Cycling in Ottawa

[reidjr]

I rode down it this morning, after it had been opened to traffic, but before the official opening ceremony. It was a really nice ride - while I did already bike downtown, I've never felt this safe while doing it. The biggest problem was contending with the other cyclists (the lane is so new that people haven't quite worked out how to be courteous in passing & waiting at intersections). It's a real shame that the city will not install more segregated lanes before the pilot project ends in two years.

The issue right now is its hard for taxi and trucks etc to stop in some ways it does cripple the street.I think bike lanes are a good idea but not on both sides make a lane a bit bigger but only one side of the road.

[waterloowarrior]

found this on YT
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[adam-machiavelli]

The issue right now is its hard for taxi and trucks etc to stop in some ways it does cripple the street.I think bike lanes are a good idea but not on both sides make a lane a bit bigger but only one side of the road.


Wow it's like the forces of darkness are all conspiring against these lanes. Once again, it falls upon you and me -the average people of Ottawa to continue the struggle to ensure these lanes are permanent and extended to all parts of the city.

[reidjr]

Wow it's like the forces of darkness are all conspiring against these lanes. Once again, it falls upon you and me -the average people of Ottawa to continue the struggle to ensure these lanes are permanent and extended to all parts of the city.

There has to be some give and take on both sides i agree there should be lanes but at the same time we have to be smart about it we can't have lanes on every major street on both sides.

[Kitchissippi]

There has to be some give and take on both sides i agree there should be lanes but at the same time we have to be smart about it we can't have lanes on every major street on both sides.

Nobody is asking for bike lanes on every street, just safe, convenient and comfortable routes to get across the downtown core. We need some bike lanes just like some sentences need punctuation :)

[reidjr]

Nobody is asking for bike lanes on every street, just safe, convenient and comfortable routes to get across the downtown core. We need some bike lanes just like some sentences need punctuation :)

My issue is alot are not going to use them you ban bikes from the roads there going to cry foul saying they have a right to be on the road etc.

[McC]

My issue is alot are not going to use them you ban bikes from the roads there going to cry foul saying they have a right to be on the road etc.

why would you ban bikes for the roads? the bicycles were there first and have more right to be there than these newfangled automobiles!

[Kitchissippi]

These bike lanes are using up what used to be on-street parking. Tell me why the privilege of storing 50 or so cars is more important than the safety and convenience of thousands of cyclists (2,000 bicycles were counted by the automatic counter even before the bike lane opened).

[Ottawan]

According to the City's counter, there almost 1,300 bikes used the lane yesterday alone! Granted it was the opening day, so I'm sure alot of those were one-time journeys, but still impressive.

I'll be very interested in seeing how this week's numbers (first week open for commuters) adds up.

[Dado]

On the day that the SBL opened on Laurier, a French television car drove into cyclist Juan Antonio Flecha in the Tour de France, which in turn caused cyclist John Hoogerland to catapult into a barbed wire fence:

x6ytpYWIVB8

It's illustrative of the sort of hit-from-behind collision that many people fear most when cycling and which dissuades many from cycling at all, though statistically it isn't the most common type of collision. It's also illustrative of the fact that car drivers, even those who ought to know better, will endanger cyclists over risking a collision with something else, in this case a tree but in daily life it could be anything, like bus making a turn onto the road in the opposite direction.

[reidjr]

why would you ban bikes for the roads? the bicycles were there first and have more right to be there than these newfangled automobiles!

Thats the probleam the city could build a bike lane on every major street downtown yet bikers wills till clame they have every right to be on the road.Don't get me wrong i think bike lanes are a good idea but my fear is there will be all these demand and very few will use them then at the end of the day it will just be a waste.

[reidjr]

On the day that the SBL opened on Laurier, a French television car drove into cyclist Juan Antonio Flecha in the Tour de France, which in turn caused cyclist John Hoogerland to catapult into a barbed wire fence:

x6ytpYWIVB8

It's illustrative of the sort of hit-from-behind collision that many people fear most when cycling and which dissuades many from cycling at all, though statistically it isn't the most common type of collision. It's also illustrative of the fact that car drivers, even those who ought to know better, will endanger cyclists over risking a collision with something else, in this case a tree but in daily life it could be anything, like bus making a turn onto the road in the opposite direction.

Yes but there are also of cyclists that for what ever reason don't think the rules of the road apply to them there aslo yes are alot of bad drivers but its not all one sided.

[McC]

Thats the probleam the city could build a bike lane on every major street downtown yet bikers wills till clame they have every right to be on the road.Don't get me wrong i think bike lanes are a good idea but my fear is there will be all these demand and very few will use them then at the end of the day it will just be a waste.

yes reid, I will repeat myself again: bikes are vehicles, they have a right to be on the road. period.

[reidjr]

yes reid, I will repeat myself again: bikes are vehicles, they have a right to be on the road. period.

Does that not create a very big issue if lets just say the city build bike path on every major road and very few use them.

[Dado]

Does that not create a very big issue if lets just say the city build bike path on every major road and very few use them.

The idea is that you build them in such a way that they are attractive enough that people will choose to use them. There's a precedent for this: sidewalks. Pedestrians are under no compulsion to use sidewalks, yet virtually all do.

[McC]

Does that not create a very big issue if lets just say the city build bike path on every major road and very few use them.

the city could also build tramways on every major road, but you can stop worrying, the city isn't going to do either of those things.

[reidjr]

The idea is that you build them in such a way that they are attractive enough that people will choose to use them. There's a precedent for this: sidewalks. Pedestrians are under no compulsion to use sidewalks, yet virtually all do.

While i think the paths are a good idea at the same time i don't think you can compare them to sidewalks people as a rule have no choice there not going to walk down a busy road.My fear is the city spends tons of money on the bike paths and nothing will change people wills till bike on the side walk etc i hope i am wrong but thats my concern.

[Admiral Nelson]

While i think the paths are a good idea at the same time i don't think you can compare them to sidewalks people as a rule have no choice there not going to walk down a busy road.My fear is the city spends tons of money on the bike paths and nothing will change people wills till bike on the side walk etc i hope i am wrong but thats my concern.

How many pedestrians do you see walking on the road? If cyclists are given lanes, they'll use them.

[adam-machiavelli]

Yes but there are also of cyclists that for what ever reason don't think the rules of the road apply to them there aslo yes are alot of bad drivers but its not all one sided.

I always hear or read this argument by ardent car drivers; but to be honest, it's more a myth than reality meant to defame polite cyclists. I've never actually seen a cyclist disobey traffic laws in any manner worse or more dangerous than car drivers.

[lrt's friend]

I always hear or read this argument by ardent car drivers; but to be honest, it's more a myth than reality meant to defame polite cyclists. I've never actually seen a cyclist disobey traffic laws in any manner worse or more dangerous than car drivers.

