Cycling in the National Capital Region

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by dougvdh

Penalties for leaving a bike outside dock are fairly reasonable at $2, and if you pick up a bike that is outside dock, there's a $1 bounty credited to your trip.

I like this feature a lot and haven't seen it in other cities. It can be frustrating to arrive at your destination and not being able to park your bike because every stall is taken. It makes up for overall lack of Velogo stations somewhat.

[dougvdh]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

I like this feature a lot and haven't seen it in other cities. It can be frustrating to arrive at your destination and not being able to park your bike because every stall is taken. It makes up for overall lack of Velogo stations somewhat.

It's actually even better than that. The docks are in a geofence zone as opposed requiring physical contact. So if there's no docks available, you just lock to the nearest thing you can and you're likely within the geo-fence and will avoid the $2 charge. This is a big bonus at Lansdowne on game days when generally the docks fill very quickly.

In my opinion, the SocialBike (Velogo) platform is much better than Bixi because the hardware is on the bikes instead of the station allowing for much more flexible use.

[rocketphish]

Don't be this guy...

Dashcam footage shows cyclist hit by car in downtown Ottawa
The collision happened Saturday afternoon on Lyon Street. The cyclist was reportedly not seriously injured and refused transport to hospital.

By: Alex Abdelwahab, Metro
Published on Sun Jul 16 2017

Dashcam footage posted online captured a cyclist getting hit by a car in downtown Ottawa Saturday afternoon.

The video shows the cyclist running a red light at the intersection of Lyon Street and Laurier Avenue West, just after noon.

The cyclist passes only a few metres in front of the car with the dashcam, which is travelling on Lyon Street, before it is struck by a car travelling in the right lane.

The cyclist is knocked to the ground and his bike is thrown several metres in the air, but he can be seen getting back up almost immediately.

The cyclist walked away from the incident with only a sore hip, according to the description of the video on Youtube.

A police officer was stationed in an unmarked car at the corner of the intersection and witnessed the collision, according to the description.

• Video Link

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2017...clist-hit-by-car-in-downtown-ottawa.html

[zzptichka]

The guy on the bike is an idiot no doubt. Seen it yesterday but only now that I've realized the car changed lanes from behind the dashcam driver and sped up right before intersection because the Brick truck parked in no-parking spot blocking the bike lane and part of the car lane.
So many idiots in one short clip.

[HighwayStar]

Cyclist was charged:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/cyclist-struck-dramatic-video-1.4207758

[waterloowarrior]

I hope the City and NCC can figure out the Rideau/Sussex/Colonel By/Wellington/Mackenize intersection soon. Northbound and eastbound access is scary for most cyclists. Southbound is somewhat better with the new cycling lanes and bike boxes but still not easy. Turning westbound from Colonel By is intimidating requiring the cyclist to sit in the middle of the intersection during a straight-arrow, then have only 40 metres to change lanes in heavy traffic. This is a prime route for tourists and we need to prioritize these improvements.

[Buggys]

I hope the Brick truck driver was charged for illegally parking on a bike lane & blocking traffic as well.

[rocketphish]

Spike in tickets for drivers parked in bike lanes
183 tickets given out so far this year, compared to 91 for all of 2016

By Kimberley Molina, CBC News
Posted: Jul 28, 2017 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Jul 28, 2017 8:45 AM ET

At the very least it's annoying, and at its most serious it can be life-threatening: Vehicles parked in cycling lanes are problematic and appear to be a growing trend in Ottawa.

The number of drivers charged for blocking bicycle lanes has more than doubled in the first seven months of 2017 compared to all of last year.

As of Wednesday, the city's bylaw officers had handed out 183 tickets to drivers parked in bike lanes.

The total for 2016 was 91.

According to Jerrod Riley, a review officer in the city's bylaw department, there are two main reasons for the jump in charges.

The first is that the city is increasing its focus on cycling safety, so bylaw officers are more cognizant of vehicles illegally parked in the lanes.

