Cycling in Ottawa [Archive] - Page 7

umbria27

Jul 3, 2014, 4:02 PM

CongoJack

Jul 4, 2014, 3:30 AM

I see that the NCC creating a new choke point on the QED at Fifth Avenue. There's a bump out being constructed and filled with cobbles. Presumably this is for a pedestrian crossing, which is great, but could they possibly think of more than one mode of transportation at a time? It's not that hard to put a cut through for cyclists through the bump out.

They've created several choke points on the canal parkways in recent years. The worst is on Colonel By at the Congress Centre. Riding south you actually have a bike lane until the light at Daly, but beyond that Colonel By narrows to a single lane with a median. As a cyclist, you are now expected to merge into this much narrower lane. If you manage to do this without being side swiped, you have to then claim the whole lane to prevent cars passing you in the median constricted single lane. This always endears cyclists to their automotive friends.

I don't know what the solution is for this last problem, but please NCC when you are making life better for pedestrians, try not to make it worse for cyclists.

That's a disappointment. I imagine they were thinking "there is a pathway right there, why would a cyclist use the roadway?", which does speak to the dynamic whereby cyclists are "second class citizens" on both roads and multi-use pathways.

That being said, I'm still very pleased that the crossing is being put in. Options for cycling from the Glebe to Old Ottawa East are far from ideal right now. Either you have to cross the QED and hope no one comes around the bend going too fast / not paying attention, or you have to take the pothole ridden and car-packed Isabella route. If I can safety get to the path along the canal, I'm happy.

I'm also happy that this may signal a willingness to slow traffic in favour of more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly options.

umbria27

Jul 8, 2014, 3:05 PM

That's a disappointment. I imagine they were thinking "there is a pathway right there, why would a cyclist use the roadway?", which does speak to the dynamic whereby cyclists are "second class citizens" on both roads and multi-use pathways.

That being said, I'm still very pleased that the crossing is being put in. Options for cycling from the Glebe to Old Ottawa East are far from ideal right now. Either you have to cross the QED and hope no one comes around the bend going too fast / not paying attention, or you have to take the pothole ridden and car-packed Isabella route. If I can safety get to the path along the canal, I'm happy.

I'm also happy that this may signal a willingness to slow traffic in favour of more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly options.

Absolutely agree I'd rather have that signalized crossing even with the bump out. I know they are planning to put more of these in on the parkways, so I hope they are willing to adapt their designs. It's so easy to put a bike cut-through between the bump out and the old curb.

Kitchissippi

Jul 8, 2014, 3:33 PM

The bump-outs are there to slow down the cyclists as well, because they also present a danger to pedestrians. Cyclists using the parkway are usually the ones who travel over 25-30 kph, and a cut-trough would defeat the purpose of a safe crossing. As a cyclist, I just take the lane in these situations. I find many cyclists are uncomfortable doing this mainly because that do not have a proper mirror on their bike and are far too timid to move into the lane.

rocketphish

Jul 10, 2014, 12:59 AM

St. Patrick multi-use pathway approved despite jump in estimated costs

Carys Mills, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 9, 2014, Last Updated: July 9, 2014 8:35 PM EDT

A new St. Patrick Street multi-use pathway project, including a bike path, won approval from city council on Wednesday despite an increased estimate for how much it will cost.

The pathway project was originally estimated to cost between $150,000 and $200,000. But up to $400,000 has now been found within the sidewalk/pathway links and cycling facilities budgets, deputy city manager Nancy Schepers wrote in a letter to councillors before the meeting.

The original figure, given to the transportation committee, “was the low range of the estimate,” she said.

Last week, the transportation committee agreed with Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury’s request for the new 400-metre multi-use pathway on the north side of the busy thoroughfare, between Beausoleil Drive and Cobourg Street. There’s an existing St. Patrick Street resurfacing project due to finish in October. The path will be scheduled to be finished next year, Schepers said.

The three-metre-wide segregated asphalt pathway, to be shared with pedestrians and cyclists, will provide a better connection between King Edward and the Vanier Parkway, and link to an existing bike lane between Cobourg and the Vanier Parkway.

Although the funding was approved, Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder raised concerns about funding.

“I don’t think that we should lose the fact that we have some missing (cycling) links that have not been funded. I have one, for example, that’s only going to cost a thousand dollars,” Harder said. “If there’s that kind of money sitting around in those funds, I should be able to easily have a thousand dollars to provide access from a road to another one.”

cmills@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/CarysMills

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/st-patrick-multi-use-pathway-approved-despite-jump-in-estimated-costs

waterloowarrior

Jul 10, 2014, 1:04 AM

umbria27

Jul 10, 2014, 4:09 PM

https://twitter.com/BikeOttawa/status/487006932197441536
‏@BikeOttawa
“@CfSC_Ott: New raised #ottbike lane in front of Ottawa City Hall. May need cross walk on path too.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsIkiEBIMAAEXx1.jpg

Where does this go to and from? Is it just a stretch of Laurier in front of City Hall? If so, what's the use of that?

hwy418

Jul 10, 2014, 4:24 PM

Where does this go to and from? Is it just a stretch of Laurier in front of City Hall? If so, what's the use of that?

It will complete the link between the Laurier SBLs at Elgin and the bike lanes on the Laurier Bridge over the Canal. To the east bike lanes will eventually be installed between Nicholas and Cumberland. The stretch between Nicholas and Waller will be implemented once the LRT is in services and buses are gone.

rocketphish

Aug 15, 2014, 10:35 PM

CycleHop: Ottawa bike share service won't fully launch until 2015
'Sneak peek' coming in fall for company revamping former BIXI service

CBC News Posted: Aug 15, 2014 2:41 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 15, 2014 3:31 PM ET

The company working to revamp the capital region's biggest bike share service says it won't be able to launch in August as planned.

CycleHop, a Miami-based company running bike share services in five southern U.S. cities, said Friday in a news release that transferring and expanding the former BIXI program from the National Capital Commission is taking more time than they expected.

They said they're planning a "sneak peek" at four Ottawa-Gatineau locations this fall as they work on getting land permits for the full launch in the spring of 2015.

"To pinpoint it on CycleHop only, I think that's a misunderstanding of how these programs launch and what it takes to launch them," said CycleHop CEO Josh Squire.

"I think (users are) going to be very very happy. But I do understand that it is also frustrating that they have wait a little bit longer."

The NCC operated three years of BIXI service in the region, growing to a fleet of 250 bicycles, but said in 2013 it wanted to sell it.

Squire said they want to have a fleet of 500 bicycles and 50 stations across both cities.
More like car-share than BIXI model

CycleHop took over the Ottawa-Gatineau bike share program in April 2014. They said they're working with New York company Social Bicycles, which is developing bike share services in Hamilton, Ont., and seven American cities -- none of which are fully operational yet.

Social Bicycles website compares their service to car-sharing services such as VRTUCAR, where bicycles are equipped with a keyboard and GPS instead of putting that technology in the bike rack.

Users get an ID number they can use to reserve a bicycle online or punch into a keyboard of a bike they come across to take it in-person.

In Hamilton, users who don't return their bike to one of Social Bicycles' "hubs" face a small fee to their account, while users who pick up a bike and bring it back to a hub get a credit to their account.

"SoBi Hamilton" costs $85 for an year-long pass allowing 60 minutes of use per day, $15 for a month pass or $6 for 60 minutes of use.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/cyclehop-ottawa-bike-share-service-won-t-fully-launch-until-2015-1.2737821

rocketphish

Aug 15, 2014, 10:41 PM

New Ottawa bike-sharing service delayed until spring

Michael Woods, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 15, 2014, Last Updated: August 15, 2014 5:28 PM EDT

Ottawa’s new bike-sharing network won’t fully launch until next spring, its private operator said Friday, despite earlier assurances it would be up and rolling this summer.

CycleHop, the Miami-based company that bought the Capital BIXI network from the National Capital Commission, said Friday that transferring the program from one supplier to another and expanding it “will require more time than originally anticipated.”

“We are working on obtaining all the necessary land use permits in order to launch the complete system,” the company said in a news release. “We realize that bike share users and enthusiasts are waiting for the service to start, and want to thank them for their patience during this transition period.”

When CycleHop took over Capital BIXI’s 250 bikes and 25 locking stations in April, chief executive Josh Squire said the program would launch by summer. In June, the company issued a release saying the program would launch in August.

But the full program won’t launch until spring 2015.

CycleHop is planning a “soft launch” this fall with four locations in the capital region.

The company said it’s eager to re-launch and expand the bike-share program — it plans to double its size — and is working closely with city officials and its suppliers to “ensure long-term success.”

However, the city’s involvement seems peripheral. Deputy city manager Nancy Schepers said the city is not involved in the operation of the business, and “will consider applications for encroachments from the company.”

NCC spokeswoman Jasmine Leduc said the commission continues to work with CycleHop to help with the transition of the bike-share program.

“The NCC’s role will be primarily assisting in the provision of access to federals lands for stations and equipment needed to operate the system,” she said.

CycleHop operates bike-sharing programs in Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Atlanta and Louisville.

In June, it tapped New York-based Social Bicycles to provide equipment for Ottawa’s bike-sharing network. That company’s “Smart-Bikes” are each equipped with GPS tracking and a lock, allowing customers to reserve the bike from a smart phone and scan a membership card on the bike to unlock it. Users can then return the bike to a docking station or lock it on any public bicycle rack using the same PIN.

mwoods@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/michaelrwoods

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/new-ottawa-bike-sharing-service-delayed-until-spring

rocketphish

Sep 2, 2014, 5:10 PM

Runner says speeding cyclists a city-wide problem

Samantha Wright Allen, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 1, 2014, Last Updated: September 1, 2014 8:08 PM EDT

Adam and Isabelle Lamoureux were enjoying their Sunday morning run when Isabelle was knocked off her feet.

“The cyclist came from behind,” said Adam, 29. It was the last Sunday of the Alcatel Sunday Bikedays, which closes part of the Sir John A. Macdonald parkway through the summer.

The couple say they had been running on the closed Westbound section of the parkway when the incident happened.

“She was thrown onto the pavement, and both her and the cyclist sustained significant scrapes and bruises.”

“I was just in shock when it happened,” Isabelle added. The impact left her with a large bruise on her back and road rash all down her left leg. “I didn’t see it coming.”

The 31-year-old said she limped off her injuries and will be fine once she heals, but it could have been a different story had it been a child up against a high-speed bike, she said. And while they don’t blame the remorseful rider, they say speeding cyclists are becoming all too common. The couple cited their experiences on the shared pathways, too.

“The problem we have is there’s a lot of cyclists that have taken up racing, or cycling at really high speeds,” Adam said.

The two, who are training for a half-marathon in the upcoming Canada Army Run, often use National Capital Commission pathways. According to the NCC, the Bikedays open more than 50 kilometres of NCC roadways in Ottawa and Gatineau to “cyclists, in-line skaters, runners and walkers.”

