Hans on the Bike - Cycling in Ottawa
  • photo of Brian Smith at the Hans on the bike little library

    My Free Little Library in Ottawa

    Reading Time: 6 minutes Last year I built my own little library. I was nervous it would be vandalised but now, a year later, I can confirm it is a big success. Ottawa’s Transportation Committee will soon discuss new (modest) rules for curb site little libraries.

  • Cycling the Ecopista de Évora in Portugal

    Reading Time: 8 minutes Throughout Portugal you can find an increasing number of dedicated cycling facilities, often called Ecopistas. Recently I wrote about an Ecopista starting in Vizeu in Portugal. This week, we’ll take you on an interesting ride on the Ecopista de Évora in the Portugese province of Alentejo, known for its cork trees, white washed villages, wine and vistas. Many years ago, I visited Évora (the emphasis is on the ‘E’, not on ‘VO‘), an old city in Portugal. It must have been around 1990-1991. I was there for an agricultural trade show and for a visit to a dealership of the [Read more…]

  • Ecopista do Dao paved red.

    A bike ride on the Ecopista do Dão in Portugal

    Reading Time: 7 minutes The Ecopista do Dão wasn’t on the agenda for our trip in Portugal, but we found this gem of a rail to trail in the hinterland of Portugal. Closed for trains in 1988, it is now a paved trail through a lovely, peaceful part of rural Portugal.

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Latest posts

Retracing the First Train into Ottawa: the Bytown & Prescott Railway

September 10, 2023 3

Reading Time: 10 minutes Mr. Walter Shanly, a civil engineer, touched the ground to inspect the land underneath his snow shoes. He was on a mission: recently he, and a group of investors, had agreed on building the first railway track into Bytown (now Ottawa), all the way from Prescott on the St. Lawrence river, to connect the lumbertown on the Ottawa River with the ports in Prescott. A distance of about 50 miles (80 km). Not everyone was excited about their plans though and it had taken time to get the funds together. Thomas McKay, who built Rideau Hall, put forward money as [Read more…]

A close up of an old train brdige with teh letters chief William Commanda bridge super exposed on the image

Prince of Wales Bridge Reopens as Active Transportation Bridge with New Name

August 5, 2023 3

Reading Time: 8 minutes A large piece of new active transportation infrastructure finally opened yesterday. Here is all the background you want to read about the historic Prince of Wales bridge, now the Chief William Commanda bridge, connecting Ottawa with Gatineau and an easier gateway to Gatineau Park.

photo of Brian Smith at the Hans on the bike little library

My Free Little Library in Ottawa

June 18, 2023 1

Reading Time: 6 minutes Last year I built my own little library. I was nervous it would be vandalised but now, a year later, I can confirm it is a big success. Ottawa’s Transportation Committee will soon discuss new (modest) rules for curb site little libraries.

Cycling the Ecopista de Évora in Portugal

June 8, 2023 2

Reading Time: 8 minutes Throughout Portugal you can find an increasing number of dedicated cycling facilities, often called Ecopistas. Recently I wrote about an Ecopista starting in Vizeu in Portugal. This week, we’ll take you on an interesting ride on the Ecopista de Évora in the Portugese province of Alentejo, known for its cork trees, white washed villages, wine and vistas. Many years ago, I visited Évora (the emphasis is on the ‘E’, not on ‘VO‘), an old city in Portugal. It must have been around 1990-1991. I was there for an agricultural trade show and for a visit to a dealership of the [Read more…]

Ecopista do Dao paved red.

A bike ride on the Ecopista do Dão in Portugal

May 28, 2023 2

Reading Time: 7 minutes The Ecopista do Dão wasn’t on the agenda for our trip in Portugal, but we found this gem of a rail to trail in the hinterland of Portugal. Closed for trains in 1988, it is now a paved trail through a lovely, peaceful part of rural Portugal.

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