Hmmm. I guess I live in a different universe. Probably the worst thing about many cyclist is the fact that stopping at red lights is considered optional especially at less busy intersections. The most scary example that I witnessed was on Bank Street at Cameron Avenue in Ottawa South. A cyclist was riding on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street and approached this intersection with a red light, and didn't even slow down despite that it is a blind intersection and was very narrowly missed by a car. I remember preparing for a spectacular collision. If it had happened, the cyclist would have been thrown into the middle of Bank Street in heavy traffic.

[reidjr]

I always hear or read this argument by ardent car drivers; but to be honest, it's more a myth than reality meant to defame polite cyclists. I've never actually seen a cyclist disobey traffic laws in any manner worse or more dangerous than car drivers.

I am not a car driver i do ride a bike and i walk alot and yes while it may be any more dangerous it does happen alot in some areas acrosse the city.

[Kitchissippi]

Yes, there are cyclists who do stupid and dangerous things, but in general they are actually more prudent than the average driver. Here are the 2004 stats for traffic accident fatalities in Ontario: 799 deaths — 433 drivers, 191 passengers, 104 pedestrians, 47 on motorcycles, 19 bicyclists. If death is the ultimate indicator of exposing oneself to danger, the figures speak for themselves.

Although cars get more use, I think on average there are more bicycles per household than automobiles in Ottawa. The immediate potential for increased cycling is huge if only the proper infrastructure is built.

[Ottawan]

The counter for the Laurier lanes reads 1,541 for yesterday, the first commuting day that it was open. If these numbers keep up once the novelty wears off then there should be no doubt that the segregated lanes are a success.

[reidjr]

Yes, there are cyclists who do stupid and dangerous things, but in general they are actually more prudent than the average driver. Here are the 2004 stats for traffic accident fatalities in Ontario: 799 deaths — 433 drivers, 191 passengers, 104 pedestrians, 47 on motorcycles, 19 bicyclists. If death is the ultimate indicator of exposing oneself to danger, the figures speak for themselves.

Although cars get more use, I think on average there are more bicycles per household than automobiles in Ottawa. The immediate potential for increased cycling is huge if only the proper infrastructure is built.

As i said before its great to build a infrastructure but my fear is if the city goes all out and builds such a system is no many would use it as they feel they still should be on the road.With that said i would love to see bike lanes all over the city i just hope they would get used and not just sit there with little use.

[Dado]

:previous:

Well it's a pilot project with easy-to-remove parking curbs forming the barrier rather than something more permanent like built-in curbs and planters, so in the event that the project proves an absolute failure, or even if the project was successful but it is decided that the lanes should be put on other streets, then we have the option of removing them all.

[Sven Casselman]

Where can you look up the statistics for the counters?

[reidjr]

:previous:

Well it's a pilot project with easy-to-remove parking curbs forming the barrier rather than something more permanent like built-in curbs and planters, so in the event that the project proves an absolute failure, or even if the project was successful but it is decided that the lanes should be put on other streets, then we have the option of removing them all.

Thats all very true and i hope it is a huge success.

[Ottawan]

Where can you look up the statistics for the counters?

At www.ottawa.ca/bikelane (http://www.ottawa.ca/bikelane). Click on the "ecocounter" button on the right hand side of the page. Unfortunately it isn't very sophisticated (only shows exact number for the previous day, and then the total number of bikes since the installation, and it only shows the Metcalfe counter) but it's still something.

[eternallyme]

Hmmm. I guess I live in a different universe. Probably the worst thing about many cyclist is the fact that stopping at red lights is considered optional especially at less busy intersections. The most scary example that I witnessed was on Bank Street at Cameron Avenue in Ottawa South. A cyclist was riding on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street and approached this intersection with a red light, and didn't even slow down despite that it is a blind intersection and was very narrowly missed by a car. I remember preparing for a spectacular collision. If it had happened, the cyclist would have been thrown into the middle of Bank Street in heavy traffic.

Also, bicycles on sidewalks can be very dangerous, especially in dense urban areas filled with pedestrians. Yet many do it anyway since the roadways are not suitable for them. Yet those same roads are often some of the most comfortable for bicycles due to slower operating speeds.

All other arterial roads, plus collector roads with a design/posted limit of 60 km/h or higher, should always have bicycle lanes or a multi-use pathway available on both sides (the latter is preferred on arterials with a speed limit of 80 km/h). "Share The Road" signs don't work very well and many of those roads are too narrow for safe operation.

To make matters worse, I will soon be living at an intersection which is VERY difficult for bicycles and will likely be forced to walk my bike for some distance.

[adam-machiavelli]

The thing that bothers me the most is the implicit intent of people's arguments when deflecting suggestions that cities add more biking infrastructure by saying cyclists don't follow the rules (when in many cases cyclists MUST break certain traffic laws to protect themselves from negligent drivers). Their thought process seems to suggest that the two ideas are somehow related not as cause-and-effect but as eligibility to equal rights. Cyclists deserve and should expect to be kept equally as safe as car drivers and pedestrians when using public road and path networks. When during discussions about bike infrastructure car drivers complain that cyclists don't obey traffic laws, what they're really thinking is cyclists deserve to be injured on the road because they have disobeyed traffic laws.

[reidjr]

The thing that bothers me the most is the implicit intent of people's arguments when deflecting suggestions that cities add more biking infrastructure by saying cyclists don't follow the rules (when in many cases cyclists MUST break certain traffic laws to protect themselves from negligent drivers). Their thought process seems to suggest that the two ideas are somehow related not as cause-and-effect but as eligibility to equal rights. Cyclists deserve and should expect to be kept equally as safe as car drivers and pedestrians when using public road and path networks. When during discussions about bike infrastructure car drivers complain that cyclists don't obey traffic laws, what they're really thinking is cyclists deserve to be injured on the road because they have disobeyed traffic laws.

Yes in some cases they do but in a fair amount of case they break the laws then for no other reason then they don't think the laws apply to them.While i do agree cyclists do need to be kept safe now with that said that does not mean just from cars there are many cyclists that are negligent not all maybe not even alot but there are some.I love biking i would love to see a better system in these city but everyone when they can has to go by the lawsmatter on a road or in the woods.

[eemy]

Yes in some cases they do but in a fair amount of case they break the laws then for no other reason then they don't think the laws apply to them.While i do agree cyclists do need to be kept safe now with that said that does not mean just from cars there are many cyclists that are negligent not all maybe not even alot but there are some.I love biking i would love to see a better system in these city but everyone when they can has to go by the lawsmatter on a road or in the woods.