“We quite regularly are dodging the bikes and jumping out of the way. It can be pretty frightening when a bike flies past you at high speed and you’re not expecting that,” Adam said.

“I think the NCC needs to take more responsibility in ensuing their pathways are safe. I’d love to see them patrolling and getting people to slow down.”

Many of the NCC pathways have signs telling riders not to travel faster than 20 kilometres an hour, but they said it’s not working.

“There are a lot that go significantly faster than that,” Adam said.

“The rules aren’t being enforced,” Isabelle added.

The NCC has a number of recommendations on its website for safe cycling, including the 20 km/h suggested speed, as well as instructions to yield to pedestrians and sound a bell when passing.

The couple would like to see these become less of a courtesy and more of a requirement — and those who can’t slow down around pedestrians, should take up road riding instead.

“For Isabelle to get hit and to have some bruising is one thing but if a child got hit by a speeding bicycle that could be a very different end,” Adam said. “We’d like to see a safe place for families to go and enjoy Ottawa.”

Tons of comments here:
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/runner-says-speeding-cyclists-a-city-wide-problem

rocketphish

Sep 2, 2014, 5:14 PM

Pathways a conflict zone for runners and cyclists

Marie-Danielle Smith, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 2, 2014, Last Updated: September 2, 2014 8:40 AM EDT

Debate is being stirred among the city’s active residents after an Ottawa couple expressed their concerns about speeding cyclists posing a safety risk for runners and other pedestrians (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=6713993&postcount=612).

Isabelle Lamoureux was struck by a cyclist and suffered minor injuries while running with her husband, Adam, on the Sir John A. Macdonald parkway during Alcatel Sunday Bikedays this weekend.

Though the parkway and the NCC’s multi-use pathways offer very different conditions, the couple complained that, in both locales, many cyclists are speeding by too quickly.

Adam Lamoureux said many bikes zip down the paths at speeds much greater than the 20 km/h permitted by the NCC on multi-use pathways. “We quite regularly are dodging the bikes and jumping out of the way. It can be pretty frightening when a bike flies past you at high speed and you’re not expecting that,” he told the Citizen.

Alex deVries, vice president of Citizens for Safe Cycling, said he believes there’s a problem with cyclists and pedestrians being able to share the road without conflict. That conflict is increasing as cycling becomes more popular, he said.

“I can see lots of bad behaviour on the parts of all users,” he said. “Cyclists going too fast, passing when they shouldn’t. Pedestrians wandering into the middle of the path. Parents letting their children dawdle in the middle of the path. There’s bad users out there.”

In extreme cases, walkers or runners may take up the entire pathway, or they may be unpredictable, making it difficult for cyclists to pass by them safely. Some runners yell at cyclists who pass them, even if they ring their bell, deVries said. “But not everybody’s like that. It’s inconsistent,” he said.
Related

Cyclists get mixed messages. Some people say they should only be using roads. Some say they should only be using multi-use pathways. “Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to be,” he said.

In areas with lots of traffic, it makes a lot of sense for cyclists to follow the 20 km/h speed limits, deVries said. But not everybody does this.

“A problem has been to just lump all the cyclists into one group. It’s really individuals, mostly respectful users, but there’s some that just sort of ruin it for everyone,” said deVries. “I don’t like the idea that some cyclists are giving all cyclists a bad name.”

People don’t talk about the cyclists who are being safe and following the rules, he said: “Good behaviour means not being noticed.”

He estimated that about 1,300 people commute to and from downtown using the Ottawa River pathway every day, and close to two-and-a-half per cent of trips in the city are done by bike — closer to eight per cent in the downtown core.

msmith@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/mariedanielles

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pathways-a-conflict-zone-for-runners-and-cyclists

Kitchissippi

Sep 3, 2014, 1:07 PM

YOWetal

Sep 3, 2014, 1:31 PM

This wasn't even on the pathways, the couple was running on the closed parkway, during Sunday Bike Days. It's amazing how so many cyclists are injured or killed by dooring or collisions and nothing is done (sometimes charges aren't even laid), but the rare accident causing injury to a pedestrian by a cyclist gets a knee-jerk reaction. The last incident a few weeks ago by the Ottawa Locks resulted in speed bumps being put in within days — speed bumps so severe that they actually pose a hazard to cyclists ( I saw a cyclist almost go over their handlebars). Great job of transferring danger from one type of user to another.

Yeah I can see both sides of this issue. I agree pedestrians, and especially joggers have decided they have priority on the bike paths and during bikedays. It seems like pedestrians have lots of places to walk so bikes should have priority in these areas. That said, excessive speed is also a problem with lots of kids and other amateurs out of for a leisurely ride in danger from being passed very closely at high speed.

waterloowarrior

Sep 3, 2014, 1:47 PM

I think on the busier pathways the NCC really needs to look at separating pedestrians and cyclists (with appropriate symbols/signage similar to Stanley Park) and/or widening the pathways to at least 4 metres.

Kitchissippi

Sep 3, 2014, 2:21 PM

I agree there's a need for bike and pedestrian separation in the central area pathways and along the canal as long as they don't constantly weave in and out of each other like in Vancouver, but elsewhere, the volumes aren't really that heavy. One thing I hate about cycling in Vancouver is that there is no consistency of surface treatment of bikeways, and the lack of visual clues is confusing.

If anything, I would like to see bike lanes on all the parkways for cyclists who want to go faster than the 20kph allowed on the pathways. The parkway lanes can actually use being narrowed down a bit and the presence of cyclists will probably tone down the speed to the posted 60kph. Lakeshore Blvd in Montreal's West Island used to have signs that said, "In a hurry? Use the autoroute." — in a way there should be similar thing for cyclists on the pathways and cars on the parkway.

silvergate

Sep 3, 2014, 5:02 PM

For a large chunk of the western parkway there are MUPs on both sides of the road. If they could extend the southern path all the way downtown perhaps they could convert them both into two-lane one direction pathways.

Urbanarchit

Sep 3, 2014, 8:09 PM

rocketphish

Sep 4, 2014, 1:37 AM

Conflicts push city to look at new multi-use pathway designs

Carys Mills, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 3, 2014, Last Updated: September 3, 2014 5:17 PM EDT

Conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists have pushed the city to look at whether multi-use pathways should be designed differently.

Collisions and near-accidents on paths were brought up Wednesday, when the city’s transportation committee was updated on Ottawa’s pedestrian plan, which includes 96 projects to be completed by 2031.

“I can see where multi-use pathways serve a purpose and are very efficient, where you might not have the volume of either pedestrians or other wheeled-users for example, to merit dedicated facilities,” said Capital ward Coun. David Chernushenko. “What I’m getting at, is that we are seeing more and more conflict on pathways.”

He asked whether the city is looking to control speeds and behaviour on the paths, citing users of the western Rideau River pathway being “in the throes of this issue.”

“There are those who would love it to be a really efficient route, so a cyclist can go quickly … there are others who are quite concerned that it might just become a speedway for cycling,” Chernushenko said.

The city is examining other designs, including widening multi-use pathways beyond the regular three metres or creating more separate spaces, said Kornel Mucsi, transportation strategic planning manager.

“In terms of the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists, this is something that is kind of a new problem,” he said, adding other cities have used different designs as ridership grew.

Innes ward Coun. Rainer Bloess gave his own presentation about missing links between sidewalks and pathways. “That’s the one issue we seem to not be able to come to grips with,” he said.

cmills@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/CarysMills

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/conflicts-push-city-to-look-at-new-multi-use-pathway-designs

waterloowarrior

Sep 11, 2014, 1:35 AM

St. Laurent Boulevard Cycling Lanes Feasibility Study - Hemlock Street to Montreal Road
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study
Open House
September 23, 2014
Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre
300, des Pères-Blancs
6 to 8 p.m.

The City of Ottawa is studying the feasibility of modifying the lanes on St. Laurent Boulevard, between Hemlock Street and Montreal Road, to find a balanced approach that provides cycling lanes while continuing to accommodate the needs for pedestrians, transit and cars.

At the Open House, you will have the opportunity to:

Learn more about the project
Understand the current opportunities and constraints along St. Laurent Boulevard
Provide input on the draft design

waterloowarrior

Sep 26, 2014, 1:27 AM

^ proposed plan is online
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study

JM1

Sep 29, 2014, 2:18 PM

While the improved cycling lanes are a big plus, I would prefer them to be grade separated to curb level. I would also like to see them continued right out to the intersection.

This stretch could also do with more active enforcement as speeds are high. Also, there are two heavy trucks in the aerial photograph even though this is not a truck route. I wonder why it is that trucks stay off of Vanier Parkway, but use the St. Laurent Hemlock route? Trucks are equally prohibited on both routes.

As an aside, the aerial photo also shows the problem of bus bunching on the 7 route southbound near Montreal Road.

^ proposed plan is online
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study

Catenary

Sep 29, 2014, 2:28 PM

While the improved cycling lanes are a big plus, I would prefer them to be grade separated to curb level. I would also like to see them continued right out to the intersection.

The continued right out to the intersection thing is the worst. The cycle lanes disappear when needed most. I understand that it is a minor miracle to get even one traffic lane removed for a bicycle lane, but either do it right or wait until it can be done properly.

1overcosc

Sep 29, 2014, 3:11 PM

^ Is it? Removing traffic lanes to accomodate cyclists & pedestrians is picking up steam in this city. In addition to St. Laurent between Hemlock & Montreal, we're also doing it to Queen Street and Main Street too.

The next candidate for complete street-ing should be the eastern section of Carling--from Churchill eastwards. It's needlessly wide with a giant grass median and 6 lanes of traffic that are completely unwarranted. Even at rush hour it seems undercapacity. My history might be rusty but I'm pretty sure it's a legacy of when Carling was the main east-west throughway before Highway 417 was built.

I'd favour cutting Carling down to 4 lanes here, adding in a set of segregated cycling lanes, a bigger sidewalk, and reserved room for a future tram ROW in the middle. In the interim that tram ROW coudl be bus lanes.. which is budgeted for in the TMP. Should all be possible. Very useful given all the intensification that is now happening around there. Also hooks into that spiffy new cycling lane on Churchill.

I'd love to see complete streeting of Rideau & King Edward, but that's not really possible until we get the Rideau Subway & Downtown Truck Tunnel built.

Also, the city should look at segregating the entirety of the East-West bikeway by putting cheap bollards along Stewart/Wilbrod and Cumberland. Parked cars blocking those lanes is a huge issue. I don't cycle but I walk past them all the time and see cars in them.

MaxHeadroom

Sep 29, 2014, 4:08 PM

^ proposed plan is online
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study

Before reducing traffic lanes on St. Laurent, the city should consider the impact of developing the old Rockcliffe Airbase and how much traffic that is going to generate in terms of cars and buses.

The city prefers to have bicycle lanes unsegregated because it makes snow clearing operations easier.

Catenary

Sep 29, 2014, 4:21 PM

Before reducing traffic lanes on St. Laurent, the city should consider the impact of developing the old Rockcliffe Airbase and how much traffic that is going to generate in terms of cars and buses.

