Video: “Summer Cycling in the City of Ottawa”

Telling the Netherlands and Ottawa story in Kitchener Waterloo
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Two nights ago, I gave a presentation in Kitchener Waterloo about cycling in the Netherlands and Ottawa. Talking about another country is one thing, but feels sometimes somewhat remote.  I find it much more useful to add some of the work that we do in Canada. My latest presentations saw therefore some time allocated to Ottawa too. People seem to really appreciate the stories (and some great pics) about Ottawa’s growing interest in cycling as a means to get around.

Perhaps Jim Balsillie will move to Ottawa too one day….

Over the years, we have had our share of foreign speakers but I think Ottawa is now at a point with initiatives such as Bike Fest, Velo Vogue, Bixi Bikes, Right Bike, infrastructure improvements, bike parking at bus stops, bike coops etc that we should get the word out ourselves a bit more. It is the capital after all. I mentioned that to Mayor Watson recently at the opening of Rightbike, and he promised me to contact his staff on that. (Note to self: follow up)

Telling the Netherlands and Ottawa story in Kitchener Waterloo, and it is not about tulips this time.

In order to squeeze everything into an hour and to finish my presentation with a fun item, rather than with lists of dull conclusions (we have all sat through them), I figured I am going to put a clip together about cycling in Ottawa. So last autumn and last week, I took my little Canon camera and filmed randomly at some places on my way to work. I have tried to cover a wide range of items, but it is not all inclusive. I don’t have mountain biking or racing in there for example. The editing took two short evenings.

Earlier this year I had approached Algonquin College to make a clip about cycling in Ottawa, but I never got a reaction back from the media staff, so I figured I am just going to put something together myself, hopefully inspiring the Algonquin students to come up with something (better) too as a project.

The three minute clip was very well received in Kitchener Waterloo, so here it is for the rest of the world today. And yes, there is lots of vehicular cycling in there too. Nothing is staged btw, it is real life with real people.

If the image above doesn’t appear, then you have the link to the Summer Cycling in Ottawa video here.

A reader asked the three clips that I showed in my presentation:

How the Dutch got their bicycle paths

Summer cycling in Ottawa

The VanderVeer Go-Cab 8-kids Cargo bike

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  1. Ottawa Bicycle Culture Releases “Summer Cycling in the City of … | Bicycle News

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