci de votre respect" (Thank you for your cooperation). Dedicated rider volunteers also passed out a printed notice about their concerns.

The paper sums up the situation nicely:

1. Being loud and noisy shows a total lack of respect for fellow citizens.
2. Noise is the source of many problems for motorcyclists, particularly anger that group.
3. The municipality of St. André d’Argenteuil is banking on education to rectify the situation.
4. Nothing justifies noise.
5. The argument that "loud mufflers help save lives" is not based on valid statistical data or common sense.
6. Training and experience saves lives.
7. Rather than deliberately making noise, riders can operate their bikes in a most quiet way.

Here’s a word for the people of St. André d’Argenteuil and their partners: BRAVO!

And here’s another word for all riders with loud pipes: YOU’RE NO LONGER WELCOME! Shut up or get out!

My friends, it is our duty as motorcyclists and as citizens to clean up our world. Stop riding with noisy bikers and their noisy straight pipes. Give them the finger if you want! Help support CAPM and FMQ in this action… before it’s too late…

Luc "Père Bleu" Brière