Infrastructure

Artist impression from 2014 Downtown Moves report

Bike lanes on Confederation Boulevard in Downtown Ottawa

August 14, 2018 Hansonthebike 4

Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen the O’Connor bike lanes were built, we were told that it wouldn’t go all the way to Confederation Boulevard (Wellington St) in front of Parliament Hill yet for reasons I forgot already. It wouldn’t make much sense to dump cyclists on Wellington anyway with nowhere to go unless you are an experienced cyclist. And even experienced cyclists like myself mostly don’t enjoy a ride on Wellington anyway. Many traffic demands But now the city and other parties are returning to the drawing board to finally connect O’Connor, Mackenzie and Colonel By(cycle) bicycle lanes. With the many traffic demands in [Read more…]

The new path underneath the Hurdman Transitway bridge

Visiting Hurdman bridge and the New Pathway

July 31, 2018 Hansonthebike 12

Reading Time: 5 minutesHurdman Transitway bridge reopened The Hurdman transitway bridge is open again for cycling and walking now the Transitway has been converted to LRT. The pedestrian and cycling space next to the tracks, separated by a high fence, is an important link over the Rideau River. It connects with the NCC eastern pathways, which connect to the Hospital Link I described earlier this month. It also connects with Lees Ave LRT station and Hurdman Station as well as to the western pathway along the Rideau River which is currently being developed.Not all is in place though but since I was in [Read more…]

A pedestrian and cycling bridge next to the current heritage bridge at Billings could make a huge difference for cyclist coming from the south end.

How About a 2nd Billings Bridge in Old Ottawa South?

July 24, 2018 Hansonthebike 5

Reading Time: 3 minutesA hotly debated area for safe cycling in Ottawa is the intersection at Riverside and the Billings Bridge, built in 1916. According to BikeOttawa’s website, the intersection at the south side is the one that has the most reported collisions in Ottawa, including a deadly one, when Meg Dussault was waiting on her bicycle at a cramped sidewalk/MUP and a right turning truck caught her bars. Vision Zero From a Sustainable Safety or Vision Zero point of view, this intersection needs to be changed, so that this can never happen again. There are plans to build a path underneath the [Read more…]

Thank you note on Harmer Ave bridge

Harmer Bridge Replacement: Lack of Clear Policy

July 17, 2018 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 5 minutesFor 55 years, the Harmer bridge over the Queensway served walking and cycling citizens on both sides of the Queensway, but this month it will be closed and removed in order to build a new bridge. The old bridge over the Queensway will be removed overnight and the new one eventually put in place overnight. The replacement will take two years though, ‘because two new ramps need to be build’. (The 12 km LRT, partly underground, will take just under six years) No alternative to Harmer Bridge Unfortunately, there is no close safe alternative to cross the Queensway. The initial [Read more…]

New pathways Along Hospital Link in Altavista-Riverview

July 11, 2018 Hansonthebike 8

Reading Time: 6 minutesAlthough the Hospital Link is not completely finished yet, I decided to go out and take a look recently. The weather was finally a pleasant 20 degrees again, unlike the sweltering 34-36 Celsius (nearly 100F) last week. I had been doing some 20 km and 30 km bike tours with tourists in the heat, and although it is bearable when you are moving, the sun really hits you when you stop cycling. I cycled there first on my own; later in the weekend I went back with Heather Shearer after a meeting at city hall. We approached the link from [Read more…]

The K&P Trail in Kingston, Ontario

June 26, 2018 Hansonthebike 4

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…]

The proposed extension and paving of the Trillium pathway

Trillium Pathway Design Watered Down

June 5, 2018 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 5 minutesProbably about half a decade ago, Karen and I were driving in our car, turning on to Prince of Wales at Dow’s Lake Pavillion. We were about 50 meters on our way, when a car came screaming down the hill from the roundabout at the Arboretum, totally out of control, flying into the opposite direction, more or less towards us. The driver corrected his speed somewhat, overcompensating his steering at the same time wildly to the right (for him) and veered back into his own lane in a 45 degree angle. But he was still going so fast he had [Read more…]

Drop the pin from the bottom left to the location you want a ring-and-post

Ring-and-Post to appear at Ottawa Bus Stops

April 10, 2018 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 4 minutesIt is still fairly new for Ottawa, but I see gradual changes coming: cycling to a bus stop or a transport hub. I have been a fan of this concept for a long time, naturally because I have been exposed to it in the Netherlands for many years. The large bike parking systems in the Netherlands you read about regularly are the proof that if you have a well functioning public transport system and a safe route to get to that hub, travellers will eventually embrace this system of cycling/walking and public transit. In the Netherlands, about 600,000 or over [Read more…]

A complete separate pathway s the right solution for Maitland

The Maitland Overpass: the cycling issue with on ramps and slip lanes

March 6, 2018 Hansonthebike 8

Reading Time: 6 minutesLast week I spent some time at the Maitland overpass open house at the most unknown arena in Ottawa, the J. Alph Dulude arena. When you Google his name, nothing but arena results come up, plus 48 restaurants ‘near JA Dulude arena’. So if you know more, let me know. Update: Christopher send me this information when I put this blog out: It was a small and quiet open house, with only a handful of panels. However, I did manage to talk to a few staff, councillor Jeff Leiper and Giacomo Panico (not in function, he stressed), as well as [Read more…]

What to do With the Double Bass on the LRT?

February 19, 2018 Hansonthebike 4

Reading Time: 3 minutesCity staff last week recommended that no bicycle should be allowed on the new LRT during the peak transit hours. The rush hour has been defined as 6-9 am and 3-6 pm. I find that a pretty broad definition of rush hour. It boils down to 50% of the time people travel to and from work (6-6). Yes the public service is at the bus stop at 3 pm sharp, but I doubt that the trains are so packed at 3 pm that you can’t fit 2-4 bikes in a train. I also don’t believe the trains are packed to [Read more…]