I'm not sure exactly what your point is. People regularly speed in cars, pedestrians regularly jay walk, some cyclists ride on the sidewalk or the wrong way on the street. Cyclists are no different than any other users of the street, and I am therefore not exactly clear why the behaviour of some cyclists is even being discussed or brought up. This is purely about making safer roads for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians by clearly segregating the uses. The misbehaviour of some users shouldn't factor in the justification of the bike lanes.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I can see why people have trouble supporting this venture when cyclists do this:

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/876/avoidingthebikelane.jpg (http://img688.imageshack.us/i/avoidingthebikelane.jpg/)

[gjhall]

I can see why people have trouble supporting this venture when cyclists do this:

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/876/avoidingthebikelane.jpg (http://img688.imageshack.us/i/avoidingthebikelane.jpg/)

There are so many reasons why that may be. Perhaps he is turning left into a garage or business before a cut in the segregated lane's dividers, perhaps he was going much faster than another lane user. Just as buses, taxis and high occupancy vehicles can use their own lane or any other lane on a major road or highway, cyclists will have reasons to use another lane. The "segregation" isn't meant to shuffle cyclists away but rather to provide safety to increase their numbers.

[Kitchissippi]

Or perhaps this was taken before the bike lane opened and the orange pylons are not in view.

[McC]

agree with Jeremy, gjhall and Kitchissippi; remember bicycles are still vehicles and they still have a right to use the road, Laurier's not narrow, there's still plenty of room for traffic to pass when traffic is light, and when traffic is heavy, cars don't pass bikes.

reid's logic means we shouldn't build crosswalks because some people jaywalk, and we stop signs are a total waste of money because many motorists roll them, and the CRA shouldn't bother collecting taxes, since afterall, many people evade them, why should the public make an effort? oh yeah. because most people respect most rules most of the time in free society, that's how it works, and that's the assumption upon which most of our isntitutions (including bike lanes) are built.

[reidjr]

agree with Jeremy, gjhall and Kitchissippi; remember bicycles are still vehicles and they still have a right to use the road, Laurier's not narrow, there's still plenty of room for traffic to pass when traffic is light, and when traffic is heavy, cars don't pass bikes.

reid's logic means we shouldn't build crosswalks because some people jaywalk, and we stop signs are a total waste of money because many motorists roll them, and the CRA shouldn't bother collecting taxes, since afterall, many people evade them, why should the public make an effort? oh yeah. because most people respect most rules most of the time in free society, that's how it works, and that's the assumption upon which most of our isntitutions (including bike lanes) are built.

No i am not saying that what i am saying what if the city builds a path on every major road downtown yet many still bike on the side walk etc and the path does not get the use it should.On the other hand and i would hope this would happen is they get used as they should and no more bikes on the sidewalk that would be the bestc ase.

[reidjr]

I'm not sure exactly what your point is. People regularly speed in cars, pedestrians regularly jay walk, some cyclists ride on the sidewalk or the wrong way on the street. Cyclists are no different than any other users of the street, and I am therefore not exactly clear why the behaviour of some cyclists is even being discussed or brought up. This is purely about making safer roads for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians by clearly segregating the uses. The misbehaviour of some users shouldn't factor in the justification of the bike lanes.

What my point is there a some bad cyclists maybe bike lanes would keep the good cyclists safe if that the case and they use them i am all for them.

[Dado]

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/876/avoidingthebikelane.jpg (http://img688.imageshack.us/i/avoidingthebikelane.jpg/)

There are so many reasons why that may be. Perhaps he is turning left into a garage or business before a cut in the segregated lane's dividers, perhaps he was going much faster than another lane user. Just as buses, taxis and high occupancy vehicles can use their own lane or any other lane on a major road or highway, cyclists will have reasons to use another lane. The "segregation" isn't meant to shuffle cyclists away but rather to provide safety to increase their numbers.

Or perhaps they're just heeding the road signage. Look at it carefully.

Notice the yellow and black road hazard sign at the end of the separator curb? It indicates that traffic is to go left of the curb. That's all traffic. It should be a double-sided sign, like this one opposite the Château Laurier:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ottawa&ie=UTF8&om=1&hq=&hnear=Ottawa,+Ottawa+Division,+Ontario&ll=45.42474,-75.694937&spn=0.002873,0.004823&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=45.424563,-75.694801&panoid=7-VxpUyC9KOcONfuESK_yg&cbp=12,347.25,,0,6.41

Oh, I know what you're saying - but this is a bike lane. This sign is for all other traffic. Ok then... so the same logic should apply to bus-only lanes where some kind of physical separator begins between a bus lane and a general traffic lane, like at the westbound entrance to the West Transitway from Albert at Empress:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ottawa&ie=UTF8&om=1&hq=&hnear=Ottawa,+Ottawa+Division,+Ontario&ll=45.414004,-75.710371&spn=0.005746,0.009645&t=k&z=17&layer=c&cbll=45.413899,-75.710446&panoid=hxCaJIopVbLYl9Xv6EY-Fg&cbp=12,228,,0,3.7

Except there the double-sided hazard sign is deployed. See, so buses are legitimate vehicles deserving of equal consideration in signage, but bicycles are not. In other words, the engineers in charge of signage at the above intersection were able to place themselves in the position of the operator of a vehicle (read: car) continuing along Albert as well as in the position of the operator of a bus entering the Transitway, and deployed the proper signage for the location, but when it came to signage for the segregated bike lanes, the engineers were incapable of putting themselves in the position of the cyclist in the cycle lane as well as a driver in the general traffic lane. They were only able to do the latter, so that's all they did, and, as a result, we got the wrong signage.

Granted, it's a relatively minor thing in this case, but fundamentally it also demonstrates the wider cultural problem with any of these cycling initiatives: the City's engineering staff do not approach them with a mindset of cyclists as operators of 'real' vehicles deserving of the same consideration in the design of facilities as car drivers.

[Ottawan]

I know I'm getting to be a broken record on the bike lane stats, but I'm happy to see that there were even more cyclists on both the Tuesday and Wednesday commutes than there were on the inaugural Monday commute. About 2,000 cyclists each of those days, and that in spite of a bit of rain yesterday.

[Radster]

No i am not saying that what i am saying what if the city builds a path on every major road downtown yet many still bike on the side walk etc and the path does not get the use it should.On the other hand and i would hope this would happen is they get used as they should and no more bikes on the sidewalk that would be the bestc ase.

Have you been to Montreal? They are about 10 years ahead of us in terms of adding on street segregated bike lanes. They have heavy use segregaded lanes throughout the city. They are not on every major street, but are very common, north-south, east-west, and they are so popular that in rush hour they have bike lane traffic jams, yet most stick to the lanes instead of bypassing the bike traffic jams by mingling with cars. Yes some will do it, and yes some will go on the sidewalk, or on a street without bike lanes, but the majority of cyclists stick to using the bike lanes.

We can already see with this pilot project in Ottawa, that 2000 people a day are using these lanes. I am sure that many of these people end up taking slight detours from parallell streets, just to use the safer bike lane, which just goes to prove that they are a good idea, as they not only help the cyclists, but drivers on other streets have less bikes to contend with.

