Cycling in Ottawa

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

E-bike users, I get that you don't want all of your stuff to get stolen, but would it be possible to not take up the whole bloody rack?!?

It's happened several times in recent weeks that there aren't enough spots for everyone because an e-bike is locked sideways along the rack, taking up the space that could be used by 5-6 regular bikes or more.

Even in places with lots of racks, two or three e-bikes greatly cuts down on the space available for everyone.

E-Bikes, the Dodge Rams of the cycling World. Yeah, that's pretty inconsiderate.

[Acajack]

Also, pardon the pun but we are heading for a collision course on the recreational paths with the explosion of motor-powered contraptions on there.

A lot of them are quite fast and bulky which makes it dangerous for other users. I am not suggesting banning e-bikes from the paths at all.

But I'd argue that unless you are a person with a disability, if you're not using your body to propel yourself to some degree, you have no business being on a path.

I cross paths with these types of things every time I am out on a long-ish bike ride:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...763038503.html

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Also, pardon the pun but we are heading for a collision course on the recreational paths with the explosion of motor-powered contraptions on there.

A lot of them are quite fast and bulky which makes it dangerous for other users. I am not suggesting banning e-bikes from the paths at all.

But I'd argue that unless you are a person with a disability, if you're not using your body to propel yourself to some degree, you have no business being on a path.

I cross paths with these types of things every time I am out on a long-ish bike ride:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...763038503.html

Those should absolutely not be on bike paths. I thought you meant the somewhat wider electrical "Assist" bikes that also wizz along. Those are trickier. I guess if you can't pedal at all you shouldn't be on the paths would be a good rule.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Those should absolutely not be on bike paths. I thought you meant the somewhat wider electrical "Assist" bikes that also wizz along. Those are trickier. I guess if you can't pedal at all you shouldn't be on the paths would be a good rule.

Kids with scooters (trottinette) that they push along by giving kicks should be OK too, and of course anyone who is walking or jogging is also fine.

But electric wheelchairs for the handicapped should be accepted even if they don't have any human propulsion.

[SL123]

They're improving the Cyclist/Pedestrian crossing on Colonel By near the Laurier bridge. Its now much wider and a speed bump is being added. I believe a flashing light signal will be added too for crossing but not confirmed in this picture.

Its a huge improvement for safety.





Here's a screenshot of the crossing before from google map

[urbanforest]

Ohhhh so that’s what they’re doing there! That’s great. I’d build a thousand more of those raised/continuous sidewalks all across the city if I could.

[qprcanada]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

Ohhhh so that’s what they’re doing there! That’s great. I’d build a thousand more of those raised/continuous sidewalks all across the city if I could.

Great for cyclists and pedestrians and cheap traffic calming too !

[Acajack]

I counted the number of slots taken up by a e-bike parked and locked sideways this morning: 15!

Now, obviously with regular perpendicular bike parking most people leave one slot free in between bikes.

That's still a huge amont of space though.

[LRTeverywhere]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I counted the number of slots taken up by a e-bike parked and locked sideways this morning: 15!

Now, obviously with regular perpendicular bike parking most people leave one slot free in between bikes.

That's still a huge amont of space though.

What kind of rack is this? trying to picture this. A lot of bike racks are very poorly designed and dont allow you to safely lock up a bike properly to the frame and ebikers are probably more concious of having to lock up safely to avoid theft. Not that it exuses being an ass and parking accross a rack. New standard are staple and O ring racks spaced out.

[Acajack]

It's a long bike rack like this:

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/...SABEgI8lfD_BwE

There are a few of them (3-4) lined up at this location.

I won't be making an official complaint (not sure to whom, anyway) since I did easily find a spot.

But when there are more e-bikes and it's a nice day it can be more challenging at this location as 3-4 e-bikes locked sidewayscan easily take up half of all the space there.

I also wonder about the feasibility of post and ring for locations like this. On a downtown street you can string a bunch of them along the sidewalk for the whole block. But at an office building, a mall or an educational institution (basically anywhere in a "campus" setting) you'd need more than 20 of them to do the same job as just 2-3 of these standard linear racks.