The city prefers to have bicycle lanes unsegregated because it makes snow clearing operations easier.

I get this reason, especially with flex posts or curbs, but when the lane is raised to sidewalk level like St. Patrick or in front of City Hall the wing blade on a standard plow should be able to clear the path from the road with little problem. The ability to sand/salt the path would depend on what type of spreader it has installed.

Dado

Sep 29, 2014, 4:33 PM

The next candidate for complete street-ing should be the eastern section of Carling--from Churchill eastwards. It's needlessly wide with a giant grass median and 6 lanes of traffic that are completely unwarranted. Even at rush hour it seems undercapacity. My history might be rusty but I'm pretty sure it's a legacy of when Carling was the main east-west throughway before Highway 417 was built.

I'd favour cutting Carling down to 4 lanes here, adding in a set of segregated cycling lanes, a bigger sidewalk, and reserved room for a future tram ROW in the middle. In the interim that tram ROW coudl be bus lanes.. which is budgeted for in the TMP. Should all be possible. Very useful given all the intensification that is now happening around there. Also hooks into that spiffy new cycling lane on Churchill.

As wide as it is, the Carling RoW isn't wide enough for 4 lanes of traffic, 2 central transit lanes, 2 segregated bike lanes, widened sidewalks and 2 separator medians between the traffic and transit lanes.

If the RoW isn't widened and you want to fit all the good stuff, the only option is to reduce Carling to 1 traffic lane per direction.

Getting back on topic, one thing I'd like to see in the area is some kind of crossing facility for bikes and pedestrians of the Queensway at Churchill, be it under (probably preferable) or over. That way the horrific Kirkwood crossing can be avoided.

Kitchissippi

Sep 29, 2014, 5:22 PM

Getting back on topic, one thing I'd like to see in the area is some kind of crossing facility for bikes and pedestrians of the Queensway at Churchill, be it under (probably preferable) or over. That way the horrific Kirkwood crossing can be avoided.

Or they should negotiate some sort of bike path ROW with Canadian Tire, Carling Mazda and/or the Saputo property so there's a cut though to Clyde. The current arrangement via Tilbury Ave isn't bad, but the crossing on Churchill is better with less traffic. What I would really like to see is some sort of switchback path that goes up the former ski hill to connect the two segments of Clyde and then build cycle tracks (or a two way bike path on one side) all the way along Merivale. The last Origin-Destination Survey identified the Merivale as one of the main destinations from the Westboro area, and a north-south cycling corridor would really be beneficial here.

Speaking of that old bunny ski hill, I bet it would get a lot of use if it was developed as a longboard park (http://youtu.be/Ta70WnVT6Lc).

Urbanarchit

Oct 5, 2014, 6:58 AM

rocketphish

Oct 8, 2014, 1:20 AM

Wellington Village bike corral removed after complaints

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 7, 2014, Last Updated: October 7, 2014 8:28 PM EDT

http://wpmedia.ottawacitizen.com/2014/10/wellington-west-village-bicycle-corrals-ottawa-bicycle-lane.jpg?w=800

Things were not OK at the Wellington Village bike corral, so the city has cut short a pilot project weeks earlier than planned.

The $13,000 trial began in June when brightly coloured on-street corrals were placed in three locations: on Second Avenue in the Glebe and at two locations on Wellington Street West.

Using one large vehicle parking space, the corrals can accommodate as many as a dozen bikes. They were to be in place until the end of October.

But some business owners raised concerns about the lack of consultation over where one was ultimately located — on the north side of Wellington Street West between Ross and Grange avenues, as well as the loss of street parking in a high-demand area.

In a neighbourhood where lots of people park for short periods of time to pop into a store, that one parking spot could be used dozens of times over the course of a single day, business owners say.

They also point out the abundance of bike posts in the area and suggest a side street might have been a better location for the Wellington Village corral.

“None of us are against bicyclists, none of us are against the bicycling community, none of us against the corral per se, it was simply where it was put,” said Terry Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Petit Bill’s Bistro.

Businesses were told the corral would be gone at the end of September, he said, adding he fears he and other shopkeepers are now being made to look like the bad guys because it has actually been removed.

Zachary Dayler of the Wellington West Business Improvement Area said the BIA visited seven businesses near the Clarendon location and received letters of support from the Ottawa Bagelshop, the Wellington Street Gastropub, Terra 20, Parma Ravioli and several others.

But the BIA didn’t consult other businesses in the vicinity, including several located immediately adjacent to the corral, Dayler said.

Given the concerns of some BIA members, the group asked for the corral to be relocated further east on Wellington but a suitable location could not be found, the city said.

The corral near Fairmont Avenue in Hintonburg has been used significantly more than the Clarendon one, and will remain in place until the end of the month, Dayler said.

“It’s been an educational pilot,” he said.

Asked about the bike corral after Tuesday’s finance committee meeting, before the city confirmed that the corral had been removed, Mayor Jim Watson said the corrals provided a good return on investment by creating a dozen bike parking spots in exchange for a single vehicle spot.

“Those bike corrals are a pilot project and my view is they should stay for the season,” Watson said.

The city says staff will evaluate the bike corral project over the winter to determine whether to recommend continuation next year.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/wellington-village-bike-corral-removed-after-complaints

umbria27

Oct 8, 2014, 2:44 PM

Zachary Dayler of the Wellington West Business Improvement Area said the BIA visited seven businesses near the Clarendon location and received letters of support from the Ottawa Bagelshop, the Wellington Street Gastropub, Terra 20, Parma Ravioli and several others.

But the BIA didn’t consult other businesses in the vicinity, including several located immediately adjacent to the corral, Dayler said.

Good example of why you need to do a full consultation. Saslove and the other objectors may have grumbled and accepted it if consulted beforehand. Instead now they can claim they were never consulted.

On the other hand, it's a pilot project. Pilots should be allowed to fail. You learn something from failure, even if the only takeaway is that there's less resistance if you place corrals on side streets.

rocketphish

Oct 11, 2014, 3:20 AM

New bike-sharing network VeloGo launches this weekend

Michael Woods, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 10, 2014, Last Updated: October 10, 2014 5:35 PM EDT

http://wpmedia.ottawacitizen.com/2014/10/velogo-for-1011-cyclehop.jpg?w=700

After months of delays, the national capital’s dormant bike-sharing network is re-launching with a catchy new name and shiny new bicycles.

The program formerly known as Capital BIXI will now be called VeloGo, its private operator announced on Friday.

CycleHop, the Miami company that bought the National Capital Commission’s network of bikes and locking stations in April, is opening five bike-share stations on select days starting this weekend to demonstrate the new system.

Three of the new stations are in Ottawa and two are in Gatineau.

The company has also launched a snazzy new VeloGo website where new members can sign up and see how the bike-sharing system works.

It might seem odd for a new bike-sharing service to launch in October, when the leaves are starting to fall. But this is a soft launch for the network; CycleHop says the full VeloGo system will launch in the spring.

When CycleHop took over Capital BIXI’s 250 bikes and 25 locking stations in April, the company’s chief executive said the program would launch by summer.

That was later pushed back to August. In mid-August, the company said transferring the program from one supplier to another required more time, and it wouldn’t fully launch until spring 2015.

CycleHop chose Social Bicycles, the company that is running Hamilton’s new bike-sharing network, to provide equipment for VeloGo.

The demonstrations will show off the company’s “Smart Bike” technology, which allows users to lock their bikes to any old rack once they’re finished. Likewise, users can earn credit on their accounts by taking stray bikes and locking them to stations.

Bikes can be reserved from the VeloGo mobile app, website or on the bike itself using its keypad.

CycleHop intends to expand the VeloGo network to 50 stations, doubling its previous size.

The NCC sold its network of Bixi stations after Public Bike System Co., the City of Montreal-controlled non-profit company that had a contract to run Capital Bixi until 2015, filed for bankruptcy protection.

Dates

Here are the demonstration dates for the new system, which CycleHop said the public is invited to try. Demonstration hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

Ottawa

Murray Street at Mackenzie Avenue: Oct. 12, 17, 23 and 29; Nov. 4 and 10.
Queen Elizabeth Driveway at Somerset Street: Oct. 10, 15, 21 and 26; Nov. 1, 7 and 14.
Queen Elizabeth Driveway at Pretoria Bridge: Oct. 11, 16, 22 and 28; Nov. 3, 9 and 15.

Gatineau

Laurier and Victoria streets: Oct. 13, 18, 24 and 30; Nov. 5 and 12.
Laurier Street at Allumettières Boulevard: Oct. 14, 20, 25 and 31; Nov. 6 and 13.

mwoods@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/michaelrwoods

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/new-bike-sharing-network-velogo-launches-this-weekend

waterloowarrior

Oct 29, 2014, 6:35 PM

Functional design for Albert MUP-Laurier Bike lanes connection
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/preliminary-functional-design

Dado

Oct 30, 2014, 1:34 AM

Functional design for Albert MUP-Laurier Bike lanes connection
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/preliminary-functional-design

I... just... give up.

Do the people who draw this stuff actually know how to operate a bike, at all?

Good job guys. Expecting cyclists to make a right angle turn at the bottom of a hill on a narrow raised two-way path going against traffic.

And they do it twice.

TransitZilla

Oct 30, 2014, 1:26 PM

I... just... give up.

Do the people who draw this stuff actually know how to operate a bike, at all?

Good job guys. Expecting cyclists to make a right angle turn at the bottom of a hill on a narrow raised two-way path going against traffic.

And they do it twice.

I don't see what the issue is (and yes, I know how to operate a bike).

Ideally, the north-south connection at Slater/Bronson would have a cross-ride but that would be my only complaint. The link down Commissioners is a decent compromise until bike lanes can be built on Slater in 2018 once the buses have been removed.

McC

Oct 30, 2014, 1:55 PM

TransitZilla

Oct 30, 2014, 8:00 PM

I don't get the rationale for having the Albert crossing mid-block, why not continue all the way to Brickhill or the Transitway/Empress intersection? It's not as if that triangle of land between Albert and Slater is being used for anything else...?

Well if you stay on the south side of Albert it doesn't reach all the way to the Transitway/Empress intersection... I suppose they could have the crossing at Brickhill but then pedestrians or cyclists crossing would have to worry about vehicles turning in and out. Putting it mid-block makes it an easier crossing.

McC

Oct 30, 2014, 8:47 PM

Westbound traffic on Albert street currently stops just a couple of metres from the end of the sidewalk on the south side of Albert; move the lights back those few metres, make Albert-Slater-Empress-Transitway one large intersection, add a third north-south crosswalk there across Albert only, and job's done.

This might also have the side benefit of slightly reducing the number of westbound buses that blow past pedestrians turning from Albert onto the Transitway.

Not that consistency is a virtue in itself, but City road designers are awfully inconsistent about the appropriate distances between signalized crossings along this corridor:
we'd have 2 signalized crossings in the 500metres between Bronson and Booth, compared to 1 in the 650 metres between Bayview/Bayswater and Parkdale, and 0 in the 500 metres between Preston and Bayview Station.

