Category: cycling in Ottawa

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, somerset street

Cyclopiste de Preston (iii), south of Somerset

Westsideaction

Picture 1 is the view from the Somerset viaduct looking south towards Gladstone and the Queensway. The Otrain track is barely visible in the cut on the right. Most of this land is City owned (a small portion is NCC, but it is not required to make the underpass). At the Somerset end, the right of way is quite wide. It would be relatively straightforward to connect the Somerset bike lane and sidewalk surfaces with the bike route using a slope, although a switchback might be required. A 16′ drop requires 320 feet of ramp, plus some flat spots. To … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (iii), south of Somerset

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, somerset street

Cyclopiste de Preston (iii), south of Somerset

Westsideaction

Picture 1 is the view from the Somerset viaduct looking south towards Gladstone and the Queensway. The Otrain track is barely visible in the cut on the right. Most of this land is City owned (a small portion is NCC, but it is not required to make the underpass). At the Somerset end, the right of way is quite wide. It would be relatively straightforward to connect the Somerset bike lane and sidewalk surfaces with the bike route using a slope, although a switchback might be required. A 16′ drop requires 320 feet of ramp, plus some flat spots. To … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (iii), south of Somerset

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston

Cyclopiste de Preston (ii)

Westsideaction

 The first photo was taken mid-winter, from the area behind the City Centre warehouse complex; the Otrain track is on the right, going south under Somerset viaduct. This shows there is considerable open space on the east side of the track for a cycle path. A cycling and pedestrian underpass would be straight ahead centre in the photo. The underpass, a precast concrete “box”, would be a few feet above the current track level, and set back from the track far enough to allow for a LRT station on the far side (southside) of Somerset, should one be installed. There are … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (ii)

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston

Cyclopiste de Preston (ii)

Westsideaction

 The first photo was taken mid-winter, from the area behind the City Centre warehouse complex; the Otrain track is on the right, going south under Somerset viaduct. This shows there is considerable open space on the east side of the track for a cycle path. A cycling and pedestrian underpass would be straight ahead centre in the photo. The underpass, a precast concrete “box”, would be a few feet above the current track level, and set back from the track far enough to allow for a LRT station on the far side (southside) of Somerset, should one be installed. There are … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (ii)

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, Dows Lake4 Comments

Cyclopiste de Preston (i): Cycle Path along the Otrain Corridor

Westsideaction

The Carling-Bayview community design plan calls for a bike path along the Otrain corridor. So does the City’s official cycling plan. Parts of the path were built in the early 1960’s when the NCC removed the street-level railway tracks and consolidated them into the new “cut” dug from Carleton U to Bayview, where the Otrain now runs, and the furture southwest LRT lines will run. The path has trees on both sides (moreso on the rail cut side) and a variety of views into back yards and small industries along the Preston side of the path. These walking and cycling … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (i): Cycle Path along the Otrain Corridor

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, Dows Lake

Cyclopiste de Preston (i): Cycle Path along the Otrain Corridor

Westsideaction

The Carling-Bayview community design plan calls for a bike path along the Otrain corridor. So does the City’s official cycling plan. Parts of the path were built in the early 1960’s when the NCC removed the street-level railway tracks and consolidated them into the new “cut” dug from Carleton U to Bayview, where the Otrain now runs, and the furture southwest LRT lines will run. The path has trees on both sides (moreso on the rail cut side) and a variety of views into back yards and small industries along the Preston side of the path. These walking and cycling … Continue reading Cyclopiste de Preston (i): Cycle Path along the Otrain Corridor

cycling in Ottawa, streetscaping3 Comments

Aloha cycling racks

Westsideaction

This bike-shaped bike rack is installed all over downtown Honalulu. I really like it, for a variety of reasons. Its look suggests its purpose. It easily supported four bikes (one on each side of the front and rear of the bike stand). It took up very little pedestrian room, as evidenced from the “end on” shot. It was located close to the curb, with minimal concern for motorists. These were bolted to the concrete sidewalk, but I never saw any crooked or damaged, so sturdiness of its mounting didn’t seem a major problem. When coming around a corner driving a … Continue reading Aloha cycling racks

cycling in Ottawa, streetscaping

Aloha cycling racks

Westsideaction

This bike-shaped bike rack is installed all over downtown Honalulu. I really like it, for a variety of reasons. Its look suggests its purpose. It easily supported four bikes (one on each side of the front and rear of the bike stand). It took up very little pedestrian room, as evidenced from the “end on” shot. It was located close to the curb, with minimal concern for motorists. These were bolted to the concrete sidewalk, but I never saw any crooked or damaged, so sturdiness of its mounting didn’t seem a major problem. When coming around a corner driving a … Continue reading Aloha cycling racks