As well, the city's cycling network is growing with more lanes opening, especially in the downtown core, said Riley. More lanes provide more places for vehicles to park illegally.

While bylaw does receive calls about offenders, most tickets are handed out by parking enforcement officers who are already out and about on the streets.

There's one street that stands out for problems: The segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue between Elgin and Bay streets. Tickets handed out to parked cars on the Laurier cycling lanes accounted for 17 per cent of the total infractions handed out so far this year.

Breaking the city's bylaw comes with a $120 hit to your wallet.

"But that's the smallest consequence," said Riley." Vehicles blocking cycling lanes are not a common issue. But it's a very serious one. It's irresponsible and needlessly endangers the lives of cyclists and it's not something the city will tolerate."

And it's not just private vehicles being caught.

Canada Post announced earlier this week that they would stop their vehicles from parking in bike lanes when their drivers were making deliveries or pickups, in Toronto, after the Crown corporation came under fire in the media.

But there was no indication whether that edict also applied to other cities across the country.

The city said in a statement that bylaws are enforceable for Crown corporations. However, they don't keep track of the type of vehicles they hand out tickets for.

The city is also stepping up focused enforcement campaigns alongside Ottawa police and Safer Roads Ottawa.

During a two-day blitz last week, the city handed out 12 tickets to drivers parking in bicycle or bus lanes in the downtown core.

However, Riley points out that despite the growing number of tickets, it's still a small percentage of the 250,000 traffic and parking violations handed out each year.

Still, the problem shows no sign of ending.

On Twitter and Facebook, several people continue to point out drivers' failure to abide by the city's bylaws.

Tweets show photos of corporate vehicles blocking a bike lane, directly in front of a sign saying not to block the lane.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ticket-bicycle-lanes-ottawa-bylaw-canada-post-1.4224496

[rousseau]

I have a trip to Ottawa coming up and am planning to do what is apparently a classic ride: Gatineau Parkway up to the Champlain Lookout. I'll be starting out from a hotel at Albert and Metcalfe, and would like to swing around the back of the Parliament buildings before continuing west to the Champlain Bridge.

What's the best or nicest way to get to the Rideau Canal Western Pathway from my hotel? And can you make an easy connection with the Trans-Canada Trail/Ottawa River Pathway from it? On Google Street View it looks complicated and broken up between the Mackenzie King Bridge and the Wellington Street Bridge.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I have a trip to Ottawa coming up and am planning to do what is apparently a classic ride: Gatineau Parkway up to the Champlain Lookout. I'll be starting out from a hotel at Albert and Metcalfe, and would like to swing around the back of the Parliament buildings before continuing west to the Champlain Bridge.

What's the best or nicest way to get to the Rideau Canal Western Pathway from my hotel? And can you make an easy connection with the Trans-Canada Trail/Ottawa River Pathway from it? On Google Street View it looks complicated and broken up between the Mackenzie King Bridge and the Wellington Street Bridge.

Best way to get to the Rideau Canal Western Pathway from your hotel would be to take Laurier eastbound, there is a ramp down to the canal before the bridge. The pathway behind Parliament Hill is currently closed from flood damage and will not reopen until next year, otherwise the canal and river pathways are connected. To get to the Ottawa River pathway, I would take Laurier westbound to Bay, and either turn left on Wellington or cut across the Garden of the Provinces and access the pathway at/ beneath the Portage bridge approach.

Check out the new waterfront pathway east of the Gatineau River. It's probably the most urban waterfront in the capital region.

[McC]

The path behind Parliament Hill was heavily damaged by this spring's flooding, and they're keeping secrets ions of it closed for the season to repair and rebuild it to a higher spec. So unfortunately you won't be able ride from the bottom of the locks to the Champlain Bridge along the River. I would recommend you beak your itinerary in two: go down the canal to check it out and then come straight back up, and then take either Wellington St or Laurier Ave across downtown to Bay St. There you can use the Garden of the Provinces and Territories to get onto the Ottawa River Pathway which takes you straight out to the Champlain Bridge.

