Advocacy

NCC Bike Sundays: 10 Great Summer Pics

August 1, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 3 minutesFor a North European, closing the road for people to cycle feels a bit odd; people simply cycle every day everywhere over there. As long as you have to close roads, you obviously have a (perceived) safety issue among the population. However, North Americans consider cycling still mostly a sport (although it is changing), which you do in an enclosed environment, like on track, in a hall, or in this case a closed circuit. Canada’s National Capital Commission has been closing a number of parkways (kind of beautified roads, with lots of landscaping to impress locals and foreign dignitaries alike) [Read more…]

Opening Laurier Bike Lane in style

July 10, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 4 minutesApproximately 150 people gathered on the hot Sunday afternoon of July 10th, 2011 to witness the opening of the Laurier Bike Lane, which runs through downtown Ottawa. This bike lane is the first one of its kind in downtown Ottawa, to accomodate cylists who are not yet comfortable sharing the road with the hectic downtown traffic. City staff and cycling advocates have been successfully joining forces over the last two years to establish the long awaited down town cycling improvement. The lane came out under budget and ahead of schedule so that it could be enjoyed in the summer. The City’s bike lane [Read more…]

Tuning up Place Vanier

June 7, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 2 minutesPlace Vanier is struggling with bike theft. The bikes are parked outside and individual attempts to get the manager to make more space for cyclists inside have not resulted in anything positive. Some individuals are now joining forces in a working group to get the management to pay more attention to the fact that it is already 2011. A prime locations for cyclists, on the Rideau River with its wonderful paths, Place Vanier management is not pulling its weight. The only inside parking is a miserable ten bike wheel bender bike rack under the stairs, with barely any space to [Read more…]

Capital Velo Fest Ottawa a Relaxed Affair

June 4, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 3 minutesToday was a gorgeous day for Capital Velo Fest, the first bicycle festival in Ottawa. The weather was cooperating, the 60% change of showers never came and the twenty or so booths of companies and organisations like Envirocentre, Citizens for Safe Cycling and the Ottawa Bicycle Club attracted enough people to make it a nice social outing. Although most visitors were cyclists already, there was new stuff to see for them too. Especially the two cargo bikes, brought in by Tall Tree Bicycles, attracted a lot of attention, as did the recumbent bikes of Ergo Cycles in Ottawa. Everyone agreed [Read more…]

Successful Hintonburg Kids Ride

May 28, 2011 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: 2 minutesThere is hope. A new generation of cyclists is taking to the roads. Kathleen Wilker organised a kids ride on May 28th from the Hintonburg Community Centre to the Parkdale Market and Arts Fair. Despite a somewhat gray morning, a few dozen kids and their parents came out for the ride of less than one kilometer. Kathleen gets it. No need for grants, no large advertising campaigns, just roll up the sleeves and organise a neighbourhood event. A very simple ride for the kids and T-shirts for the best decorated bikes made this a nice community event that doesn’t cost [Read more…]

cars on bike lane in Ottawa

Cars in bike lanes at Dow’s Lake

August 10, 2010 Hans on the Bike - Ottawa, Canada 0

Reading Time: < 1 minute. A few weeks ago, during the Tulip Festival or so, lots of cars where leaving the parking at Dow’s Lake. Rather than waiting, many of them used the bike lane to pass the left turning lane. When I pulled out my camera, they stopped doing it but I bet these are the same people who complain that bikes cycle on sidewalks. In autumn and spring, when traffic is busy, it happens all the time. Just before I took this picture I actually saw a girl sandwiched between two cars on the bike lane, as car-cyclist-car. Truly unbelievable.