Month: September 2011

Spacing Ottawa: ‘the everyday cyclist”

September 22, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 5 minutesSpacing Ottawa contributor Allegra Newman organised an evening at the Alpha Soul Cafe in up and coming Hintonburg on September 21, 2011 with the theme “Everyday Cyclists”. Panelists were Colin Simpson, City of Ottawa Senior Project Manager, Transportation – Strategic Planning Unit; Kathleen Wilker, Community Cycling Advocate, Co-chair Hintonburg Cycling Champions and free lance writer, Schuyler Playford, Assistant Community Project Coordinator Causeway Work Centre and Ian Fraser, West Wellington BIA Cycling Committee. As I am an every day cyclist myself (although not always too loyal to cycling in winter), I thought I am going to listen in. We took the [Read more…]

A Bow to Calgary

September 17, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 6 minutesLast week I spent four days in Calgary. In terms of layout, there are many similarities with Ottawa: our Ottawa River (albeit a tad bigger) is Calgary’s Bow River, the Elbow River meandering from the south is our Rideau River. Ottawa has the Queensway, Calgary has its railway tracks running through down town. (I once spent a few days in the Fairmont Palliser and the rail cars barrelling right underneath the window kept me awake half the night). Calgary has a car free Stephen St, Ottawa has car free Sparks St. There is a big difference between the two streets [Read more…]