[McC]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

...

Snap!

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Breaking the city's bylaw comes with a $120 hit to your wallet.

...

Tweets show photos of corporate vehicles blocking a bike lane, directly in front of a sign saying not to block the lane.

Personally, I would like to see a larger fine for commercial vehicles. $120 is a decent enough fine to discourage the general public, but it is a cost of doing business for a commercial driver. Make it a $5000 fine for commercial vehicles and they will think twice about doing it. Having a sliding scale for repeat offenders would also help (maybe double the fine each time, no maximum).

The other thing they could do is publish the list of commercial vehicles ticketed on a "wall" of shame.

[rousseau]

Thanks for the tips. Too bad about the path behind Parliament Hill. Oh well, next time!

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Check out the new waterfront pathway east of the Gatineau River. It's probably the most urban waterfront in the capital region.

Is this what you're talking about?

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.45776,-75...tSq7fvzxPYGcfCEEFjaEg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Is this what you're talking about?

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.45776,-75...tSq7fvzxPYGcfCEEFjaEg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

That's most certainly it. Not too far from my place. It's a very nice setup and aménagement and definitely offers great views of Ottawa, but the "urban" aspect of it is still a bit of a work in progress.

I am not sure I'd go there just to see it, but if you look on a map it can be tied into a pretty nice ride that goes around the Lac Leamy area as well as up the Gatineau River for a bit, and then west towards Gatineau Park.

[Acajack]

There is also a nice path along the north shore of the Ottawa River called the Sentier des Voyageurs. The western stretches of it lead to a turn-off to the urban wedge of Gatineau Park that cuts into the city.

It also sustained some flood damage and unfortunately I am pretty sure that the stretch offering the best views of Ottawa (near the Museum of History) are closed at the moment.

But most of it is definitely open.

[rousseau]

I really, really love bike paths like these. And La Route Verte in general. I love that they're like these little highways with the broken yellow line down the middle. You can pretend you're in an alternate universe where cars and motorized traffic don't exist.



This is the bike path between Longueuil and Chambly, but I can see on Googlemaps Streetview that the paths in and around Gatineau are similar. Sometimes I sorta wish I had a commute like this that I could do on a bike instead of working from a home office.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I really, really love bike paths like these. And La Route Verte in general. I love that they're like these little highways with the broken yellow line down the middle. You can pretend you're in an alternate universe where cars and motorized traffic don't exist.



This is the bike path between Longueuil and Chambly, but I can see on Googlemaps Streetview that the paths in and around Gatineau are similar. Sometimes I sorta wish I had a commute like this that I could do on a bike instead of working from a home office.

Yes, this area has tons of paths like this. My commute to my old job was about 10 km with about two thirds on these kinds of paths.

It's pretty good although the network still has many gaps in it.

When the region's bike commuters have been consulted they've actually been prudently critical of the network, as the routes are usually more curvy and scenic than direct and quick.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Acajack

When the region's bike commuters have been consulted they've actually been prudently critical of the network, as the routes are usually more curvy and scenic than direct and quick.

Really? I would have thought that a scenic ride to and from work would be worth more than saving five or ten minutes because a route isn't so direct (if it's really just a matter of five or ten minutes, obviously I don't know what it's actually like to commute by bike there).

I would have thought that, say, taking the Rideau Canal Western Pathway from the southern parts of the Glebe, or parts further south, to a workplace downtown would be totally worth the extra time just for the sheer pleasure of the surroundings and the lack of concern and irritation produced by cycling among motorized vehicles. Granted, I agree that more Amsterdam-style bike lanes right inside the city providing for more direct routes would be a huge bonus, and I also agree that North American cities in general need more proper bike lanes in general, but still...Ottawa-Gatineau looks like it's set up nicer for cycling paths and lanes than Toronto is.