Ideally, by the end of the summer, with these Laurier lanes surpassing expectations, and continued lobbying from the cycling community to expand the pilot, the City of Ottawa will hopefully decide to expand the lanes to other streets, and maybe even the City of Gatineau will do the same, so that by next summer, we could have a nice system of segregated lanes downtown and in Hull, with an expanded BIXI system to boot along the bike lane network.

Montreal 2.0, here we come!!!

[Radster]

double post

[reidjr]

Have you been to Montreal? They are about 10 years ahead of us in terms of adding on street segregated bike lanes. They have heavy use segregaded lanes throughout the city. They are not on every major street, but are very common, north-south, east-west, and they are so popular that in rush hour they have bike lane traffic jams, yet most stick to the lanes instead of bypassing the bike traffic jams by mingling with cars. Yes some will do it, and yes some will go on the sidewalk, or on a street without bike lanes, but the majority of cyclists stick to using the bike lanes.

We can already see with this pilot project in Ottawa, that 2000 people a day are using these lanes. I am sure that many of these people end up taking slight detours from parallell streets, just to use the safer bike lane, which just goes to prove that they are a good idea, as they not only help the cyclists, but drivers on other streets have less bikes to contend with.

Ideally, by the end of the summer, with these Laurier lanes surpassing expectations, and continued lobbying from the cycling community to expand the pilot, the City of Ottawa will hopefully decide to expand the lanes to other streets, and maybe even the City of Gatineau will do the same, so that by next summer, we could have a nice system of segregated lanes downtown and in Hull, with an expanded BIXI system to boot along the bike lane network.

Montreal 2.0, here we come!!!

Don't get me wrong the bike lanes are a good idea i just question if having them on both sides are a good idea.

[eternallyme]

Don't get me wrong the bike lanes are a good idea i just question if having them on both sides are a good idea.

Bike lanes aren't for every street though. However, they should be on any arterial road outside of the downtown and urban core that does not have a parallel mixed-use pathway, and on any collector road with a speed limit of 60 km/h or higher.

[Dado]

Don't get me wrong the bike lanes are a good idea i just question if having them on both sides are a good idea.

You mean on both sides of Laurier?

Single-sided dual-direction bikeways are something you would only want to try on an otherwise one-way street (Bay is an example of where it could be done) unless you've got a lot more right-of-way to work with (like a suburban arterial - Scott/Albert Street and Eric Darwin's 'Bike West' proposal, for example).

The reason is because of lack of visibility when cars are turning across the bikeway. Suppose you put the bikeway on the north side of Laurier. Someone in a car making a left turn from eastbound Laurier to northbound Kent would run the risk of not noticing a cyclist travelling east (i.e. from "behind" and to the left across a lane of traffic, possibly screened) when making the turn.

But if Laurier were one-way eastbound only for general traffic, putting a dual-direction bikeway on the left (north) side of the street would work because the aforementioned visibility issue when turning left does not exist because the cycle lane is immediately to the left of the driver, so the driver pretty much can't help not to see cyclists with whom he might have a conflict.


Personally, I still think the segregated bike lanes would have been better off on the left sides of Albert and Slater, which would also tie into the central bike lanes on the Mckenzie King Bridge, however, I admit that right turns from the cycle lanes might have become problematic if cyclists were unwilling to do them in an unfamiliar two-phase manoeuvre in which you would have to wait on the near side of the intersection for the cross street lights to change to green (or at least until the cars beside you had a red) before making the turn (think about it).

[Kitchissippi]

Single-sided dual-direction bikeways are something you would only want to try on an otherwise one-way street (Bay is an example of where it could be done)

Metcalfe would be an excellent candidate for a bi-directional SBL, from the Museum of Nature to Parliament Hill. I wish they could have tested the concept along with the Laurier pilot project.

[rakerman]

Some pics of the opening of the SBL on Laurier.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/sets/72157627162100960/

[Cre47]

Sounds like a silly idea but Councillor Monette looking at the idea of licensing cyclists just because of an incident NOT in Ottawa.

Let's shot this idea right away please.

http://blogs.canoe.ca/spokesman/commuting/bicycle-licensing-debate-comes-to-ottawa-city-hall/

[reidjr]

Sounds like a silly idea but Councillor Monette looking at the idea of licensing cyclists just because of an incident NOT in Ottawa.

Let's shot this idea right away please.

http://blogs.canoe.ca/spokesman/commuting/bicycle-licensing-debate-comes-to-ottawa-city-hall/

From what i have heard it has more to do with the amount of bike s that are stolen so a license would be able to track them now if that is true of the intent i would be all for it.I own a $700 bike i do get worried so if there was a system if to track it down i would welcome that but i don't wanta full license type set up.

[adam-machiavelli]

The article discusses how a licensing system wouldn't make recovering and returning stolen bikes any easier than it is now.

[Richard Eade]

Ottawa used to require bikes to be licenced. Metal plates were issued that were attached to the bikes; usually under a wheel-hub nut. Also, the fire stations used to offer stamping your SIN into the bottom bracket of bikes.

[Dado]

From what i have heard it has more to do with the amount of bike s that are stolen so a license would be able to track them now if that is true of the intent i would be all for it.I own a $700 bike i do get worried so if there was a system if to track it down i would welcome that but i don't wanta full license type set up.

What you're after is called "taking note of your bicycle's serial number" and giving that information to the police when you report the theft of your bike.

Also, you can participate in this bike registry program:

http://www.bikerevolution.ca

[Kitchissippi]

I remember having my bike registered with the RMOC police and they etched a serial number on the underside. It got stolen, and when I called to report it, I was simply told to check the collection of recovered bikes periodically if it showed up, or go to the annual sell-off of unclaimed bikes. It is rather pointless to have this registry if the onus is still on you to find it among the pile of bikes they get.

[rodionx]

The city's trip counter on the Laurier bike lane should hit 100,000 tomorrow. For the last couple of weeks, it's been averaging 1800+ trips per working day. Check it out here... http://public.visio-tools.com/?U15G1061058 .

The hundred thousandth trip taker wins a sloppy kiss from the city councillor of their choice. Get out there, people.

[Kitchissippi]

I think usage is going to increase even more when construction on Somerset Street is finished. Despite what they've done to indicate links westward, road work has conspired to keep Laurier difficult to access if you live west of Booth street

[Ottawan]

I think usage is going to increase even more when construction on Somerset Street is finished. Despite what they've done to indicate links westward, road work has conspired to keep Laurier difficult to access if you live west of Booth street

Yes and no. I think the useage will increase, but that the counted useage will increase far less than the actual useage. I've used the bike lane probably about a dozen times now coming in from the west side, but only two of those times have I gone to a destination east of Metcalfe. Having arrived at my downtown destination without passing by the counter, 5 times out of 6 I was invisible. This missed demographic of users far more the case for people using the lanes from the west than from the east, where Metcalfe is just one block in.

[Admiral Nelson]

The city has installed sheltered bike racks at Baseline. Have I been living under a rock, or is this the first of its kind at an Ottawa transit station?

