Portage Bridge in 3D. The counter is on east side in the red circle.

Death Trap on Portage Bridge: Systematic Safety

June 27, 2017 Hansonthebike 3

Reading Time: 5 minutes For a number of years now, cyclists pass a bicycle counter totem on the Portage Bridge across the Ottawa River on the border of Quebec and Ontario. The totem shows to everyone passing the inter provincial bridge the number of bike trips when people cycle over the conductivity loops embedded in the bike tracks. Gradual growth on Portage Bridge The numbers show a gradual growth since 2014, although the wet spring might have an effect on the 2017 numbers. Yet, three years of over 300,000 trips annually is considerable. Bear in mind that the counter doesn’t operate in the first [Read more…]

Newly paved path on Colonel By.

Colonel By – A Missed Opportunity

June 20, 2017 Hansonthebike 4

Reading Time: 3 minutes Last week, I cycled along the renovated canal walls on Colonel By. The path there has been repaved after extensive work on the walls, but I was a bit disappointed that the path wasn’t made any wider now everything was open anyway.   Most of the multi use pathway is a fair bit away from the road, which makes it a much nicer cycling experience. Unfortunately, the stretch east-ish of the Bank Street bridge runs right next to the road, a stretch of about 400 metres. At the other side of the road there is an area that is really [Read more…]

Main Street Ottawa opens as (almost) Complete Street

June 19, 2017 Hansonthebike 11

Reading Time: 8 minutes Last Saturday, the renovated Main Street in Ottawa was officially opened. The opening of this brand new complete street was folded into the annual Main Street fest and part of the street was closed off for motorized traffic. There was a brass band playing, there was an artisan farmers market, there was the bouncy castle (no event in Ottawa is complete without a bouncy castle, face painting and a booth of Safer Roads Ottawa) and there were hamburgers (veggie and halal included) for the fundraising part of the event. Cast iron for David Chernushenko From the tongue-in-cheek gift of the [Read more…]

Parks Canada staff Adonaelle, Elisha and Tara in front of 'their' Voyageur canoe.

Parks Canada Voyageur Canoe on the Rideau Canal

June 16, 2017 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 4 minutes Since my semi retirement, I have more opportunities to bike around during the day instead of my daily commute to work and back. It allows me to see Ottawa during the week and I am learning there is so much happening in Ottawa I had no idea of. Like the Voyageur canoe, operated by Parks Canada. I am cycling home after a lunch at Kettleman’s on Bank. Home is in the Fisher and Baseline area and a nice route from the Glebe goes via Dow’s Lake, bike through the Arboretum to the Hartwell’s Locks and veer west to cross the [Read more…]

Fruit stand in Catania

Travelling in Sicily: Part 5 – Catania’s Treasures

June 15, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 8 minutes We arrived in Catania and we left from Catania. On our way to Catania, we made a bit of a detour through some of the most depressing country side I have seen. Add to that the garbage and it makes you realise that Italy is not always that dream place we know from the images. In order not to bother with a car in a city where we were going to walk anyway, we dropped off the car at the Catania airport where we rented it, and took a bus in town to spend the two last days in Catania. [Read more…]

Travelling in Sicily: part 4 – Valley of the Temples & Siracusa

June 13, 2017 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 8 minutes After visiting the north coast of Sicily, we crossed the island towards the next destination: the famous Valley of the Temples on the south shore. The route follows valleys and passes west of the Madonie mountains on highways that are often elevated on a series of pillars. It seems to be a bit of overkill and it definitely doesn’t improve the landscape; the concrete and construction companies must have had a field day, week, year, decade. Interestingly, some of the roads are in pretty bad shape but not much is really being done to repair roads. The road owner closes a lane [Read more…]