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, somerset street

Puddlegineering

Westsideaction

In yesterday’s post, I lamented the ability of our city to install puddles right at pedestrian crossings, or huge lakes on brand-new multipurpose paths. In many cases, these puddles appear because the “lowest spot” on the road is right at the pedestrian crossing, the better to be enjoyed by wetfooted citizens. The puddle shown above required real skill to be installed. Notice that it is on the highest point of the road — the crest of the hill as Somerset goes up and over the Otrain track. This puddle is large enough that it lingered there for over a week … Continue reading Puddlegineering

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, somerset street

Puddlegineering

Westsideaction

In yesterday’s post, I lamented the ability of our city to install puddles right at pedestrian crossings, or huge lakes on brand-new multipurpose paths. In many cases, these puddles appear because the “lowest spot” on the road is right at the pedestrian crossing, the better to be enjoyed by wetfooted citizens. The puddle shown above required real skill to be installed. Notice that it is on the highest point of the road — the crest of the hill as Somerset goes up and over the Otrain track. This puddle is large enough that it lingered there for over a week … Continue reading Puddlegineering

bikewest, cycling in Ottawa

BikeWest – Bayview Station

Westsideaction

BikeWest at Bayview Station The largest single impediment to a continuous cycling route from the downtown to Westboro (and eventually beyond) is the Bayview Station area. The OTrain comes through the area from the south; expansion of OTrain or LRT service to Gatineau over the Prince of Wales Bridge must be allowed for. So the cycling route must get across the north-south rail axis. There are currently two overpasses over the OTrain route. One is Albert Street itself, a four lane road facility with sidewalks on each side. For pedestrians the environment is pretty hostile. On-road cyclists must endure uphill … Continue reading BikeWest – Bayview Station

bikewest, cycling in Ottawa

BikeWest – Tunney’s Station

Westsideaction

How BikeWest could By-Pass Tunney’s Transit Station The current Scott Street multipurpose path travels along the north side of Scott. At Holland, it passes the Tunney’s Pasture transit station. This passing is awkward for cyclists, pedestrians, and bus users alike. The route of the path is not apparent. As shown in the photo below, people exit the pedestrian overpass at its south end facing Scott. They step out directly onto a concrete walk, crossing the asphalt multipurpose path to get to the concrete sidewalk that forms the bus waiting area for local westbound buses on Scott. current situation – spot … Continue reading BikeWest – Tunney’s Station

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, Preston street

First expansion of Cycling Sundays in years …

Westsideaction

there is a fragmented path along the east side of the Otrain corridor in Little Italy The Preston Street BIA (PBIA) is working on a marketing idea for closing Preston on cycling Sundays. The Preston street closure would connect the Ottawa River bikeways to the Rideau Canal paths. The PBIA is in logistics discussions with NCC and City. The idea is to make Preston street a useful link in the bike network, opening up new routing combinations, and making the street and its café’s a destination for cyclists. They are trying for July 2010 only as a trial. The street … Continue reading First expansion of Cycling Sundays in years …

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, NCC

Where cyclists cross …

Westsideaction

Multipurpose path, aka a bike path, crosses a parking lot entrance. This is a crossing, not an intersection. Notice no painted crosswalk for the pedestrian users, as the crossing is not at an intersection. If at an intersection, there would be a painted crosswalk for peds, and cyclists are supposed to dismount and walk their bike across the road… I like off-road cycling facilities like the NCC bike paths. I like painted bike lanes too. I think I would like physically segregated bike lanes along roads, too, but Ottawa has too few to experience. One of the things I like about the … Continue reading Where cyclists cross …

bixi bike, cycling in Ottawa

Bixi Bike 2010

Westsideaction

Readers may recall an earlier post about Ottawa-Gatineau having 50 bixi-bike stations in 2010. Recall that 4 stations were set up with a joint program of the City of Ottawa and Gatineau, coordinated and operated (and paid for?) by the NCC. BixiBike are self-service bike rental racks that are installed around the city for people to grab a bike and go (and hopefully return the bikes). They are all the fad in major cities worldwide. In 2009, the four stations generated 5361 trips; averaging 50-60 trips per day during the short operating season. The 2010 plan is for a capital expenditure … Continue reading Bixi Bike 2010

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, LRT

More Detroit can do it … can Ottawa?

Westsideaction

http://www.metropolismag.com/ Shown is the Dequindre Cut, a former sunken rail line running through downtown Detroit. The St Clair River is in the background, with Windsor on the far (south!) side. Detroit is reserving some of the cut for a future LRT line, but first it has built a bi-directional bike route and accompanying pedestrian path, with landscaping. Because the path is grade-separated from the street grid it is fast, direct, intersection-free, and has freeway-style on and off ramps that take cyclists in and out of the cut. Detroit feels it is lucky to have a straight-line bike path going directly through … Continue reading More Detroit can do it … can Ottawa?

bikewest, cycling in Ottawa

On-Road Cycling Hazardous to cyclists?

