Reading Time: 3 minutesCanada’s passenger VIA trains might be older than your granddad. VIA is stepping into the 21ct Century though and ordered new train cars, to be built by Siemens in California. They will meet a long standing demand to add bike storage to the trains.
Reading Time: 7 minutesHans and Karen visit Sudbury, Canada and bike to Ramsey Lake and Laurentian U and back.
Reading Time: 8 minutesSudbury is a city in the near north of Ontario. The distance from Ottawa is around 500 km, similar to the distance Amsterdam – Paris. It is well known for its mining activities. We once spent one night there. Initially the plan was to stay at the campsite at that time, but once we figured out the campsite was sandwiched between two highways, and the prevailing sound was one of truckers’ air brakes, we decided to go to a motel instead. There was another campground north of Sudbury, but we never found it. This was before smart phones and before [Read more…]
Reading Time: 8 minutesSummary During a stay in Kingston, I explored the city’s waterfront and the K&P Trail. A lovely 30 km route that touches on many different aspects of Kingston. It needs a few improvements, such as crossing the VIA Rail tracks on Division Rd and access to the trail right after the overpass and the Sydenham Rd crossing. Wayfinding could be improved: despite some prep at home, I still managed to miss part of the trail. You can do it in two hours or take a whole day if you stop for museums, craft beer and lunch in the park. I [Read more…]
Reading Time: 11 minutes“It is safe infrastructure that makes people bike, not more uniforms”.Last week we visited Toronto. Karen had meetings and I tagged along for a day and a half. Because we booked the train in time, our tickets were only $100 return each in economy class. On the way in I had to listen to Dora the Explorer on the Ipad of the young traveller in front of me for an hour and a half. The lady across the aisle at the windows seat had her feet up on her partner’s lap. For reasons unclear to me, we were an hour [Read more…]
Reading Time: 5 minutesNothing beats the winterblues than sunny summer pictures. After my last two posts on bike modal shares in Ottawa based on the Statscan census, we are going to take a look at a paved path near Gracefield in rural Quebec. This fall, we went out for a bike ride a bit further away from Ottawa at a place called Gracefield in Quebec. It required a considerable drive, about 100 km north of Ottawa. We used to visit a cottage at Lac Pemichangan at Thirty One Mile Lake, but since the owners passed away and the cottage was sold, we don’t [Read more…]
Reading Time: 5 minutesOttawa is working towards a new main library. The Halifax library is a nice example of what Ottawa should strive for. Taking advantage of location and sight lines.
Reading Time: 6 minutesFredericton, New Brunswick, is a quaint old town on the St. John River. Frederictonions frequently refer to their home town as a small version of Ottawa. It is a green and spacious place. A river runs through it, it is hillier than Ottawa though. During a visit to Fredericton, Dutch ambassador Wim Geerts was approached by deputy major Chase for advice on cycling, being the ambassador of the world’s bike friendliest nation. The ambassador, who has been promoting cycling during his five year stay in Ottawa, approached me to see if I could contact councillor Chase for some advice. Off [Read more…]
Reading Time: 6 minutesIn terms of cycling, Canada is a hidden gem. In terms of wine, even more so. Tell your relatives back in Holland that you toured Canadian wine country on a bicycle, and they think you are kidding them. Canada: that is polar bears, RV rental in the Rockies, hard working farmers and Dutch Reformed Christians. The folks in Europe don’t associate Canada with wine and cycling. Yet, just 250 km (for my US readers, that is 150 miles) outside of Ottawa, the second coldest capital in the world, you’ll find a place called Prince Edward County, a place so unknown [Read more…]
Reading Time: 6 minutesShe is young, she is bright and she is an entrepreneur. Twenty four year old Sarah Craig decided to forego a government career in CO2 calculations (who can blame her?) and decided to start a bike rental shop on the board walk in Halifax. Really, how many people, fresh from university start a bike shop? I decided to visit Sarah on a crisp Friday afternoon. The place is not bigger than roughly a 150 ft2 but rents out 15 Townies, with helmets (mandatory for everyone in Nova Scotia). Sarah also has a collection of T-shirts, bells, claxons, magazines and alcohol [Read more…]
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