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/3366/imag0028pk.jpg

[MountainView]

The city has installed sheltered bike racks at Baseline. Have I been living under a rock, or is this the first of its kind at an Ottawa transit station?

I believe they already exist at Greenboro but the city is installing them at 18 other main transitway stations by the end of October.

http://www.octranspo1.com/about-octranspo/news/43419#news-43419

[Ottawan]

:previous:

This is awesome! I'm not that guy who checks the weather and is prepared, and when it rains in the middle of the day I've always looked at other people's bikes with bags over their seats with great longing. It's nice to see the City do something to make itself more cycling-friendly (and in this case, transit friendly too) without the usually requisite controversy and arm-twisting of councillors & staff first.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

On the subject of cycling, I have a bit of a gripe...

Last night, I was driving down Slater and this woman on a bicycle was taking up half a bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there's bike lanes one block to the south. I was really tempted to throw profanities at her.

[Ottawan]

On the subject of cycling, I have a bit of a gripe...

Last night, I was driving down Slater and this woman on a bicycle was taking up half a bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there's bike lanes one block to the south. I was really tempted to throw profanities at her.

I usually agree with what you write, but in this case I say "get over it". The purpose of the bike lanes is to encourage cycling and to make cycling safer. It is not to ghettoize cyclists.

[reidjr]

I usually agree with what you write, but in this case I say "get over it". The purpose of the bike lanes is to encourage cycling and to make cycling safer. It is not to ghettoize cyclists.

While i agree they should not be forced to use the bike lane's but they should have to go by the laws of the road.

[Cre47]

What do you think of this recently added on Somerset west of Bronson (Photo courtesy of Radio-Canada) - I guess as part of the recent re-construction of the street. The city apparently according to this article (French only) wants to paint bike symbols similar to the one on Somerset.
http://img.src.ca/2011/10/18/480x270/111018_n45yo_voies-cylcistes-ottawa_8.jpg
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2011/10/18/002-hommage-cycliste-danielle-nacu.shtml

Not sure if it would be possible on streets such as Queen Street. But yes, there are so many careless drivers opening their doors without looking in their mirror or behind to see if there is a bike. I almost got a similar situation to what happened on Queen Street last week on the very bike-unfriendly Bank Street in the Glebe a few years ago. At least giving some space for cyclists between parked cars and the lane. Like Wellington Street in Hintonburg. Delivery trucks are not better either.

[Kitchissippi]

While i agree they should not be forced to use the bike lane's but they should have to go by the laws of the road.

And what laws are cyclists not obeying by taking up half a lane? Because of the recent fatal dooring incident, many cyclists have become paranoid of riding close to the curb and parked cars. Be a little sensitive!

[kevinbottawa]

On the subject of cycling, I have a bit of a gripe...

Last night, I was driving down Slater and this woman on a bicycle was taking up half a bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there's bike lanes one block to the south. I was really tempted to throw profanities at her.

I hear you. Driving over the Cummings Bridge into Vanier can be frustrating sometimes. The lanes aren't big enough to fit both a car and a bicycle so on a few occasions I've ended up crawling along slowly behind a cyclist riding along ever so slowly. On a few occasions when I've walked home I've seen the same thing happen to a bus. I wouldn't say cyclists have no place on the road, I plan to buy a bike so I can start, but there has to be a better way for cyclists, motorists and buses to share the road.

[TransitZilla]

I hear you. Driving over the Cummings Bridge into Vanier can be frustrating sometimes. The lanes aren't big enough to fit both a car and a bicycle so on a few occasions I've ended up crawling along slowly behind a cyclist riding along ever so slowly. On a few occasions when I've walked home I've seen the same thing happen to a bus. I wouldn't say cyclists have no place on the road, I plan to buy a bike so I can start, but there has to be a better way for cyclists, motorists and buses to share the road.

You could always change lanes...

[kevinbottawa]

You could always change lanes...

In that circumstance I couldn't. I was in the right lane and was going to turn right. If I changed lanes I'd miss my turn.

[Kitchissippi]

Oooh, and how many precious seconds out of your day did that take up? I'm sure you've wasted more time waiting for little kids to cross while the school bus blinkers are on, or do you feel like throwing profanities at them too?

[Admiral Nelson]

Treat cyclists as you would close family. You wouldn't be aggressive to them, would you?

[reidjr]

Treat cyclists as you would close family. You wouldn't be aggressive to them, would you?

No but if a family member was doing something wrong i would sure tell them.

[reidjr]

And what laws are cyclists not obeying by taking up half a lane? Because of the recent fatal dooring incident, many cyclists have become paranoid of riding close to the curb and parked cars. Be a little sensitive!

I am not talking about this case but over all there are a fair amount that don't go by the laws of the road.

[TransitZilla]

I hear you. Driving over the Cummings Bridge into Vanier can be frustrating sometimes. The lanes aren't big enough to fit both a car and a bicycle so on a few occasions I've ended up crawling along slowly behind a cyclist riding along ever so slowly. On a few occasions when I've walked home I've seen the same thing happen to a bus. I wouldn't say cyclists have no place on the road, I plan to buy a bike so I can start, but there has to be a better way for cyclists, motorists and buses to share the road.

You're right that in an ideal world we would have much better infrastructure in place that would provide plenty of room for everyone. Cyclists have in fact been lobbying for this for years.

But in the meantime, we have to live in the real world. It's not cyclists' fault that there is no bike lane on the Cummings Bridge so why would you vent your anger at them?

[Kitchissippi]

I am not talking about this case but over all there are a fair amount that don't go by the laws of the road.

Compared to what, nuns walking down a garden path? The majority of drivers break the speed limit DAILY, EVERYWHERE. Pedestrians jaywalk or cross red lights DAILY, EVERYWHERE. Suddenly you see one cyclist running a stop sign and it's "OMG, cyclists are such law-breakers!"

There is a reason why many no-turn/no-enter signs have "bicycles excepted" — because certain rules of the road do not make sense for cyclists. Most of the regulations are because cars can be dangerous (speeding, collisions) or a nuisance (excess traffic, parking).

I realize some drivers picture their vehicles as a fantasy appendage or third testicle that requires cyclists to cower and move aside, and resent when anything non-motorized gets anywhere before they do.

[reidjr]

Compared to what, nuns walking down a garden path? The majority of drivers break the speed limit DAILY, EVERYWHERE. Pedestrians jaywalk or cross red lights DAILY, EVERYWHERE. Suddenly you see one cyclist running a stop sign and it's "OMG, cyclists are such law-breakers!"

There is a reason why many no-turn/no-enter signs have "bicycles excepted" — because certain rules of the road do not make sense for cyclists. Most of the regulations are because cars can be dangerous (speeding, collisions) or a nuisance (excess traffic, parking).

I realize some drivers picture their vehicles as a fantasy appendage or third testicle that requires cyclists to cower and move aside, and resent when anything non-motorized gets anywhere before they do.

