One clear sign that summer is on its way in Montreal is the sudden appearance of BIXI bicycle stations across the city.
But while the bike-sharing service continues to grow in popularity — with thousands of users and a rapidly expanding network across Quebec — not everyone is thrilled about the new installations. Some local business owners say the placement of BIXI stations is blocking access to their venues and costing them serious revenue.
John Gumbley, founder of the Jegantic Hospitality Group — the company behind Montreal nightlife staples like Yoko Luna, Bord’elle, the Farsides and Muzique — is among the most vocal critics. He says new BIXI stations have been installed directly in front of four of his group’s venues, including Yoko Luna, the Farsides, Bord’elle and a future project, which will be called Bonita.
In response to a recent Instagram post featuring images of the new BIXI stations, Gumbley commented directly to Mayor Valérie Plante, promising a lawsuit.
Gumbley claims his business will lose millions if BIXI stations remain.@johnnygumbley | Instagram
“[Valérie Plante], we are the owners of four businesses you’ve completely blocked off with [BIXI stations]. We will lose millions in sales and we have invested many millions more and employ up to 500 people in the city,” he wrote. “Are you simply trying to bankrupt everyone in Montreal? Hoping for a response, but a lawsuit is coming.”
He followed that up with a series of Instagram stories showing the installations on rue de la Montagne, calling them a hazard and a disruption to day-to-day operations.
“They’ve placed 40 [BIXI bike racks] right at our entrance, creating a death trap and fire hazard at the entrance of a venue that is permitted for over 800 people. Removing all street access and parking,” one post read.
In addition to safety concerns, Gumbley says the stations will affect things like visibility, Uber dropoffs, valet service, deliveries and customer access — all while a nearby parking lot was recently approved for condo development.
In an interview with MTL Blog on Monday, Gumbley said the BIXI stations first appeared last Friday, without warning.
“They just appeared Friday morning. No warning, no communication. Nobody asked us anything,” he said.
Gumbley confirmed he has been in contact with BIXI, who responded to his Instagram posts and promised to reevaluate the station placement. However, he says that as of now, there’s been no direct conversation with a decision maker at the organization.
“They’re going to have no choice but to move ours. First of all, Yoko Luna has an 800-person capacity. There’s no way that you could have this giant impediment that people have to go around in the event of a fire or an emergency — it’ll create a funnel,” he noted.
Gumbley, who believes the docking station may have accidentally been placed on his business’s side of the street, says this wasn’t an issue last season, when BIXI bikes were installed at a nearby corner that didn’t block any businesses.
“Last year, they had it not blocking any doorways, not blocking any of the business, and it was fine. This year they moved it dead centre in front of our businesses,” he said. “It makes no sense.”
In his eyes, there’s only one viable answer.
“The only solution would be simply moving them from where they are to where they had them last year — on the corner of the street where there are no businesses.”
Gumbley says he hopes the situation can be resolved quickly, but he isn’t ruling out legal action if necessary.
In an email shared with MTL Blog, BIXI confirmed that they are in contact with him:
“We are in contact with Mr. Gumbley regarding his concerns about the BIXI stations in front of his establishments. Our planning teams are currently reviewing the situation,” a spokesperson from the company said. “BIXI Montréal listens to residents and business owners and takes their concerns very seriously, especially when it comes to safety. Requests for changes are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”
On Monday, BIXI announced that the 2025 season will see the addition of 1,600 new bikes, including a total of 3,200 electric bikes, and more than 130 new stations across Quebec. This expansion marks the largest in the company’s history.
MTL Blog has reached out to the City of Montreal and the Service des incendies de Montréal for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
