Month: October 2017

Halloween

Halloween: 13 Spooky Scenarios for Cyclists

October 31, 2017 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 9 minutesToday is Halloween so I wrote up 13 scary cycling scenarios for you. Some of them are infrastructure related, others are law related and yet others are behaviour related. I hope it doesn’t scare you away from cycling. Storm sewers Storm sewers are usually placed within about 60 cm of the curb. This is also where cyclists ride. Some storm sewers have a design so that it makes no difference how they are placed, but others still have a pattern that allows for bike wheels to get stuck, causing serious falls. Warn your municipality that this has to change. In [Read more…]

First Home Owners Move in at Former Ottawa Rockcliffe Airbase

October 19, 2017 Hansonthebike 11

Reading Time: 6 minutesThe first people have moved into their new home at the former Rockcliffe Airbase grounds, now known as “Wateridge Village at Rockcliffe”. Stumbling over superlatives, we read on the website: Celebrating both the legacy of the former Rockcliffe Lands and the brilliance of modern urban design. Visionary and masterful in scope, Wateridge Village will be home to design-forward residences, retail and office space, unparalleled amenities, beautiful parks, trails and so much more. “Design-forward residences”? “Brilliance of modern design”? “Celebrating a legacy”? Rockcliffe Airbase The Rockcliffe air base, close to downtown Ottawa, was declared surplus by the Department of National Defence [Read more…]

Photo Essay: A Hike in Gatineau Park

October 12, 2017 Hansonthebike 3

Reading Time: 3 minutesI thought of it too late. I should have brought a camera to add a whole bunch of photos to Mapillary so that you can check out the paths in Gatineau Park from photos. This Thanksgiving weekend, Karen and I walked the Blanchet Trail, better known as the Wolf Trail in Gatineau Park, just north of Ottawa in Quebec Province. Here are photos of our 9 kilometer walk (2:30h), off Meech Lake, Quebec on October 8. The colours just started to change. It was warm, around 20 degrees and quite humid so we went early, around 9:30 am. On the [Read more…]

Brookfield MUP Update

October 11, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 5 minutesLast night I attended the open house for the bidirectional MUP on Brookfield in the Brookfield High school cafeteria. Some of my friends went to this 1962 school in the seventies and eighties and it was interesting for me to see this heritage school from the inside. Here are a few pics for the fun of it including the heritage bike rack I tweeted out earlier. Itsy bitsy teeny weenie very much preliminary The City of Ottawa plan was shown on one board. It is a very preliminary plan and the city is open to all suggestions. Sam Roberts collected [Read more…]

New Multi Use Pathway on Brookfield Road Planned

October 9, 2017 Hansonthebike 9

Reading Time: 7 minutesThis Tuesday, October 10, you should go to Riley Brockington’s Open House at Brookfield High on Brookfield. For many years, better cycling infra is planned for the route between Hog’s Back Falls and Saw Mill Creek and on Tuesday, you will have a preview of what the plan is about. Councillor Brockington’s invitation already mentions that this is going to be a bidirectional multi use pathway link.  Initially I thought it wasn’t a good idea to design a  bidirectional solution until I realized that it is part of a larger network and then it does make sense. Prince of Wales [Read more…]

The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa

Canadian National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa Open to Public

October 1, 2017 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 5 minutesLast Thursday, September 28, 2017, was the first day that the public had access to the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. The monument was opened the day before. I cycled out to check it out and took photos for those who can’t make it to the monument. Special Act of Parliament I learned that the project was started by 18 year old Laura Grossman who thought it was a disgrace that there was no Holocaust monument in Canada. Originally scheduled to open two years ago, it was delayed by some construction issues but finally, on September 27, 2017 it was [Read more…]