September 2017 - Hans on the Bike

Brand new Berczy Park Toronto – 1 Excellent Public Space Done Right

September 25, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 5 minutes Take a close look at the picture below, and you probably think it is one of those slide show images of Jan Gehl, to show some place in Køpnhågn in the 1960’s as part of a successful place making “parking-lot-becomes-urban-park-you-Canadians-should-walk-more-enjoy-the-winter-stop-whining-about-the-cold-it-is-cold-in-Denmark-too-and-look-we-cycle-year-round” story. But this picture is not Copenhagen, it is downtown Toronto. Trip to TO Just two weeks ago, my wife and I had to go to the GTA as my wife had meetings in Oakville. We took VIA (450 km/$44 one way), the GOtrain (45 km/$9.02 – PrestoCard) and a taxi from Oakville Bronte to the hotel (7 km/$15) Burlington, [Read more…]

A collage of 8 photos of traffic signs on Fairmont on a 150 meter strip

Sign Feld on Fairmont

September 21, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 2 minutes Signs are a never ending form of entertainment. My cycling route to Hintonburg follows the Experimental Farm, crossing 6 lanes of Carling into Irving (with a light soooo slow, even pedestrians walk through red), into Sherwood and then down Fairmont Ave. It appears that every month I pass Fairmont another sign pops up in an already busy field of signs along the park. Let’s take a look what is there along a 150 meter stretch: I wonder if all signs were removed, people would behave fundamentally different. I think they wouldn’t. I wrote about signs before in a more extensive [Read more…]

Car blocking side walk dresses at Summit

Transportation Equity Summit – Ottawa

September 20, 2017 Hansonthebike 3

Reading Time: 2 minutes This Friday, September 22, I am speaking about cycling advocacy at City Hall. Not to the mayor, not to Transportation Committee but at the Transportation Equity Summit put on by the Healthy Transportation Coalition and Envirocentre. The summit starts at 8 am with beverages and snacks and lasts until around 3:30 pm with a number of speakers from Ottawa and two speakers from Portland and Toronto. The entrance is $30 but if you can’t afford it, there are special arrangements possible. Affordable and Accessible Transportation for All One of the issues is that residents with a low income might need [Read more…]

Just Food Ottawa Bike Tour

September 19, 2017 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: < 1 minute I enjoy cycling and I like food, especially when it is local and seasonal. Combined, it makes for a nice day out on September 24, 2017 with Just Food Ottawa. You may not have heard of Just Food Ottawa, but in short, they “work towards vibrant, just and sustainable food and farming systems in the Ottawa region“. A few years ago I did a very interesting bike tour along a number of community gardens with Just Food Ottawa (and missed the one just last week as I only read about it the day after). Another Just Food bike ride is [Read more…]

A Visit to Canadensis at the Experimental Farm

September 15, 2017 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 4 minutes Between Hartwell’s Locks, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden and Prince of Wales is a small corner of land that is being used for Canadensis, a small botanical exhibit with several art installations themed around nature. Karen and I have been cycling past it dozens of times and recently we finally decided to park our bikes to check it out. (It’s free after all). We had noticed the banner from the road, but we were always on our way to something or someone. It is a true gem. Access is from the Experimental Farm pathway that leads off Prince of Wales towards [Read more…]