Dado

Oct 31, 2014, 5:30 PM

I don't see what the issue is (and yes, I know how to operate a bike).

It's fundamentally bad bicycle facility design practise to have short, sharp right angle turns. It's worse still to do it immediately preceding a stop, because you're now splitting the cyclist's attention between navigating the turn and paying attention to the signal light (for the former you instinctively look down at your front wheel, whereas for the latter you have to look up). And then to do it at the bottom of a hill where speed will have been built up on the descent? Just add in some wet pavement for further fun.

Ideally, the north-south connection at Slater/Bronson would have a cross-ride but that would be my only complaint. The link down Commissioners is a decent compromise until bike lanes can be built on Slater in 2018 once the buses have been removed.

I'd bring it across Slater somewhere to the east of the Bay Station platform, then have it run along the north side of Slater. That gets it on the correct side of the road (since the cyclists nearest the traffic are moving in the same direction as the traffic). After that, take it across Bronson and then come down the hill north of Slater. Doing it that way there's plenty of space to design a gentle wide radius turn to set up to cross Albert.

rocketphish

Nov 9, 2014, 3:50 AM

Bronson escarpment bike path design finalized
Construction on Albert- Laurier link to start next year

Ottawa East News, Nov 06, 2014
By Laura Mueller

Ottawa cyclists are getting a better picture of what a pathway link through the Bronson escarpment will look like when it's built next year.

The path, which includes a section through the former technical high school lands east of Bronson Avenue and south of Slater Street, is the next section of the bikeway that will eventually link Vanier and Westboro with a series of paths and different types of bike lanes.

The goal is to improve the comfort of cyclists by separating them from roads with heavy traffic, like Bronson, and reducing the steepness of the grade they have to travel up or down.

The tricky portion near the intersections of Bronson, Slater, Albert Street and Commissioner Street will require two new sections of pathway and a new traffic signal to be built next year. The new crossing signal will allow pedestrians and eastbound

cyclists to cross Albert Street halfway between Brickhill Street and Commissioner to get to a new pathway to be built in the green buffer between Albert and Slater.

The location of that new traffic signal was determined by traffic engineers, who wanted to ensure there was enough room for vehicles to "stack" at the Bronson intersection.

The path will curve around to bring cyclists south to the Bronson-Slater intersection, where they will have to dismount to cross to the south side of Slater. From there, the route will continue with a crossride, which allows cyclists to ride beside the pedestrian crosswalk, to get to the pathway link through the tech school land. That path will cut south to link up with the segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue, at Percy Street, which has a southbound bike lane.

The route cuts through an existing pet play area, which will be reduced to 70 per cent of its current size. It will be fenced off during and after construction.

Both pathways are multi-use, so pedestrians and people using mobility devices, skateboards and roller blades can also use the route.

Eventually, after the light-rail transit system begins running in 2018, another cycling route will be constructed along Slater between Bronson and Empress Avenue. That two-way cycling route will be separated from vehicular traffic and will give cyclists a more direct way to get down the escarpment and connect to new bike lanes on Slater and Albert to the west, which will be constructed when those roads are rebuilt after LRT is up and running. A crossing for cyclists will be added at Empress to allow cyclists on the south side of Albert to access westbound lanes on the north side.

But it's not clear whether the pathway links being built in 2015 will be changed or decommissioned, said Zlatko Krstulic, the planner in charge of the bikeway link's design.

"I don't think we have a final decision on that right now," he said. "We have a few years to make that decision. For the time being, we're going to leave that an open question."

Winter maintenance of the new pathway link would be considered as part of city council's 2015-16 term priorities.

As part of the project, a section of the Laurier bike lane between Percy and Bay streets will be converted to a raised cycling track at the same height as the sidewalk.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/4964143-bronson-escarpment-bike-path-design-finalized/

m0nkyman

Nov 9, 2014, 2:58 PM

, where they will have to dismount That is so stupid it is physically painful.

rocketphish

Nov 17, 2014, 6:43 PM

Laurier Avenue bike lanes win sustainability award

Ottawa Citizen
Published on: November 17, 2014, Last Updated: November 17, 2014 1:03 PM EST

Ottawa’s Laurier Avenue bicycle lanes have won recognition from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The first bike lanes in Ontario to be physically separated from other traffic, the project earned a Sustainable Communities Award in the transportation category. Other winners include Kingston for a groundwater remediation project and Halifax for its Solar City program that helps residents install solar water heaters. Winners will receive trophies at a conference in London, Ont., in February.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/bike-lanes-win-sustainability-award

rocketphish

Nov 18, 2014, 6:03 PM

Cycle of change on Ottawa roads

By Susan Sherring, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Monday, November 17, 2014 08:39 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 17, 2014 08:45 PM EST

Is the car still king of the road?

Not so much.

Sorry suburbanites, but you’re going to have to make room for those pesky bikes — sooner rather than later.

You no longer own the road.

And cyclists — you’re going to have to start following the rules of the road.

You’ve actually got to stop at stop signs, yield to oncoming traffic and yes, you’ve got to signal.

The promotional phrase Share the Road applies — or at least should apply — to both cars and cyclists — and pedestrians as well.

Don’t like it? Sadly, you’re going to have to suck it up — whether your favoured mode of transportation is a bike, a car or your own two feet.

As a city councillor representing the suburban ward of Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess enjoys taking his bike to work when timing and weather permits. A frequent user of OC Transpo’s rack and roll, Bloess sees both sides of the debate.

He knows car drivers get frustrated and nervous when bikes come too close to vehicles — and upset when bikers don’t follow the rules of the road. As a cyclist — he understands that both roads and car drivers have to become more bike-friendly.

“I think there’s a bit of a turf war going on,” said Bloess in a recent interview with the Sun.

Absolutely.

Hanging onto the days when the car was king, drivers — especially in the suburbs are both nervous and reluctant about sharing the road with bikes.

(As a proud suburbanite, there are certainly times when I include myself in this group. Bikers unnerve me on roads where there isn’t an allotted bike lane and in the suburbs that’s most of the roads we travel on.)

Despite that, there is an increasing number of residents who hop on their bike to head downtown.

Kudos to them.

And for those resistant to the change, please remember the more cyclists hopping on two wheels to get to work, the gym or the park — the fewer cars on the road.

More room for the rest of us!

But Ottawans have been slow to change.

“There’s a whole different attitude in European cities,” Bloess said.

I think we’ve evolved differently. We’ve been very car oriented, bikes have almost been like a sideline.

“I think, you almost have to keep repeating the message. It’s a slow evolution,” he said.

He points out, as people don’t always realize transit users keep cars off the roads, so do cyclists.

And that’s that same effect with more cyclists, though of course, in the suburbs, unless better and connecting bike lanes are introduced, it’s going to be a slow revolution.

Incoming councillor Catherine McKenney will be representing the downtown ward of Somerset.

A cycling advocate, she frequently campaigned in her ward on her bike.

A longtime cyclist, she has seen a shift in thinking over the years — with car drivers and cyclists growing more accustomed to each other.

She’s noticed a marked increase in the number of downtown cyclists and believes their increased presence is forcing both car drivers and bikers to get more used to each other.

“I believe people are more comfortable with the cycling, and with more bikes, drivers are getting more used to it, everyone is more comfortable with cyclists on the road as well. It is a good symbiotic relationship, with benefits for both,” McKenney said.

“We’re slowly changing our culture, it’s all about shifting, reapportioning that public space. Yes, our roads were built for cars — but that is changing.”

Twitter: @susansherring

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/11/17/cycle-of-change-on-ottawa-roads

Cre47

Nov 28, 2014, 1:08 AM

Another cyclist fatality on the main commercial cluster of Merivale/Clyde Road (from Baseline to Hunt Club for those wondering)

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/cyclist-struck-and-killed-by-dump-truck-1.2121992

waterloowarrior

Nov 28, 2014, 1:49 AM

http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/bronson-avenue-pedestrian-and-cycling-crossing-near

Bronson Avenue Pedestrian and Cycling Crossing near Colonel By Drive Ramps
Invitation For Open House
Bronson Avenue Pedestrian and Cycling Crossing
near Colonel By Drive Ramps

Presented by
Public Works Department

Purpose of Open House:

The purpose of the Open House is to provide the public an opportunity to:

to review the pedestrian and bicycle crossing options of Bronson Avenue in proximity of the Colonel By Drive Ramps;
to provide input and comment on the proposed crossing location and design; and,
identify any issues and opportunities that you feel should be addressed.
Public Open House:

Two Public Open Houses are scheduled as shown below:

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
River Building – RB 2220-2228
Carleton University (paid parking is available on site)
1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6

Monday, December 15th, 2014
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Room A-B, Greenboro Community Centre
363 Lorry Greenberg Drive
Ottawa, ON K1T 3P8

Local stakeholders will be consulted throughout the study process to ensure transparency and to ensure that the community has an opportunity to provide their inpu

waterloowarrior

Dec 4, 2014, 12:21 AM

Catenary

Dec 4, 2014, 6:35 AM

^ Major pedestrian/cycling safety improvement

http://media.zuza.com/3/9/398dbcac-db70-4f83-8fd6-7931a73d850b/recommended_option-web___Content.jpg

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5179709-long-awaited-cycling-safety-for-bronson-avenue-coming-next-summer/

All three proposals are here:
http://capitalward.ca/index.php/39-news-city/1155-open-house-bronson-pedestrian-cycling-crossing-near-colonel-by-ramps

eltodesukane

Dec 4, 2014, 1:33 PM

OTSkyline

Dec 4, 2014, 3:19 PM

^True. But in most parts of the city there is open "greenspace" on either side of the 417, which doesn't help to seperate neighbourhoods. If buildings and communities were built right up to both sides of the highway I could see why it would be more important to widen the sidewalks and increase connectivity. (Think of Autoroute Descaries in MTL or the Gardiner in Toronto)

phil235

Dec 4, 2014, 3:23 PM

The Vanier/Riverside bridge over Highway 417 was just rebuilt.
I am surprised it has only very narrow sidewalks.
A missed opportunity...
The 417 highway is a major cut through the city, separating neighborhoods.
Connections between the north and south sides should be improved, not just for cars on major streets, but also for pedestrians and bicycles.
More pedestrian bridges are needed across highway 417 in many locations.
It seems nobody realizes that.

Just noticed the same thing on Lees last night. At around 7 the bridge was full of pedestrians, but the sidewalks are narrow and the pedestrian environment is no better than before the bridge replacement.

Not sure who mentioned it before, but it's a shame that they didn't use the opportunity to square that bridge off and make a more direct route for pedestrians. (Though I guess that doesn't lend itself well to rapid replacement.)

Catenary

Dec 4, 2014, 5:11 PM

Just noticed the same thing on Lees last night. At around 7 the bridge was full of pedestrians, but the sidewalks are narrow and the pedestrian environment is no better than before the bridge replacement.