[LRTeverywhere]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's a long bike rack like this:

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/...SABEgI8lfD_BwE

There are a few of them (3-4) lined up at this location.

I won't be making an official complaint (not sure to whom, anyway) since I did easily find a spot.

But when there are more e-bikes and it's a nice day it can be more challenging at this location as 3-4 e-bikes locked sidewayscan easily take up half of all the space there.

I also wonder about the feasibility of post and ring for locations like this. On a downtown street you can string a bunch of them along the sidewalk for the whole block. But at an office building, a mall or an educational institution (basically anywhere in a "campus" setting) you'd need more than 20 of them to do the same job as just 2-3 of these standard linear racks.

Ah. Def true that staples take up more room, but for a rack like that you can only really securely lock up two bikes at the ends. For institutions I would love to see more secure bike rooms where the actual locking of the bike doesn't need to be as secure (though still always best practice to lock the frame), or using stacked racks.

[Acajack]

No one reacted but I mentioned this a few weeks ago. They're slowly popping up here and there in Gatineau.

https://www.velotransit.ca/

[Horus]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Also, pardon the pun but we are heading for a collision course on the recreational paths with the explosion of motor-powered contraptions on there.

A lot of them are quite fast and bulky which makes it dangerous for other users. I am not suggesting banning e-bikes from the paths at all.

But I'd argue that unless you are a person with a disability, if you're not using your body to propel yourself to some degree, you have no business being on a path.

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Those should absolutely not be on bike paths. I thought you meant the somewhat wider electrical "Assist" bikes that also wizz along. Those are trickier. I guess if you can't pedal at all you shouldn't be on the paths would be a good rule.

Just this week, SAAQ put out a new decree on certain e-scooters/bikes.
From CBC

Motorcycles, scooters and other mopeds that do not meet federal safety standards are now banned in Quebec, the province's auto insurance board announced Tuesday.

These increasingly popular, often electrically powered vehicles can be seen zipping down bike paths, roads and sidewalks, but they are non-compliant with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS).

"These vehicles pose a safety risk to vulnerable users of sidewalks and bike paths due to their high weight and the speeds they can reach," the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) says in a news release.

Also, the SAAQ adds, it's a matter of fairness to the owners of compliant motorcycles and mopeds who must register their vehicles and hold the correct class of driver's licence to drive them on the road network.

...

[Acajack]

Doesn't sound like they're actually banned from recreational pathways, though. "Public roads" or "la voie publique" is the roadway. Paths aren't covered by that definition AFAIK.

[urbanforest]

Originally Posted by Acajack

No one reacted but I mentioned this a few weeks ago. They're slowly popping up here and there in Gatineau.

https://www.velotransit.ca/

These are awesome. I would use my bike an order of magnitude more often if I could reliably and safely lock it up. As it is now, with few exceptions I cannot use my bike for anything other than leisure trips where I don’t spend any time off/out of sight of my bike. Using it to go to appointments or go shopping is just not possible when it WILL get stolen, even if locked.

[zzptichka]

So are electric-assist bikes banned in Quebec or not?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

So are electric-assist bikes banned in Quebec or not?

I'd be really surprised if they were.

[Kelnoz]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I'd be really surprised if they were.

They aren't, for some reason people saw a ban of non-conforming scooters and motorcycles and read "no more ebikes"

[Acajack]

This may be my own weird personal theory but I've always thought that certain behaviours allowed to go unfettered leads people who might not have engage in these types of things to do the same.

So...

Parking your bike sideways and taking up a bunch of spots has now evolved beyond e-bikes at my favourite rack.

I'm now seeing regular bikes locked up sideways.

Maybe they were always there, but I'd never noticed them before. (In 20+ years of biking.)

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

This may be my own weird personal theory but I've always thought that certain behaviours allowed to go unfettered leads people who might not have engage in these types of things to do the same.

So...

Parking your bike sideways and taking up a bunch of spots has now evolved beyond e-bikes at my favourite rack.

I'm now seeing regular bikes locked up sideways.

Maybe they were always there, but I'd never noticed them before. (In 20+ years of biking.)

Is the bike rack OK, or it's like with this brand-new one near Corso Italia?