Cycling in Ottawa

Photo by Urban Commuter courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

It's summertime, which means that people are happily pedaling outside on their bicycles.  To celebrate Ottawa's great cycling culture here are some bike-related posts from area bloggers.

Citizens for Safe Cycling (CSC) celebrate the 40,000 bicycle that was parked at Bluesfest.  In a second post, the CSC blog notes marking mistakes on the bicycle lane near the Museum of Civilization

Modal Mom has a long post on the debate at City Council to convert Main street into a complete street.  "Main Street is one of the first major street reconstructions in Ottawa where the preferred design includes a segregated cycletrack, an upgrade to standard width sidewalks and a reduced vehicle lane capacity in the rush hours to prevent rampant speeding in the off-peak hours," the post begins, before offering a detailed overview of the recent debate on the proposed project that took place at the city's Transportation Committee.

Finally, Green Living Ottawa has some links for different bike-related info in our city.  While the aim of the post was to advertise a new documentary called Bike City, Great City, which was screened earlier this week at the Mayfair Theatre, the post is still worth reading for its links.

Development updates from Westboro, Carlington, Kitchissippi and soutwest Ottawa

Photo from Hobolens courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Several posts in the Ottawa blogosphere contain urban development news.  The Westboro Community Association has updated the list on their blog of current projects in the community, while the Carlington Community Association board has decided to oppose a proposal to rezone 1110 Fisher Avenue.  A meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 pm. at the Alexander Community Centre to allow CCA members to discuss the Fisher Avenue proposal.

If you live in Kitchissippi, Councilor Katherine Hobbs has announced on her blog that Fisher Park will undergo major renovations in May.  Bulldog Ottawa, meanwhile, provides an update on the proposed megaproject in southwest Ottawa.

David Reevely of the Ottawa Citizen has posted on his blog figures that show how much it costs the city to provide services inside and outside of the Greenbelt (see chart below, which it taken from Reevely's post).

Finally, Citizens for Safe Cycling have details on a talk on Complete Streets that will take place on March 26 at 5:30 p.m, at 90U Residence Lounge, University of Ottawa, 90 University Private.  The following speakers will be present:

• Ryan Whitney, of the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation, will discuss how a Complete Streets policy can direct Ottawa's planners and engineers to create streets that work for all users;
• Dr. Rosamund Lewis, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Policy and Partnerships, Ottawa Public Health, will discuss the public health benefits of complete streets; and
• Keith Egli, City Councillor and Chair of Ottawa's Transportation Committee, will welcome guests and voice his support for Complete Streets in Ottawa.

You can RSVP at this link.

Blog Review: Drives In Circles

Photo by Jared Davidson
(Creative Commons)

This is one of the most interesting and original blogs from a local resident that I have read.  Written by an OC Transpo driver, the blog describes what it's like to be behind the wheel of a city bus.  What struck me about the site, however, is the writing, which comes across more as a collection of literary short stories than a traditional set of musings.  One recent post that particularly caught my eye was on how bus drivers are losing their connection to the city.  In the past, the post explained, drivers would be part of a specific neighbourhood, as they drove the same people day in and day out.  In contrast, today's drivers move from route to route across the city, with the result that drivers have a lot harder time building connections with customers.  Nevertheless, our blogging driver reveals that he still gets Christmas presents from clients.

A different post contained vivid descriptions of driving a bus in a snowstorm, while another explained what it's like to deal with drunks who think that their bank card is their Presto card.  Then there are the thoughts about the last bus strike, which left many transit commuters in the city bitter, including me.  After reading what it's really like to drive a bus, however, I was left with a different impression of city bus drivers.  (I must admit that I was one of the many people in Ottawa who were enraged when the strike took place).

Thanks to this blog I learned about some of the challenges in driving a bus.  Being a bus driver is more than just handling a steering wheel, I now realize, for it also includes a huge customer relations component, from stopping people who are trying to get a free ride, to answering countless questions about directions, to helping the elderly, to handling customers who are drunk and/or high.

One sign of great writing is that it takes you to a place where you normally don't visit and allows you to walk in someone else's shoes.  This blog definitely does that.  With great storytelling and writing it reveals a part of the city that I normally don't see.

Local News: Update on Proposed Megaproject; Spring Bike Ottawa 2013

Photo by Fil.Al courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Key Gray of Bulldog Ottawa reports that Rideau-Goulbourn Councillor Scott Moffatt opposes a proposed development in southwest Ottawa estimated to be valued hundreds of millions of dollars.  According to Gray, a development consortium lead by an organization named Walton International is working on developing a 4,000-acre city, which would be located in a parcel of land stretching from the Manotick area to West Carleton and Kanata.  In a separate blog post Gray praises Coun. Moffatt for taking this stand.

In other news, the blog Climate Ottawa notes that the City of Ottawa's roundtable on greeenhouse gases will occur on March 23, from 9 am to 2 pm, at City Hall. The Stittsville Village Association, meanwhile, is putting out the word about a petition calling for a public high school in Stittsville that will be submitted to the Ontario government on March 15.

If you are a cyclist, or are interested in cycling issues, the blog Citizens for Safe Cycling has announced that Spring Bike Ottawa 2013 (dubbed "the Bluesfest of cycling") will take place on March 23.  Speakers include

• Councillor Egli - Chair of Transportation Committee;
• Carleton University Bike Advocacy Group: C.U. Cycling - Tamara Nahal
• City Wide Sports: Cycling Education Programs - Gord MacGregor
• Citizens for Safe Cycling - Simone Rivers
• Ottawa Bicycle Club - Rideau Lakes Tour - Tom Stratton
• Pathway Patrol - Kristina Saunders
• City of Ottawa Bike Update - Zlatko Krstulic, Transportation Planner, Planning and Growth Management Branch, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability
• Bells Corners: Cycling in the inner suburbs: Recyclore, bike-taxis, bike-shares and new initiatives - Craig MacAulay
• Safer Roads Ottawa - Rob Wilkinson
• National Capital Commission – Bike initiatives 2013 - Pascale LaLiberté.