Not sure who mentioned it before, but it's a shame that they didn't use the opportunity to square that bridge off and make a more direct route for pedestrians. (Though I guess that doesn't lend itself well to rapid replacement.)

I think I mentioned it.

Theoretically, squaring off the bridge wouldn't have changed the length of time required for the replacement with the highway closed, only the time required between closures, since the road was opened between bridge removal and reinstallation.

rocketphish

Dec 16, 2014, 6:43 PM

Speeding concerns on St. Laurent prompt lane reductions (with video)

Nicholas Galipeau, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 15, 2014, Last Updated: December 15, 2014 9:00 PM EST

Protesters gathered on the corner of St. Laurent Boulevard and Karen Way on Monday afternoon chanting “Easy on the Speed” to slow traffic in advance of the 2015 reconstruction to reduce the number of lanes on St. Laurent, which will slow the pace of reckless traffic permanently.

“I think that they should at the very least have a pedestrian crossing sign here and, I think, a crosswalk because people just don’t stop,” said Jasmine Robillard, a young mother who frequently crosses St. Laurent to take her four-year-old son to Grandir Ensemble, a francophone daycare. “You have to jaywalk, which is illegal, to get to where you need to be.”

https://postmediaottawacitizen2.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/jasmine-robillard-and-many-other-members-of-acorn-took-to-s.jpg

Robillard, a member of the Ottawa branch of the advocacy group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which organized the protest, said crossing St. Laurent Blvd. is simply not safe.

“In Manor Park alone since 2011 four people have been struck between the intersection at Brittany and Hemlock, so four people in this stretch of road alone.”

Fellow ACORN Canada member Richard Janke, 70, said the danger on St. Laurent and its adjacent streets is not limited to parents and their and children. “It’s terrible. There were 10 dogs killed there last year. Ten. One, zero.”

The hazards are known to Ottawa police, and the parking lot of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has been a frequent host for speed traps.

“I share the concerns about vehicular speeds and pedestrian safety in that area,” said Tobi Nussbaum, the new city councillor for Rideau-Rockliffe who will be meeting with ACORN and Manor Park residents on Jan. 9 to discuss solutions to the area’s speeding issues.

“Specifically I’m talking about narrowing the number of vehicular lanes on St. Laurent between Hemlock and Montreal Road from four vehicular lanes to two and introducing bike lanes at the same time,” said Nussbaum, adding that the measures will make it safer for pedestrians crossing the street.

“I’m optimistic that the planned changes on St. Laurent are going to be a boon for the pedestrian experience and make it a lot safer for people using the daycare,” Nussbam said.

ngalipeau@ottawacitizen.com

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/speeding-concerns-on-st-laurent-prompt-lane-reductions

1overcosc

Dec 16, 2014, 7:22 PM

We need such protests everywhere. This city even on the traditional mainstreets is horrifically unwalkable.

JM1

Dec 16, 2014, 9:28 PM

They really do need to do somthing about St Laurent. I also see people crossing St Laurent south of Montreal where there are no lights. It is fully dangerous.

I think the section between Hemlock and Montreal Road is a good start. However the bike lanes will be treated as passing lanes (as they currently are on Hemlock when a bus pulls in or a car is stopped waiting to turn). I think this increases the danger as dumb drivers go around stopped vehicles despite the loss of visibility.

Preferably, I would like to see the bike lanes raised to curb level so that vehicles don't use them illegally for passing.

Keep up the protests!

By the way, I have seen the "speed traps" in the church parking lot. They are useless. I have not seen many traffic stops for aggressive/dangerous driving or speeding. I think this is a visibility only speed trap (i.e. they count on people slowing down because they see a cop).

Speeding concerns on St. Laurent prompt lane reductions (with video)

Nicholas Galipeau, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 15, 2014, Last Updated: December 15, 2014 9:00 PM EST

Protesters gathered on the corner of St. Laurent Boulevard and Karen Way on Monday afternoon chanting “Easy on the Speed” to slow traffic in advance of the 2015 reconstruction to reduce the number of lanes on St. Laurent, which will slow the pace of reckless traffic permanently.

“I think that they should at the very least have a pedestrian crossing sign here and, I think, a crosswalk because people just don’t stop,” said Jasmine Robillard, a young mother who frequently crosses St. Laurent to take her four-year-old son to Grandir Ensemble, a francophone daycare. “You have to jaywalk, which is illegal, to get to where you need to be.”

https://postmediaottawacitizen2.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/jasmine-robillard-and-many-other-members-of-acorn-took-to-s.jpg

Robillard, a member of the Ottawa branch of the advocacy group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which organized the protest, said crossing St. Laurent Blvd. is simply not safe.

“In Manor Park alone since 2011 four people have been struck between the intersection at Brittany and Hemlock, so four people in this stretch of road alone.”

Fellow ACORN Canada member Richard Janke, 70, said the danger on St. Laurent and its adjacent streets is not limited to parents and their and children. “It’s terrible. There were 10 dogs killed there last year. Ten. One, zero.”

The hazards are known to Ottawa police, and the parking lot of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has been a frequent host for speed traps.

“I share the concerns about vehicular speeds and pedestrian safety in that area,” said Tobi Nussbaum, the new city councillor for Rideau-Rockliffe who will be meeting with ACORN and Manor Park residents on Jan. 9 to discuss solutions to the area’s speeding issues.

“Specifically I’m talking about narrowing the number of vehicular lanes on St. Laurent between Hemlock and Montreal Road from four vehicular lanes to two and introducing bike lanes at the same time,” said Nussbaum, adding that the measures will make it safer for pedestrians crossing the street.

“I’m optimistic that the planned changes on St. Laurent are going to be a boon for the pedestrian experience and make it a lot safer for people using the daycare,” Nussbam said.

ngalipeau@ottawacitizen.com

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/speeding-concerns-on-st-laurent-prompt-lane-reductions

1overcosc

Dec 16, 2014, 9:43 PM

I'm fairly certain the St. Laurent bike lanes are going to be curb level, that's the city's new standard for bike lanes.

Catenary

Dec 17, 2014, 1:51 AM

I find the quote about Jaywalking interesting. You should never have to jaywalk to get where you are going, since jaywalking is the practice of crossing an intersection outside of a crosswalk. Crossing between intersections is not jaywalking, and not illegal.

waterloowarrior

Dec 17, 2014, 1:59 AM

Cllr Nussbaum not a fan of sharrows... great to hear.
https://twitter.com/tobi_nussbaum/status/544687056707153920

Capital Shaun

Dec 17, 2014, 3:51 AM

I'm fairly certain the St. Laurent bike lanes are going to be curb level, that's the city's new standard for bike lanes.

Nope. These are currently planned to be plain ol' bike lanes which disappear into sharrows near major intersections.

1overcosc

Dec 17, 2014, 3:12 PM

Nope. These are currently planned to be plain ol' bike lanes which disappear into sharrows near major intersections.

So the road is not being reconstructed then? That's the only reason I can think of for not raising the bike lanes.

Capital Shaun

Dec 17, 2014, 3:33 PM

So the road is not being reconstructed then? That's the only reason I can think of for not raising the bike lanes.

Looks like it's only lane reconfiguration & not full reconstruction. (Possibly resurfacing, it needs it.)
You can see the proposed plan here:
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study

1overcosc

Dec 17, 2014, 3:41 PM

Looks like it's only lane reconfiguration & not full reconstruction.
You can see the proposed plan here:
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/st-laurent-boulevard-cycling-lanes-feasibility-study

Ya, looks like plain repainting. Blah.

We can at least take comfort in the fact that Ottawa has moved to raised bike lanes as the standard when roads are reconstructed (Churchill, Main, etc.) In Kingston they've reconstructed roads and put plain old painted bike lanes down right afterwards even though it would have cheaper & better for cyclists to have raised them (road supports cost more than sidewalk supports, so making the bike lanes part of the sidewalk is cheaper than making them part of the road).

Capital Shaun

Dec 17, 2014, 7:05 PM

Ya, looks like plain repainting. Blah.

We can at least take comfort in the fact that Ottawa has moved to raised bike lanes as the standard when roads are reconstructed (Churchill, Main, etc.) In Kingston they've reconstructed roads and put plain old painted bike lanes down right afterwards even though it would have cheaper & better for cyclists to have raised them (road supports cost more than sidewalk supports, so making the bike lanes part of the sidewalk is cheaper than making them part of the road).

Not every road reconstruction is getting cycling facilities. They're finishing reconstructing Ogilvie rd between Montreal rd & Blair rd. No cycling facilities whatsoever! And there's actually room! Much of that road has a wide grassy buffer between road & sidewalk which could accommodate a cycletrack. The existing bike lanes are only west of Blair rd. (Which have been surprisingly well maintained so far this winter.)

They added new infrastructure on Montreal rd between Ogilvie rd & Shefford rd when that road was rebuilt. But then there's no lanes on Montreal rd until west of Bathgate Dr. Hopefully that stretch of Montreal rd is addressed when it's due for renewal.

Since they ignored Ogilvie rd, there's still big east-west gaps in the cycling network in my neighbourhood.

TransitZilla

Dec 17, 2014, 8:19 PM

Not every road reconstruction is getting cycling facilities. They're finishing reconstructing Ogilvie rd between Montreal rd & Blair rd. No cycling facilities whatsoever! And there's actually room! Much of that road has a wide grassy buffer between road & sidewalk which could accommodate a cycletrack. The existing bike lanes are only west of Blair rd. (Which have been surprisingly well maintained so far this winter.)

They added new infrastructure on Montreal rd between Ogilvie rd & Shefford rd when that road was rebuilt. But then there's no lanes on Montreal rd until west of Bathgate Dr. Hopefully that stretch of Montreal rd is addressed when it's due for renewal.

Since they ignored Ogilvie rd, there's still big east-west gaps in the cycling network in my neighbourhood.

Was Ogilvie reconstructed or just re-surfaced? I thought the issue was that is was just a resurfacing and there was no room to create bike lanes unless the curbs were moved, which was beyond the budget for a resurfacing project.

I think bike lanes are identified in the Cycling Plan for this section for down the road.

Capital Shaun

Dec 18, 2014, 2:53 AM

Was Ogilvie reconstructed or just re-surfaced? I thought the issue was that is was just a resurfacing and there was no room to create bike lanes unless the curbs were moved, which was beyond the budget for a resurfacing project.

I think bike lanes are identified in the Cycling Plan for this section for down the road.

They replaced the water main, sewers, and I believe also a gas line. Since the sewers were being replaced they probably could have widen the road for bike lanes and modified the drainage. Obviously I understand that would have added costs. Since the paving equipement was already onsite, they could also have built cycletracks as there's room for them along much of Ogilvie rd. As far as I know, bike lanes or cycletracks were simply not looked at for Ogilvie rd. Which is really odd since it's part of the same project that added cycling facilities on Montreal rd after the sewers & water main were replaced there.

rocketphish

Jan 16, 2015, 3:34 AM

Cycling routes in the works for next winter

City will have to approve money, service standards for additional bike-lane plowing

By Laura Mueller, Ottawa East News
Jan 02, 2015

Better snow clearing for cyclists is on the way, but there are still a few kinks to work out before a winter cycling network is established.