I don't drive and i do bike a fair mount as well as walk and yes i agree some laws should not apply but some should such as stoping at red light not talking on a cell and driving etc.By the way yse drivers are a very big issue just as some who drive there bike yet some are willing to turn a blind eye to those who bike that break laws.Don't get me wrong i think more needs to be done for people who bike and drivers need to be more careful maybe even if stricter laws but some blame has to go to those who bike as well.

[Cre47]

Regarding the East-West pathway that Watson mentionned in his budget speech

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/City+unveils+plan+East+West+Bikeway/5617793/story.html

[RTWAP]

On the subject of cycling, I have a bit of a gripe...

Last night, I was driving down Slater and this woman on a bicycle was taking up half a bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there's bike lanes one block to the south. I was really tempted to throw profanities at her.

Last night, I was biking down Slater and this guy in a car was taking up a whole bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there are parallel roads north and south of there. I was really tempted to throw profanities at him.

[Ottawan]

I'm lucky to be alive.

Yesterday around 3pm at the corner of Parkdale and Spencer, I was very nearly killed while cycling and making a left turn from Parkdale onto Spencer.

My turn was signalled (arm), but due to the heavy southbound traffic, it was hard to see into the far distance for northbound traffic. That said, I could tell there were no cars at least up to the nearest traffic light (at Armstrong).

A car (no doubt just off the Queensway) going at least 80kph but possibly faster, nearly hit me. I'm fortunate that the both the driver and I had quick reflexes, as the car stopped no more than a foot away from me. As I'm biking off into the distance (was in too much shock to stop and argue) I hear his passenger throwing profanities at me. Fortunately there were some witnesses on a porch on Spencer who agreed with me that it was those people who were crazy, or I could have been more shaken in my cycling confidence.

I can't overly blame the driver, undoubtedly he didn't see me, and his reflexes were good. The car was going far too fast, but sometimes everyone gets caught up in that when just off the highway and the road looks open. I do take issue with them swearing at me as though it was my fault - would they have felt the same way had things gone differently and I was killed?

If ever I am killed while cycling (you'll know by the spontaneous ending of my posting on the forum occurring simultaneously with news reports of the death of a mid-20s male cyclist wearing a helmet (I always do - close calls like this make me do so)) please use my death as a rallying cry for better urban cycling infrastructure.

If you've read through this lengthy post, thank you for indulging me. I needed to get this off my chest to get past yesterday's scary experience.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Last night, I was biking down Slater and this guy in a car was taking up a whole bloody lane. I couldn't help but get mad at the fact that there are parallel roads north and south of there. I was really tempted to throw profanities at him.

Completely different since roads are made for cars, and bike lanes made for bikes. If there were no bike lanes in the immediate area, I might've been more sympathetic, but there were lanes one block to the bloody south.

[rodionx]

Completely different since roads are made for cars, and bike lanes made for bikes. If there were no bike lanes in the immediate area, I might've been more sympathetic, but there were lanes one block to the bloody south.

Downtown Ottawa roads were never made for cars. They were made for carts, trams, and... yes, bicycles. People were biking on downtown roads long before cars drove them off. Check out some historical photos. The big car explosion only took place after WWII.

As cars took over, the city awkwardly tried to adapt its downtown roads to suit private motorized vehicles by digging up tram lines and widening roads like Bronson, Kent, and O'Connor. It accomplished the widening mainly by appropriating and paving over people's front yards. Take a slow, weaving drive down Bronson to see how well that worked.

I like the bike lane, and would have gone one lane south myself, but your comment neatly illustrates why its creation was basically an admission of defeat. A designated lane for private motorized vehicles would have been more just.

[adam-machiavelli]

JP,

The man was almost killed due to wreckless DRIVING. If you have no sympathy, you are a horrible person.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Downtown Ottawa roads were never made for cars. They were made for carts, trams, and... yes, bicycles. People were biking on downtown roads long before cars drove them off. Check out some historical photos. The big car explosion only took place after WWII.

Yes, I, and anyone else who remotely paid attention in history class, knows this.

As cars took over, the city awkwardly tried to adapt its downtown roads to suit private motorized vehicles by digging up tram lines and widening roads like Bronson, Kent, and O'Connor. It accomplished the widening mainly by appropriating and paving over people's front yards. Take a slow, weaving drive down Bronson to see how well that worked.

Personally, I don't find Bronson to be that weavy.

I like the bike lane, and would have gone one lane south myself, but your comment neatly illustrates why its creation was basically an admission of defeat. A designated lane for private motorized vehicles would have been more just.

Perhaps, but the modern reality of North America is that the car simply dominates the roads. Even in Europe, we see tonnes of dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure in nations like Denmark and the Netherlands. I'm all for seeing that implemented here. Having said that however, it does not improve the attitudes of drivers (who lets face it, are the majority) when they see cyclists one block north of a street that has dedicated bike lanes that are running in the same direction the person is cycling. If they weren't there and/or if someone was cycling perpendicular to the bike lanes, fine; I'll be sympathetic and understanding of that. However, that wasn't the case.

JP,

The man was almost killed due to wreckless DRIVING. If you have no sympathy, you are a horrible person.

Reread the quote; I was talking to RTWAP, not Ottawan who was the one nearly killed.

To Ottawan, glad to hear you're safe, dude. I've been nearly killed on a bike before as well.

[Kitchissippi]

There are also car lanes one block south. Why weren't you there instead?

[adam-machiavelli]

JP,

Sorry. My bad.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

There are also car lanes one block south. Why weren't you there instead?

Har har. :rolleyes:

Actually, we were on Slater for two main reasons:

1. That's the most direct and arguably fastest route from my house to my friend's work.

2. I was picking up a friend before we went for band practice. He works at the ARC Hotel.

[SteelTown]

In Ottawa are you allowed to cycle along the bus only lanes such as Rideau St?

[TransitZilla]

Har har. :rolleyes:

Actually, we were on Slater for two main reasons:

1. That's the most direct and arguably fastest route from my house to my friend's work.

2. I was picking up a friend before we went for band practice. He works at the ARC Hotel.

There's many valid reasons the cyclist may have been on Slater as well, such as:

- they were heading to or from a location on Slater
- they were heading towards the MacKenzie King Bike lanes.

You may not realize this, but Slater is in fact a recognized city bike route as can be seen on the following map:

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/bikelane/bike_map_side_a_bil.pdf

I do find it strange that you indicate reasons such as "direct route" for using Slater while at the same time berating a cyclist who was likely using it for the exact same reasons.

[waterloowarrior]

In Ottawa are you allowed to cycle along the bus only lanes such as Rideau St?

On Rideau there are signs and markings directing cyclists to take the lane in the car lane
http://g.co/maps/fjpw5

[Cre47]

On Rideau there are signs and markings directing cyclists to take the lane in the car lane
http://g.co/maps/fjpw5

Still that's too dangerous with the buses on the other lane. That's why I always used Laurier or Murray rather then Rideau.

