living in ottawa

“Alexa, Don’t Send Me That Bike Shopper Pannier”

December 6, 2018 Hansonthebike 17

Reading Time: 4 minutes May 2021 UPDATE: I ordered the panniers and had them sent to my sister’s in the Netherlands with the aim to pick them up in spring 2020. But then COVID hit and they are still sitting at my sister’s. It looks like I will not be able to pick them up until spring 2022 (!), so I ended up buying one pannier from MEC for not too much (zipper, no roll top). Orange no less, matching my bike! I am looking for a pannier to use on my trips through Ottawa. I have been using the cheapies, but eventually the [Read more…]

I Cycled with an Astronaut through Downtown Ottawa

July 8, 2018 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 5 minutes Update January 21, 2121: the GG resigned after allegations of creating a toxic work environment. Wednesday June 27, I got a phone call from the office of the Governor General of Canada.: if I would like to join GG Julie Payette on a short bike ride on Canada Day. The Governor General is the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II in countries that recognize the Queen as Head of State. Which Canada does. The role of the GG is ceremonial and they are appointed every four years; sometimes a fifth year is added. Astronaut Payette The current Governor General is [Read more…]

Ottawa’s inner greenbelt bike commute approaches 5%

January 9, 2018 Hansonthebike 3

Reading Time: 7 minutes Ottawa is a large place. We have a photo of my wife’s father standing in front of a row of brand new houses. The trees behind him look about 5 years old at the most. He is four years old and the neighborhood is called Old Ottawa South. ‘Old’ was likely added later as there was no New Ottawa South. Ottawa stopped at Billings Brickyards, now Billings Bridge Mall; Altavista didn’t exist. We are talking about the mid 1920’s. The automobile was just 40 years old. Amalgamation Through amalgamation Ottawa is now ridiculously large. Several small European countries fit together [Read more…]

Canadensis Ottawa

A Visit to Canadensis at the Experimental Farm

September 15, 2017 Hansonthebike 0

Reading Time: 4 minutes Between Hartwell’s Locks, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden and Prince of Wales is a small corner of land that is being used for Canadensis, a small botanical exhibit with several art installations themed around nature. Karen and I have been cycling past it dozens of times and recently we finally decided to park our bikes to check it out. (It’s free after all). We had noticed the banner from the road, but we were always on our way to something or someone. It is a true gem. Access is from the Experimental Farm pathway that leads off Prince of Wales towards [Read more…]

Dafne is an athlete from the Netherlands who holds the 200 meter world record sprint (photo Lee Jin-man/AP)

“Dafne Schippers” Bridge Ramp Built over a School

April 6, 2017 Hansonthebike 2

Reading Time: 3 minutes Mark Wagenbuur wrote about it already a while ago when the bridge was being constructed, but now the new Dafne Schippers bridge in the Netherlands is officially in use. The bridge crosses the important Amsterdam-Rijn canal, connecting Amsterdam’s harbours with its hinterland in Europe. The canal is a considerable barrier and with a growing number of people living across the canal, this bridge was needed as part of the bike route from Leidsche Rijn (I loosely call it a suburb) to Utrecht Centre. The Amsterdam Rijn canal is a 72 km waterway and opened only in 1952. The part north [Read more…]

Dream start of 45th NCC Sunday Bike Day Season

May 18, 2015 Hansonthebike 4

Reading Time: 5 minutes It seemed like everyone was out cycling yesterday. Sunday May 17 was the first day of the Alcatel Lucent NCC Sunday Bike Days. The weather couldn’t have been better. Sunday, sunny, low humidity (under 40%) and 24 C/75F by 5 pm. And the numbers showed it: over 5000 bike rides were counted near Canal Ritz on the Sunday before Victoria Day Monday by the underground bike counters, and many more were cycling on the road as the paths were overcrowded. It was one of those perfect days in Ottawa. The NCC (a federal agency) closes 25 km of roads in [Read more…]

South Keys, Ottawa: the End of the Parking Lot?

May 7, 2015 Hansonthebike 3

Reading Time: 5 minutes   In my previous blog, I wrote about ‘Retrofitting Suburbia’, a 2009 book by Ellen Dunham – Jones and June Williamson. They describe how older suburban malls from around 50 years ago, when the car was still seen as the solution to many perceived problems, rather than the cause of many problems, can be successfully retrofitted into new town centres, including housing, entertainment, work spaces etc. 3000 parking spots A number of US mall owners have been rethinking the traditional model of the mall as we know it. They are interested in intensification; this naturally leaves less surface space for [Read more…]