A proposal to clear another 20 kilometres of bike lanes downtown in addition to the current 20 km will be part of the 2015 city budget process. The idea was just floated when it was included in the updated Transportation Master Plan in 2013, but city council will still need to allocate the money – an estimated $250,000 – to make it happen, which means the clearer routes won’t become a reality until next winter.

That cost will be under consideration when city council reviews its proposed budget for 2015, which is set to take place next month.

Meanwhile, the city needs to clarify a few things, including the proposed routes and also how clear they will have to be, said Luc Gagné, the city’s manager of road services.

“There is a need to clarification of the standards that will be undertaken to further develop what the future quality standards will be,” he said.

Right now, crews try their best to clear as much snow as possible out of the bike lanes on priority routes, such as Scott and Albert streets. The goal is to clear the snow away, leaving bare asphalt within four to six hours of a snowstorm. But there is usually a need to leave at least a small bank of snow along the edge of the road, Gagné said, and crews do their best to share the snow between the sidewalk and bike lane so neither mode is unduly blocked.

“It’s a fact of life,” he said. “There is little to no room for snow storage.”

If city council wants all of that snow completely gone as part of its new winter cycling network plan, it will have to revise the service standards and look at how much money it is willing to spend, Gagné said.

Whatever the service standards, having crews pay attention to additional cycling lanes will be a boon for cyclists in the winter, said Alex deVries, vice president of Citizens for Safe Cycling.

“This is the number one thing the city can do to get people to bicycle in the winter,” he said.

The city can make the most impact on easing traffic congestion by improving cycling conditions, since winter is when most people have their cars on the road, he said.

To take it to the next level, deVries said the city really needs to work together with the National Capital Commission to create a joint snow-clearing plan.

“I wish that they would co-operate more in having a joint plan,” deVries said.

Right now, the NCC contracts the city to clear the pathways along both sides of the Rideau Canal. But when and if other pathways are plowed is hit and miss, deVries said. Sections of the NCC’s Ottawa River pathway and the city’s O-Train pathway have been cleared in the past, even though they aren’t included in the cycling snow-clearing plans.

Clarifying which routes get cleared, ensuring connection between NCC and city infrastructure are maintained and publicizing those routes would go a long way to encouraging people to get on their bikes in the winter, deVries said.

Winter cycling routes cleared now:

Rideau Canal pathways
Laurier Avenue segregated bike lanes
Scott and Albert streets west of Bronson Avenue
A Portion of Wellington Street between the Portage Bridge and Bay Street

Additional routes proposed for 2015-16:

Lyon Street from Wellington to Gladstone Avenue, including a portion of Gladstone
Bay Street from Wellington to Flora Street
Percy Street from Gladstone to Holmwood Avenue, including a portion of Holmwood
Bronson Avenue from Holmwood to Brewer Way
Beechwood Avenue from Birch Avenue across the St. Patrick Bridge to Chapel Street
The eastern extension of the east-west bikeway through Sandy Hill, including a portion of Laurier Avenue, Stewart Street, Wilbrod Street and Chapel Street
Lees Avenue and the pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River, as well as a portion of the Rideau River eastern pathway north of Hwy. 417
Island Park Drive from Scott Street to Iona Drive
Churchill Avenue from Byron Avenue to Carling Avenue
O-Train pathway

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5240434-cycling-routes-in-the-works-for-next-winter/

rocketphish

Feb 24, 2015, 7:02 PM

:previous: Maybe we could incorporate some of these into our winter cycling routes? :)

Boston cyclists dig 13-metre tunnel to keep bike path open for commuting

JORDAN CHITTLEY, The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Feb. 23 2015, 11:34 AM EST, Last updated Monday, Feb. 23 2015, 6:01 PM EST

http://static.theglobeandmail.ca/d93/globe-drive/news/trans-canada-highway/article23150430.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/Boston+tunnel.JPG

Boston is suffering through the nastiest of winters, forcing many people into difficult commutes through tons of snow, but a determined Ari Goldberger is still riding his bike to work. However, he did run into a problem a few weeks ago.
When the 29-year-old guitar technician was biking home from work he encountered a five-metre mountain of snow likely pushed into the spot by plows. He climbed over the mountain with his bike and then went to a nearby transit station to complain. They passed the buck to the operators of the parking lot, who said it was the transit authority’s responsibility. Fearing he’d have to climb the mountain with his bike every day until the snow melted, he posted this picture to Facebook asking for help.

“Get some friends together and tunnel through it, I’m in,” wrote Shadron Davis in the comments. “Bonus: natural beer chiller while we work.”
The following Monday, Goldberger, Davis and members of the Boston Bike Party began digging a tunnel. By Thursday the group had dug a 13-metre long tunnel that was high and wide enough for one person to bike through.

Other cyclists went to the tunnel to film themselves riding through it. It was jokingly referred to as Big Dig II, but it cost $20 billion less.

But the tunnel didn’t last long. On Saturday, Goldberger discovered the tunnel had been knocked down and a large boulder of snow was blocking the entrance.

VIDEOS (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/news/trans-canada-highway/boston-cyclists-dig-13-metre-tunnel-to-keep-bike-path-open-for-commuting/article23150431/)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/news/trans-canada-highway/boston-cyclists-dig-13-metre-tunnel-to-keep-bike-path-open-for-commuting/article23150431/

Kitchissippi

Feb 24, 2015, 7:20 PM

:previous: or maybe when the roadheaders are done with the Confederation Line project, do something like this: :haha:

bywQ7lwdD04

Capital Shaun

Feb 24, 2015, 8:25 PM

:previous: or maybe when the roadheaders are done with the Confederation Line project, do something like this: :haha
That sure looks fun! They've also got an aerial rope obstacle course.
http://www.louisvillemegacavern.com/

rocketphish

Mar 10, 2015, 5:02 PM

Cyclists should be included in distracted-driving rules, Ottawa police say

David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 10, 2015, Last Updated: March 10, 2015 12:15 PM EDT

The Ottawa police want to ban cyclists and heavy-equipment operators from messing around with smartphones while they’re on the road.

The Ontario legislature is considering government legislation to increase road safety by, among many other things, hiking the fine for distracted driving of a car or truck from $300 to $1,000. Presumably on behalf of the Ottawa Police Service, Sgt. Mark Gatien of the force’s traffic division wrote to the committee going over the Making Ontario’s Roads Safer Act to point out what he sees as a loophole: the legislation talks about motor vehicles, leaving out non-motorized vehicles and heavy equipment that’s in a different legal classification.

“Our hands are presently tied with cell phone infractions being committed on Bicycles and Backhoes etc. using our roadways,” Gatien’s letter (https://www.scribd.com/doc/258271191/258188363-Bill-31-Written-Submission-From-the-Ottawa-Police-Service) says.

Which suggests some confusion: these aren’t infractions. Gatien wishes they were and possibly they should be, but they aren’t. I worry a bit about a police officer who sees lawful behaviour and thinks, “That’s an infraction I’m just prohibited from punishing.”

That aside, Gatien is right on the substance. Texting while driving a backhoe at road speeds is just as dangerous as texting while driving a car. A cyclist who’s fooling around with a phone in traffic isn’t quite as dangerous to others — the risk is different when you’re in a steel cage versus perched atop a bike — but is still doing a needlessly dumb thing that does indeed put other people at risk. Pedestrians, other cyclists, drivers who might have to slam on the brakes or take that cyclist’s life when something unexpected pops up.

This is just a two-page letter sent to a committee, not a big organized call for action, but the armed camps of roadway users formed up, as they do.

The cops, meanwhile, do a visibly poor job of enforcing existing laws. Go stand outside police headquarters on Elgin Street for 10 minutes at rush hour and you’ll see five people texting at the wheel. Now that it’s been above zero for 20 minutes, cyclists are already weaving around pedestrians on Bank Street sidewalks. It often feels like a free-for-all.

We all feel like everybody else is getting away with stuff and we’re all pretty much right. Which perhaps explains why everybody seems to want something done about something.

At least I hope we can all agree about the backhoes.

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/davidreevely

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reevely-cyclists-should-be-included-in-distracted-driving-rules-ottawa-police-say

waterloowarrior

Mar 24, 2015, 12:11 AM

http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/open-house-april-9-2015

Open House - April 9, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Jean Pigott Place
Ottawa City Hall
110 Laurier Avenue West
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (Presentation at 7 p.m.)

You are invited to attend the second open house for the proposed cycling facility along the O'Connor Street corridor from Wellington Street to Glebe Avenue. Information will also be presented for the Glebe Neighbourhood Cycling Plan portion of the proposed cycling facility further south along O'Connor down to Fifth Avenue. Identified in the Ottawa Cycling Plan as a Phase 1 Cross-town Bikeway, the facility would link Confederation Boulevard (at Wellington Street), the Central Business District, Centretown and the Glebe.

At this Open House participants will learn more details about the project including:

Gaining an understanding of existing conditions and challenges
Reviewing the preferred concept for the bikeway
Sharing thoughts and ideas on achieving the project goal and on addressing potential community concerns.

The preferred concept:

Between Wellington and Pretoria where O'Connor is a one-way street: a separated bi-directional bikeway on the east side of the roadway with a buffer treatment consisting of pre-cast concrete curbs, paint and flexible bollards.
Between Pretoria and Strathcona where O'Connor is a one-way street: a uni-directional bike lane on the west side and a contraflow bike lane on the east side with a buffer treatment similar to above
Between Strathcona and Glebe Avenue where O'Connor is a two-way street: a painted bike lane on both sides.*

* The Glebe Neighbourhood Cycling Plan recommends the continuation of this treatment – a painted bike lane on both sides – along O'Connor from Glebe Avenue to Fifth Avenue.

The images below illustrate the preferred concept at two representative locations along O'Connor Street.

http://ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/preferredconceptmaclarencropped.jpg

Example cross-section of O'Connor Street Bikeway looking north at MacLaren Street (cross-section varies by block; refer to functional plan)

http://ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/preferredconceptpattersoncropped.jpg

Example cross-section of O'Connor Street Bikeway looking north at Patterson Avenue (cross-section varies by block; refer to functional plan)

The recommended functional design concept shows the proposed treatment for the bikeway along the full length of the O'Connor corridor from Wellington Street to Glebe Avenue.

The recommendation meets the following project objectives:

The highest level of cycling safety and comfort for all ages and abilities
A northbound and southbound link as part of the larger existing and planned cycling network
A short-term, cost effective solution (i.e. limited to work between the curbs and not a full rebuild of the street)
Supportive of the long-term goal of a Complete Street.