[Kitchissippi]

I have to say, what a fantastic transformation for Scott street between Churchill and Holland ever since they reduced it to three lanes and added bike lanes. Traffic is slower but fluid. The street and the south sidewalks feel a lot more human, and it must have somewhat lifted the value of the houses along there. I really hope they accelerate the addition of bike lanes east of Holland whether it involves widening the road or trying the same formula of lane reduction. I personally think we could live with one westbound lane and two eastbound lanes from Holland to Preston, with maybe some widening around the Parkdale intersection to facilitate turning.

[acottawa]

It sucks to see hard-working entrepreneurs having problems, but government policies/projects create winners and losers all the time.

Personally, I don't understand the customers of these restaurants, because 1) it isn't as if finding parking right in front of a certain restaurant was easy before the bike lane and 2) there are dozens of parking spots within a block or two of all of these restaurants. It sounds as if people drove up, checked to see if there was a parking spot right in front, and then drove off if there wasn't? That's just weird - why not just go to a drive thru in the suburbs?

_________________________________________
Bike lane bad for business on Laurier Avenue


By Hugh Adami, The Ottawa CitizenMarch 4, 2012


Devon Chowdhury, who owns Buffet Moni Mahal at 164 Laurier, is losing his shirt as the Laurier bike lanes have taken parking off his street.

Photograph by: Chris Mikula, The Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — Ottawa City Hall must have figured there was a good chance that segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue would hurt businesses along the downtown street.

But when the city is bent on doing something “green,” as it was with the bike lanes, turning a blind eye helps push through the agenda quickly. After all, it wouldn’t listen to residents on Laurier, who were extremely vocal over the loss of most of the street’s parking spots to accommodate the bike lanes.

For months now, businesses — restaurants for the most part — have experienced a huge drop in revenues because the lack of parking has kept customers away.

The bike lanes, between Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue, serve both eastbound and westbound cyclists in the summer and winter, which, in the latter case, is stupid. Bike traffic has been virtually non-existent for months. In August, about 1,700 cyclists were using the segregated lanes on weekdays.

Some businesses say revenues are down 30 per cent. Dewan Chowdhury, owner of the Buffet Moni Mahal, between Elgin and Metcalfe streets, says he’s taking in about $15,000 less a month. Before the bike lanes opened last July under a two-year pilot project, he says his monthly revenues were about $48,000. Now, they’re closer to $32,000 or $33,000. He used to get about 200 customers a day. That’s down to 120-130.

To be fair, part of his drop in business can also be attributed to the loss of a pay parking lot behind his restaurant that is now being developed. But that makes his argument for the city to do something even more compelling, as approval for the development came from Ottawa Council.

Chowdhury, who has visited City Hall numerous times seeking help, says it’s so bad that he hasn’t collected any salary for the last six months. He is also having trouble with rent payments. He pays $8,000 a month, though his landlord has been “understanding of the situation.”

He has nine years left on his lease, which he renewed a year ago. But he adds his 11-year-old Indian food restaurant won’t survive if something isn’t done soon. Why not move one of the bike lanes to another street, so at least customers will be able to park on one side of Laurier, he asks.

It’s the same story with other eateries up and down Laurier. Mohsen Hashemi, who owns Persian Cuisine Express, between Bank and Kent streets, says his business is down 30 per cent. He’s on a month-to-month lease after his long-term lease expired recently, so it will be easier for him to pack up and leave. He says he will if business doesn’t improve. “It’s not working,” says Hashemi. “Everybody is struggling.”

To add to their woes are angry delivery drivers, who have designated parking spots on the street. They are usually forced to circle the area three or four times before a spot comes free. Chowdhury says some delivery people told him they dread going onto Laurier.

That’s right, says the owner of Manhattan Deli Café, at Laurier and Kent. All she gets from delivery drivers is grief. The owner, who doesn’t want to be identified, says business is down 25 per cent. She says lost business from cabbies accounts for much of that. Cabbies, she says, can’t park their cars in front of her shop while they grab a sandwich or coffee.

At the Japanese Village, near the Buffet Moni Mahal, owner Nori Shuji says revenues are down 11-12 per cent or about $10,000 a month. He says lack of parking around his restaurant has especially discouraged former customers in wheelchairs who used to eat there.

So what is the city doing to help these small businesses? Some at City Hall say they are trying to come up with solutions.

Let’s hope they do better than the idea floated by a city bureaucrat when he visited Chowdhury recently. Chowdhury says he was told that perhaps the city would consider giving his customers a parking discount of 50 cents if they used the lot underneath City Hall at Laurier and Elgin Street during evening hours.

Says Chowdhury: “Who’s going to pay $4 to park for an $11.95 buffet?” Evening parking on Laurier was free before the bike lanes were installed.

About 60 per cent of Chowdhury’s clientele for weekday lunch (11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.) are customers who are in walking distance from their jobs. So the situation isn’t as bad at lunch as it is for weekday supper hours (5-9 p.m.) taking the car to a downtown restaurant is the norm.

“When you come to my restaurant, and see there’s no parking, right away you’ll make the decision, ‘Let’s go to another restaurant.’” says Chowdhury.

Hashemi agrees. Not only has he lost lunchtime customers who would park at a meter and sit down for a meal, he’s also lost those who would park out front and run in for a takeout order. Like Chowdhury’s restaurant, the supper crowd at Hashemi’s is now a lot thinner.

Somerset Councillor Diane Holmes, who represents businesses and residents on the section of Laurier with the bike lanes, is trying to have deliveries made easier and without fear of a parking ticket. She suggests a 15-minute grace period — outside morning and afternoon rush hours — to allow delivery vehicles to park in front of businesses. But other changes that could bring back lost customers to the street will likely have to wait until the pilot project is up in July 2013, she says. “If we continue to hear from the businesses and residents that this is too difficult for them, then that should send us back to the drawing board.”

Orléans Councillor Bob Monette says he was surprised to find only three customers at Moni Mahal when he recently returned there for supper. The place was always bustling at that time, he says.

The councillor supports bike lanes, but says changes are obviously necessary. He says he intends to raise the matter at City Hall this week. And Monette says he’s not the type to sit back if “staff says, ‘We can’t do anything.’”

Jerry Onyegbula is counting on Monette. The owner of Kwik Kopy, a printing company on Laurier, near Elgin, says walk-in sales are down to $100 a day because customers can’t park in front of his shop anymore. “On a good day, I could get $6,000 from walk-in business.”

Is something bothering you? Please contact thepubliccitizen@ottawacitizen.com

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[reidjr]

acottawa
Some people can't walk that far also with these bike lanes it does take some parking sports away so the demand for the current ones is even higher.

