bike

Are Dutch Bikes Still Dutch?

July 30, 2024 Hansonthebike 1

Reading Time: 4 minutesOn August 4, 2024 the Bicycle Craft Brewery in Ottawa hosts a Bikes + Beer pop up in Ottawa featuring sales of used Dutch bikes. But what makes a Dutch bike Dutch nowadays?

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…]

Are ankle bands the solution for the casual summer cyclist?

Cycling in Quebec: don’t get caught without reflectors!

June 28, 2018 Hansonthebike 12

Reading Time: 6 minutesIn Quebec province a new law aims to make cycling safer. More reflectors on your bike, cycling with prudence on cross walks, no more demerit points for cyclists, no more signalling of an intention to stop for cyclists, hands on the bar override signalling when needed. Read more about the details here: some good and some questionable regulations. July 2, 2018 UPDATE from Steve Truttmann:  Out cycling on the Quebec side yesterday morning, a QPP officer kindly told me that I must now remove my ear buds, law is now in effect. I was advised they will crack down on [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…]

Main Street Ottawa opens as (almost) Complete Street

June 19, 2017 Hansonthebike 11

Reading Time: 8 minutesLast 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…]

Rain water management in western Netherlands is vital.

Rain sensors to adjust bike signals before it rains

March 28, 2017 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 2 minutesAlthough it doesn’t rain that often when I want to bike, I do try to plan around a rain shower if possible when there is even a threat of rain. One of my best sources is the weather radar at the Environment Canada website. By estimating the speed of the incoming rain from the 7 images displayed, I can usually work around getting soaked. Rain sensors in the Netherlands are going to help getting you home dry. Rain sensors installed Netherlands’ cities installed rain sensors already a few years ago. When they detect rain, the computer adjusts traffic signals in [Read more…]