The study has involved a review and evaluation of alternative design options leading to a recommended functional design concept that has the highest likelihood of implementation based on technical feasibility, affordability and community input. If adopted, the City would co-ordinate the works with the planned street resurfacing of O'Connor Street (Somerset to Isabella) and work towards implementation of the bikeway in two phases:

1. Between Laurier Avenue and Glebe Avenue starting in 2016
2. Between Wellington Street and Laurier Avenue starting sometime after 2017.

acottawa

Mar 24, 2015, 12:56 AM

It would be nice if they would fix the Percy route that has completely fallen into disrepair before starting new schemes.

phil235

Mar 24, 2015, 1:50 PM

It would be nice if they would fix the Percy route that has completely fallen into disrepair before starting new schemes.

I think we need both, but I'm really not sure why they are neglecting Percy. It's a very busy route into downtown, connects with the Laurier lanes, and is much more comfortable for many cyclists than O'Connor.

Sometimes the City seems to forget that it exists. The Glebe neighbourhood bike plan doesn't even include painted lanes from the Percy lanes to the new lanes on Glebe Ave. That is 4 easy blocks of cycling facility that would fill a hole in the network, and they just haven't bothered to include it.

hwy418

Mar 24, 2015, 3:55 PM

I think we need both, but I'm really not sure why they are neglecting Percy. It's a very busy route into downtown, connects with the Laurier lanes, and is much more comfortable for many cyclists than O'Connor.

Sometimes the City seems to forget that it exists. The Glebe neighbourhood bike plan doesn't even include painted lanes from the Percy lanes to the new lanes on Glebe Ave. That is 4 easy blocks of cycling facility that would fill a hole in the network, and they just haven't bothered to include it.

Once implemented, the Glebe Neighborhood Bikeway plan will include shared-use lanes from Chamberlain Ave. to Holmwood Ave.

phil235

Mar 24, 2015, 4:08 PM

Once implemented, the Glebe Neighborhood Bikeway plan will include shared-use lanes from Chamberlain Ave. to Holmwood Ave.

Where did you see that? The last version that was presented doesn't even include sharrows for the north part of Percy.

hwy418

Mar 24, 2015, 4:44 PM

Where did you see that? The last version that was presented doesn't even include sharrows for the north part of Percy.

The POH boards (http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/open-house-june-25-2014) show Percy from Chamberlain to Holmwood as being part of the Glebe Bikeway and it will be a shared-use facility.

rocketphish

Mar 24, 2015, 4:54 PM

Segregated cycling lanes coming to O'Connor (sooner) and Wellington (later)

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 23, 2015, Last Updated: March 23, 2015 6:16 PM EDT

Cyclists who run the gauntlet of buses and other traffic on Wellington Street will probably have to wait a few more years for a segregated bicycle lane past Parliament Hill.

But those dreaming of a safer ride between the Glebe and the city’s core could see their wishes come true by next year. City council is expected to vote on a bi-directional cycle track on the east side of O’Connor Street as early as June.

The O’Connor bikeway, which would extend from Glebe Avenue to Wellington Street, has been in the planning stages since 2012.

An open house is planned on April 9, at which time the bicycle lane’s design and estimated cost will be revealed. The project is expected to go to the city’s transportation committee June 3 and to city council a week later.

The O’Connor project is “really quite significant,” said Alex deVries, vice-president of Citizens for Safe Cycling. “It’s probably the biggest cycling project before 2017.”

If approved, the O’Connor cycle track will be built in two phases, according to Robert Grimwood, a senior project manager at the City of Ottawa. Work on the section between Glebe and Laurier avenues will start next year and the section between Laurier and Wellington Street will be built “sometime after 2017,” Grimwood said.

The plan for a separated, bi-direction cycling lane on Wellington Street arose from a “vision study” jointly done by the National Capital Commission and the City of Ottawa. NCC staff recommended proceeding with dedicated lanes on the north side of Wellington and the west side of Mackenzie Avenue in January 2014.

The proposed bike track would link up with a short segregated bike lane on Wellington between Bay Street and the Portage Bridge that opened in 2012.

In a submission released to researcher Ken Rubin under Access to Information, NCC staff said the absence of “safe cycling infrastructure” on Wellington Street – the highest-profile section of Confederation Boulevard – has forced cyclists to ride on the sidewalk for years, “creating a safety concern for both cyclists and pedestrians.”

The practice is so common, noted deVries, that the cover of one of the NCC’s tourism pamphlets depicts “very happy cyclists riding on the sidewalk, where you’re expressly not supposed to go.”

The submission from NCC staff says the preferred scenario on Wellington requires a reduction in the number of traffic lanes from five to four. A preliminary analysis suggests the lane reduction would only have a minor impact on traffic flow, the document says, but the NCC and the city are currently completing a traffic impact assessment study.

According to deVries, the construction of cycle tracks on Wellington and Mackenzie would greatly improve the “very difficult” bicycle access to the Byward Market. “This is the kind of thing that will appeal to quite a few local residents and tourists.”

There’s no timetable yet for construction, but it doesn’t appear to be imminent. The NCC’s board of directors has yet to approve the bicycle lanes and no funding has been identified for the project, which would be cost-shared with the city.

The city’s 2013 cycling plan identifies construction of a bike track on Mackenzie between now and 2019, but the Wellington project isn’t in the plan until 2020 to 2025.

The idea of a bi-directional bike tracks doesn’t have unanimous support from the cycling community. Though the Ottawa Bicycle Club doesn’t comment on urban cycling issues such as bike lanes as a matter of policy, its president, Peter Tregunno, said he personally thinks bi-directional lanes are “a dangerous idea.”

Drivers, he says, look for cars and bikes that are moving in the same direction and introducing a counter-flow “catches drivers off guard.”

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/segregated-cycling-lanes-coming-to-oconnor-sooner-and-wellington-later

Urbanarchit

Apr 4, 2015, 7:30 PM

Kitchissippi

Apr 5, 2015, 4:35 PM

I've seen these useless signs up on Lees Avenue, they're nothing but signage clutter like the "Share the Road" or "Single File" signs that most drivers ignore anyway.

It's amazing how drivers feel so entitled to on-street parking in this city, it's one of the biggest impediments to balanced transportation. BIAs should lobby for the construction of parking garages to liberate street space for wider sidewalks and bike lanes if they want their businesses to grow.

Buggys

Apr 6, 2015, 1:04 PM

rocketphish

Apr 13, 2015, 5:23 PM

O’Connor Street bike lane receives mixed reviews
Residents, cyclists divided over city’s vision for corridor

By Alex Robinson
Ottawa East News, Apr 12, 2015

A plan to install a bikeway on O’Connor Street could increase the amount of time drivers will be sitting in traffic on the arterial road during rush hour by three minutes, city planners said at a recent meeting.

The plan will see a two-way bike lane installed on the east side of the street, stretching from Wellington Street to Pretoria Avenue, decreasing the number of lanes at rush hour in some places from four to two.

“It is a busy road, but what we’ve found from our review and our analysis is that there is excess capacity on O’Connor especially outside of the p.m. rush hour so there is space available to accommodate cycling,” the project’s manager Robert Grimwood, said at a public meeting on April 9.

“It’s busy during the afternoon rush, and it still will be, but especially in the other 22 hours of the day, there is space there that’s available that is not being used the way it should be.”

It currently takes five to six minutes for drivers to travel from Wellington Street to Hwy. 417 on O’Connor Street during rush hour. The extra bike lanes will add three minutes to that commute, said Ron Clarke, a planner with Parsons.

Some business owners and residents along the thoroughfare blasted the plan, asking why the bike lanes could not be installed on other nearby roads that do not have as much car traffic.

“Why didn’t they use Kent Street instead, or a street that isn’t used to take traffic out of the city?” said Gerald Arial, who owns a flower shop on O’Connor Street.

Grimwood said O’Connor Street was chosen for the project because it will be part of a larger network of bike paths, linking cycling routes from downtown to the Glebe.

“It’s a direct route. It has a crossing of the Queensway, which is key, and a crossing of the Queensway that works, from our perspective in terms of adding cycling infrastructure and making something there that’s safe and comfortable and also accommodates other uses,” Grimwood said.

“The crux of all that is O’Connor is the corridor where people want to be and want to go.”

Residents also expressed concerns over safety and confusion the bi-directional bike lanes could bring.

Glebe resident Kirsten Handley takes her children to a pediatrician on O’Connor. She said she would like to see more of a barrier between the sidewalk and the bike lanes near schools where children will be.

She said parked cars currently serve as an unofficial barrier between sidewalk and passing vehicles.

“Having something in those high traffic areas will be great,” she said.

“I’m hoping we’ll able to find a solution to have those areas safe for children.”

Some cycling enthusiasts welcomed the plan, saying the designated bike lanes would make them feel safer.

Pamela Scaiff, who has biked down O’Connor Street for eight years multiple times a week, said she was excited for the new bike lanes as she feels currently feels unsafe cycling down the street.

“I go really slowly because I’m really afraid,” she said. “I sometimes feel like my life is in danger.”

Mary Van Buskirk, a Glebe resident who said she does not currently use her bike on O’Connor, said she is looking forward to using the new lanes.

“One of the reasons I don’t bike now, is I don’t feel safe,” she said.

City planners said in addition to promoting bicycle usage and getting cyclists off sidewalks, the bike lanes could attract new investment along the corridor.

“With that may come some renewal and investment of business intuitions along the corridor, because this will be the street that has the O’Connor bike way,” Clarke said.

The whole of the project will stretch from Wellington Street to Glebe Avenue. From Pretoria Avenue to Glebe Avenue, there will be separated one way bike lanes flowing in opposite directions on both sides of the street. Between Strathcona and Glebe avenues, there will just be painted lanes on both sides.

The plan will go to the council’s transportation committee for approval on June 3. It’s expected to be built in two phases, the first of which will include the section of O’Connor Street between Laurier and Glebe.

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin in 2016 to coincide with a resurfacing of the street. City planners said work will start on the second phase sometime after 2017.

Residents have until April 24 to provide comments to Grimwood, who can be reached at Robert.Grimwood@ottawa.ca.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5552160-o-connor-street-bike-lane-receives-mixed-reviews/

rocketphish

Apr 14, 2015, 11:30 PM

Bike corrals return to Glebe, Hintonburg, and a parking spot to be named later

Jonathan Duncan, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 14, 2015, Last Updated: April 14, 2015 1:42 PM EDT

http://wpmedia.ottawacitizen.com/2015/04/wellington-west-village-bicycle-corrals-ottawa-bicycle-lane.jpg?quality=55&strip=all&w=660&h=495&crop=1

The bike corrals are back.

The brightly coloured racks that change a streetside parking spot into space for 12 bikes are reappearing this summer.

A memo to the transportation committee says two of the prior areas will be used — one in the Glebe, and the other in Hintonburg.

But the third location is yet to be determined. Last year, a rack in Westboro was removed early after complaints from several business owners.

The owners said the lack of consultation was a concern, and noted that the parking spots see a lot of use from people making quick stops to stores in the area. A location off the main street would have been a better idea, they said.

The city began monitoring the corrals as soon as they were in place. But since they were installed late in the season, and the Westboro corral was removed early, the information gathered was incomplete. The initial monitoring suggested that the corrals house 3.2 bikes on average.