[S-Man]

Agreed that it's sad to see private business suffer in the face of 'green' or 'progressive' policies (smoking ban, green energy madness), but I also have to wonder about those claims of not finding parking. If there's only a handful of spots available in front of the eatery on a busy street, who goes to that restaurant from the burbs with the expectation that they'll pull the plug on the whole mission if immediate on-street parking isn't available? When is it ever available?

[Kitchissippi]

This is such bogus reporting. Losing $15K a month because of a bike lane? Sheesh, maybe this is more the reason (http://ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/search/inspections/q.pl?ss=details_en&sq_fs_fdid=731FA6D0-673A-4C6A-AB0C-8944CC93AEBF&ret=ss%3Dresults%255Fen%26amp%3Bqt%3Dfsi%255Fs%26amp%3Bsq_app_id%3Dfsi%26amp%3Bsq_keywords%3Dbuffet%26amp%3Bsq_field%3Dfname%26amp%3Bsq_fs_ftcd%3D%26amp%3Bsq_fs_fwcd%3D%26amp%3Bsort%3Dfs%255Finsp%255Fsort%2520asc%252Cscore%2520desc&cookie=t) ?

[acottawa]

acottawa
Some people can't walk that far also with these bike lanes it does take some parking sports away so the demand for the current ones is even higher.

I understand that some people have mobility problems (although if they they had trouble getting to Slater or Gloucester they would be eligible for an accessible parking permit), I was just trying to think about what their strategy might have been before the bike lanes were built. Presumably those on street spots on front of these restaurants on Laurier were often not available (because other customers had gotten there first, people were parking for the night, area residents were using their parking permits, etc.), so people were apparently driving downtown knowing that there would be a good chance the spots would be full, which means they were either driving in circles waiting for a spot, deciding against going to that restaurant, or parking on another street - all of which are still options with the bike lanes there.

[reidjr]

I understand that some people have mobility problems (although if they they had trouble getting to Slater or Gloucester they would be eligible for an accessible parking permit), I was just trying to think about what their strategy might have been before the bike lanes were built. Presumably those on street spots on front of these restaurants on Laurier were often not available (because other customers had gotten there first, people were parking for the night, area residents were using their parking permits, etc.), so people were apparently driving downtown knowing that there would be a good chance the spots would be full, which means they were either driving in circles waiting for a spot, deciding against going to that restaurant, or parking on another street - all of which are still options with the bike lanes there.

The accessible permit is a whole other story the amount of people that abuse the system is huge now if they fix that i think that would really help parking in and around streets with bike lanes.

[Dado]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find the notion of coming from somewhere outside downtown to go to the Buffet Moni Mahal for supper a tad absurd?

It's not like the rest of the city is short of Indian restaurants and it's not like the Buffet Moni Mahal has any particular cachet to it. The building is ugly on the outside and not much better inside.

My guess is that the weekday supper crowd at the Buffet Moni Mahal was primarily people who were already downtown, perhaps people who were working a bit late or those who wanted to meet up for supper somewhere cheap after work that was convenient (e.g. political war room operatives).

Overall, it just doesn't seem plausible that the bike lanes are the main issue for the Buffet Moni Mahal. I'm a little more concerned about the other restaurants on Laurier, though. These at least have an air of plausibility to them.

The City is also going to have to look into the delivery issue. It may well be the case that putting bike lanes on both sides of a 60' wide two-way downtown street may not be such a good idea. I know there's a certain urban planning fadism to whine about one-way streets (generally because the concept has been abused in the past to turn streets into high speed, high volume thoroughfares like Kent & Lyon) but one of their advantages is that they do allow for more space to be devoted to other forms of transport. Personally, I would have run the lanes on the left-hand sides of Albert and Slater so that they lined up with the lanes on the Mackenzie King Bridge. At Bronson, an arrangement could have been made to integrate the lanes with the pathway systems to the west.

[rodionx]

Eric Darwin of the Dalhousie Community Association, himself a former business owner downtown, made a post some time back about the phenomenon of downtown business owners who falsely believe that most of their clientele drive to their businesses. Can't find it, but I think he attributed it to the fact that most of the owners live in the suburbs themselves, and have that suburban mentality.

Not the purpose of my post, though. I already mentioned it in the Ottawa Citizen comments, but Moni Mahal was twice ordered to close for health violations in the months before the bike lane opened. To wit, the following excerpt from the city health inspector's report from March 29, 2011:

Non-critical

Sanitation, Design and Maintenance
No room with food used for sleeping purposes
No food preparation or storage area is to be used for sleeping

Critical

General Food Safety
The premises is operated and maintained free from every condition that may be a health hazard

...

CLOSE FOOD PREMISES

Contact licensed pest control operator for insect / rodent / pest treatment and control
Evidence of contamination of food or food contact surfaces (e.g. by rodent droppings and urine or active insect activity)
Food seized and discarded

[Kitchissippi]

So it seems that if you drive a VW bug or a beater with "road dents" you won't have any problems "dropping" in on that restaurant :D

Has there been an overall drop because people are feeling the economic pinch? I've personally cut down on eating out in the past few months. Also, with gasoline being as high as it is, would people choose to drive all the way downtown from the suburbs just to eat? Aside from the WEP cinemas and the NAC, there is a dearth of things to do downtown in the winter. In the very few times I've had to drive downtown, I actually have had no problems finding parking.

If I were running a business on Laurier, I'd find creative ways to take advantage of the situation before fighting it. Maybe a discount if you present a bike helmet after 5pm? Incentives to have lunch there on Sunday bike days? Bike parking in front? Signage/storefronts that are attractive close-up from the sidewalk instead of being simply visible from a car? On-street parking downtown is not going to get better, ever — in fact it is just going to get worse in the future with more people moving in. More and more, downtown businesses will need to evolve and innovate to attract more pedestrians, cyclists and transit users.

[Dr.Z]

This again is bad/lazy reporting to leave the reader to conclude that bike lanes are the reason for the customer drop. They include a single line, "to be fair" about the parking lot at the read being developed on. But its not pursued. Its like the author wanted to have the bike lane vs restaurant viability debate b/c its controversial. That to me is bad reporting.

[Chris-R]

Eric Darwin of the Dalhousie Community Association, himself a former business owner downtown, made a post some time back about the phenomenon of downtown business owners who falsely believe that most of their clientele drive to their businesses. Can't find it, but I think he attributed it to the fact that most of the owners live in the suburbs themselves, and have that suburban mentality.

Not the purpose of my post, though. I already mentioned it in the Ottawa Citizen comments, but Moni Mahal was twice ordered to close for health violations in the months before the bike lane opened. To wit, the following excerpt from the city health inspector's report from March 29, 2011:

I can say from experience that drivers may not be the main customers, but when they can't find parking directly in front, they're certainly the first to let you know. Listening to that regular chorus, you'd think that free, convenient parking *is* a human right.

Aside: In general, the "Public Citizen" column is an outlet for whiners. It's rare that the person or situation being profiled or discussed has a real legitimate complaint.