What to do With the Double Bass on the LRT?

February 19, 2018 Hansonthebike 4

Reading Time: 3 minutes City 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…]

First Home Owners Move in at Former Ottawa Rockcliffe Airbase

October 19, 2017 Hansonthebike 11

Reading Time: 6 minutes The 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 minutes I 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…]

The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa

Canadian National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa Open to Public

October 1, 2017 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 5 minutes Last 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…]

woman, child dog and man in wheel chair

Brand new Berczy Park Toronto – 1 Excellent Public Space Done Right

September 25, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 5 minutes Take a close look at the picture below, and you probably think it is one of those slide show images of Jan Gehl, to show some place in Køpnhågn in the 1960’s as part of a successful place making “parking-lot-becomes-urban-park-you-Canadians-should-walk-more-enjoy-the-winter-stop-whining-about-the-cold-it-is-cold-in-Denmark-too-and-look-we-cycle-year-round” story. But this picture is not Copenhagen, it is downtown Toronto. Trip to TO Just two weeks ago, my wife and I had to go to the GTA as my wife had meetings in Oakville. We took VIA (450 km/$44 one way), the GOtrain (45 km/$9.02 – PrestoCard) and a taxi from Oakville Bronte to the hotel (7 km/$15) Burlington, [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…]

Tim doesn't just plan parking, he was also a freelance cartoonist.

So… will anyone actually buy a unit without a parking space?

April 25, 2017 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the last year or so Karen and I talked on and off about how we want to live when we are reaching our 70’s. Do we still want to live in the inner suburbs in a house with a garden and be car dependent at times? Do we want to move into a condo closer to LRT and use shared bike and car systems? When you are not adding much to your income anymore at that age, a car is probably the worst to own with its cost of at least $7000 annually. Does everyone need parking? We’d probably [Read more…]