It also “helped promote public awareness for bike parking and the correlation between spaces required for car parking versus bike parking” says the memo to the transportation committee.

It went on to say the city hopes to get more complete information this year.

They’re working now to determine exactly where the first two corrals will go, and hoping to find a BIA that will accommodate the third.

The total cost of the 2014 project was $13,221. It was funded by parking revenues.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/bike-corrals-return-to-glebe-hintonburg-and-a-parking-spot-to-be-named-later

phil235

Apr 21, 2015, 1:26 PM

MoreTrains

Apr 21, 2015, 3:11 PM

It would seem that the City is now backing off its proposal for bike lanes on O'Connor through the Glebe. The recommendation has been revised to call for "shared lanes" south of Strathcona. The rationale is the usual combination of preserving parking and "low traffic volumes" on the street. I don't know if the City staff have ever tried to bike O'Connor at peak periods, but it is far from a bike-friendly environment. If I had a kid at First Avenue school, there is not a chance that I'd let them bike down O'Connor at that time of day.

So the multi-year Glebe Bikeway project is basically amounting to virtually nothing. Very disappointing.

The fact that anybody thought anything would happen slightly surprises me. The emphasis and priority that we place on cars will never allow us to create better bikeways or pedestrian friendly corridors. And parking it the most important point second only to car lanes, so widersidewalks and bikelanes are merely pipedreams. Sad to say, but I think everyone here knows that it is true.

McC

Apr 21, 2015, 3:12 PM

"never"?

1overcosc

Apr 21, 2015, 3:15 PM

The fact that anybody thought anything would happen slightly surprises me. The emphasis and priority that we place on cars will never allow us to create better bikeways or pedestrian friendly corridors. And parking it the most important point second only to car lanes, so widersidewalks and bikelanes are merely pipedreams. Sad to say, but I think everyone here knows that it is true.

Main Street and Churchill kind of contradict that theory.

MoreTrains

Apr 21, 2015, 3:37 PM

Main Street and Churchill kind of contradict that theory.

Despite the names they are not actually 'main' streets. So, I dont think they really do.

1overcosc

May 4, 2015, 1:33 PM

Got a bike over the weekend and biked to work today. Just over 8km, from Sandy Hill to the Experimental Farm. Tiring but it felt amazing.

My route was down Laurier, through Ottawa U to the Corkstown Bridge, then down the QED-side canal pathway to Prince of Wales, then through the farm. Spent a few days scouting out the route on Google Maps and did a few test cycles on the weekend to figure it out.

Some thoughts:
1) Those benches along the pathway are a life saver. I'm not in very good shape athletically (one of the things I hope to correct by biking) so I did have to stop and rest for a few minutes twice along the way.
2) The crossing at the Preston/Prince of Wales/QED intersection was a little annoying but other than that it was a very easy trip infrastructure wise
3) The canal pathways are beautiful but a bit dead... I would like to see some cafes & restaurants set up shop along there. Right now it just feels like a nature preserve instead of the city.

Dado

May 4, 2015, 5:23 PM

Despite the names they are not actually 'main' streets. So, I dont think they really do.

Ya... where Churchill actually is a 'main' street, between Richmond (or maybe Byron) and Scott, it has no dedicated bike facilities of any type.

rocketphish

May 7, 2015, 2:40 AM

Bike corrals return to Glebe and Hintonburg for summer

Third location to be determined

By Alex Robinson
Ottawa East News, May 04, 2015

East end residents are hoping a bike corral could be coming to a curb nearby this summer.

The city is set to renew its bike corral project this summer, bringing the on-street parking spots to two past locations in the Glebe and Hintonburg, according to a memo sent to the transportation committee by city staff.

A third bike corral is going to be installed at a yet-to-be-designated area.

Penny Thompson, the president of the Manor Park Community Association, said the natural choice for the third bike corral would be along Beechwood Avenue, where part of the East-West Bikeway has been built.

“Beechwood has become a commuter track with many vehicles navigating from the bridge to come to the east end of the city,” said Thompson.

“It’s an important street to invest this infrastructure money on.”

Other neighbourhood groups, including the Lindenlea Community Association and the Vanier Community Association, added their support to the idea.

“We’re very excited about the possibility of a bike corral coming to Vanier. It does have a lot of cyclists,” said Sarah Partridge a cycling enthusiast, who sits on the Vanier association’s board.

“It’s an interesting piece of street furniture so it also has a lot of visual appeal. In that sense it would be a great addition to the neighbourhood.”

The city originally installed three corrals last July – one on Second Avenue in the Glebe and two on Wellington Street West – but had to pull the plug early on one of the Wellington West spots after uproar from local businesses over the lost parking space.

The corrals convert one car spot into sites that can accommodate up to 12 bicycles each.

The two remaining corrals were taken out in October and November, when the season ended.

The city monitored usage at the corrals through 90 site checks last year, counting more than 280 bikes, with an average of 3.2 bikes per visit. The study was however incomplete because the late installation and early removal of one of the Wellington West locations.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathier Fleury said he has heard a lot from businesses in his ward interested in bike corrals, especially on Dalhousie Street in the ByWard Market.

“There have been a lot of requests to improve bike parking,” he said.

“There isn’t a business risk to attempting these things -quite the opposite.”

Alex Culley, a project officer with the city, said the city expects to confirm the third location shortly and that many areas are being considered.

“The areas under consideration must have on-street paid parking spaces within close proximity to places where people want to go,” he said.

“The city consulted all the BIAs through the parking stakeholder consultation group. The city is continuing its relationship with regard to the bike corral project with the Glebe and Wellington West BIAs.”

Jamie Kwong, the executive director of the Quartier Vanier BIA, was not available for comment on the possibility of a bike corral coming to the east end.

This year, the city plans to install the corrals to maximize their use and plans to continue to monitor them in a trial period.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5600710-bike-corrals-return-to-glebe-and-hintonburg-for-summer/

waterloowarrior

May 9, 2015, 1:28 AM

more background from the City on the removal of the plans for the O'Connor bike lane in the Glebe
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/transportation/rationale-recommendations-oconnor-street-between

eltodesukane

May 9, 2015, 1:17 PM

3) The canal pathways are beautiful but a bit dead...

Yeah. I always hear how this is one of the Wonders of the (Ottawa's) World, and yet I find this place boring, uninviting and unpleasant in the extreme.
It certainly doesn't compare to similar places in Toronto, Montreal or New York.

eltodesukane

May 16, 2015, 9:56 PM

this is not in Ottawa, but maybe we could learn something from it
---
Rotterdam Centraal is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
--
Bicycle parking at Rotterdam Central Station
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/bicycle-parking-at-rotterdam-central-station/
http://www.nieuws.top010.nl/fietsenstalling-rotterdam-centraal-geopend.htm

1overcosc

May 18, 2015, 6:55 PM

With links like the Coventry Bridge & the Somerset-Donald bridge now making the train station more accessible by bike routes, VIA should put supervised bike parking up.

Kitchissippi

May 19, 2015, 3:30 AM

With links like the Coventry Bridge & the Somerset-Donald bridge now making the train station more accessible by bike routes, VIA should put supervised bike parking up.

I wish VIA Rail would put roll-on/roll-off bike racks on all its trains like Amtrak is doing (http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/06/25/Amtrak-to-welcome-bicycling-passengers-by-end-of-the-year/stories/201406250033). It would be great to get off another city with your own bike.

Buggys

May 19, 2015, 10:47 AM

I wish VIA Rail would put roll-on/roll-off bike racks on all its trains like Amtrak is doing (http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/06/25/Amtrak-to-welcome-bicycling-passengers-by-end-of-the-year/stories/201406250033). It would be great to get off another city with your own bike.

Can you not take your bike inside the train, and lock it where the suitcases go?

Kitchissippi

May 19, 2015, 11:38 AM

Can you not take your bike inside the train, and lock it where the suitcases go?

No, you can't take a regular bicycle on a VIA train unless it has a baggage car (the trains that go to Ottawa usually don't) and they'll only take bikes if they are boxed. I rode out to Halifax a few years ago and decided to take the train back. They would only take my bike as far as Montreal, and I had to ride it back for the rest of the way.

It's rather silly that Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto have taken huge strides to become more bike-friendly in the past 15 years but there is no convenient way to transport bicycles on inter-city transportation. I do have a folding bike (which they accept because it fits in the regular luggage rack) that I use for this purpose, but not very many people have them and they're not as nice to ride as a normal bike.

1overcosc

May 19, 2015, 11:45 AM

Very few Corridor (Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal) trains have baggage cars anymore. It was found that very few passengers between these cities used them as the carry on baggage allowance is already so generous anyway.

The baggage cars have for the most part been replaced with additional economy-class passenger cars to meet increased demand.

rocketphish

May 23, 2015, 5:59 PM

O-Train pathway to mend missing link
Phase 2 will connect to Dow’s Lake, add Carling crosswalk

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa West News, May 22, 2015

It’s happened to many a-downtown cyclist: you arrive at Dow’s Lake from across the city only to be stopped short when you head to the Ottawa River.

There’s currently no pathway connection between those along the Rideau Canal and those further north, like the Ottawa River pathway.

But that should change by the end of this year with Phase 2 of the Trillium multi-use pathway beside the O-Train corridor.

The first phase paved a 1.6-kilometre stretch between the Ottawa River pathway and Young Street, just south of Gladstone Avenue in Little Italy, in 2012.

But past that point, the money runs out and the path is just gravel and mud all the way to Carling Avenue, where cyclists have to take the road to get around to the pathways at Dow’s Lake.

Phase 2 will finish the job, paving the path from Young to Carling and adding a signalized mid-block crosswalk on Carling.

“The only missing piece after this will be from Carling right to Dow’s Lake,” said Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney.

There is a small path around the parking lot on the corner, or cyclists can cut through the lot to get to the light at Prince of Wales Drive. From there, cyclists can get downtown in the east and to Baseline Avenue to the west without having to use city streets.

“It will be a tremendous multi-use pathway once we get it done,” McKenney said.

The missing piece is on land owned by the National Capital Commission, so it would be up to that group to formally extend the path down to the lake.

Hans Moor with Citizens for Safe Cycling said it’s not enough to build a path 90 per cent of the way.

“If you don’t put the last 10 per cent in its not going to work,” he said.

That said, the city has been doing a much better job the last five years making connections for cyclists and pedestrians across the city, Moor said. Just in the past year they’ve opened a pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway and another linking two east-end communities across the Queensway near the Ottawa Baseball Stadium.

Still, Moor said the city could always do more.

“If there’s 2.2 per cent of people cycling, let’s use 2.2 per cent of the transportation budget for cycling,” he said.

Construction on the second leg of the O-Train pathway should start this fall and be largely complete by the time the snow flies, according to the city.

The project will add lighting along the entire pathway, and also add a raised mid-block crossing at Beech Street.

The project’s budget is about $1.4 million.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5640510-o-train-pathway-to-mend-missing-link/