Westsideaction

click on table to enlarge – you should see 4 columns In 2008 there were 292 collisions involving cyclists. My wife almost became one of the fatalities when she was doored two years ago on Bank Street in the Glebe. I have some interest in cycling safety. The above table is from a city report to transportation committee this Wed. Jan 6th. Please notice that it covers a three year time period and only records the most hazardous zones, ie where there are repeat cycling collisions that result in injury or damages over $1000 (it covers 84 of an estimated 876 … Continue reading On-Road Cycling Hazardous to cyclists?

Albert St, bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa

Winter Cycling Path Maintenance

Westsideaction

Alright, I admit that the multipurpose path on the north side of Albert between Bronson and Bayview is not really an official cycling path. If it were, it wouldn’t be plowed in the winter, because the City and NCC do not maintain cycle paths in the winter. But since this is officially a sidewalk  … it just happens to look like and function like and get used like a bike path … it gets plowed and winter maintained. I thought this path provided some insight into the feasibility of winter cycling in Ottawa. Continue reading Winter Cycling Path Maintenance

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, somerset street, streetscaping

Boring Job

Westsideaction

Whilst walking along Somerset Street just west of the OTrain track, at Breezehill, I came across these gents taking bore-hole samples from the street. Little painted notations every few meters along the street indicate that they will be doing this for weeks. I will nag the Somerset street planners for one bore hole result in particular. It will be the hole bored just a few meters east of the OTrain underpass. Eventually, a segregated bike route (CycloPiste de Preston?)  will be finished along the OTrain corridor, and to be useful it will likely have to pass under Somerset Street. Will it be … Continue reading Boring Job

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa

CBC Interview on BikeWest

Westsideaction

Last Monday, CBC afternoon show interviewed Eric Darwin about progress BikeWest apparently made at transit committee. You can hear the short interview by clicking here: http://www.ericdarwin.ca/CBC_Interview_2.mp3. The text of the BikeWest proposal (downloadable) can be found at this coordinate: http://www.ericdarwin.ca/BikeWestReport.doc. However, note that I do intend to update this document in the next two weeks to reflect newer information. The report is rather fat, because it has a lot of pictures in it. Continue reading CBC Interview on BikeWest

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, DOTT

BikeWest motion passes Transit Committee

Westsideaction

Faithful readers of this blog will recall I promote a cycling project called BikeWest. It calls for a off-road bi-directional cycle route parallel to Scott and Albert Street between Westboro and the downtown. The city owns the land all along the streets, on the north side. I am concerned that the DOTT  LRT project could block BikeWest at two key points, Bayview Station and Tunney’s Station. Since transit committee was considering the LRT project, I spoke at the meeting, and asked friendly councillors to present a motion. But I got more than my minimal goal. Transit Committee passed a motion instructed … Continue reading BikeWest motion passes Transit Committee

cycling in Ottawa, NCC

More Cycling Advice

Westsideaction

I attended a small group meeting of cycling advocates with Inge Molenaar, cycling honcho from Den Hague, the bureaucratic capital of The Netherlands, who was brought to Ottawa by the NCC to share cycle planning lessons. The instructing was made more pleasant by the Embassy treating attendees to hospitality afterwords. Some observations: The Hague will have 6 to 9000 indoor bike parking spaces in their new central rail station. I wonder if there will be any safe or secure bike parking facilities at Ottawa’s new LRT stations, or will there be a bent-paperclip rack stuck on the lawn? I also … Continue reading More Cycling Advice

bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, NCC

The Den Hague experience

Westsideaction

The NCC invited Inge Molenaar, chief cyclist of the Den Hague city bureaucracy, to tell the NCC what it should do to make the National Capital Region cycling friendly. As part of that visit, she gave a public presentation Monday night. A few of her points stood out to me: — ebikes will extend the comfortable cycling range from 8km now to 16km. The Hague will continue to let ebikes mix with pedal bikes on bike paths. Mopeds, on the other hand, being faster, are kept on the roads. — they have a practical policy guideline for where segregated bike paths … Continue reading The Den Hague experience

Chinatown, cycling in Ottawa, Plouffe Park, Preston street, somerset street, streetscaping

West Siders can get involved to get the city they want …

Westsideaction

The first meeting of the Bayview-Carling CDP group will be this week…while intended primarily for those who were in the prior process to reacquaint themselves and review the previously identified issues and recommendations, I would think anyone else keen to get involved should contact randolph.wang@ottawa.ca .  The study area is from Bayview along the Otrain track to Carling, and includes the undeveloped/underdeveloped/industrial lands along the route. The initial Public Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, December 10th, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Room 4102E/4103E, City Hall. The rooms are located on the fourth floor at City Hall. A public advisory group … Continue reading West Siders can get involved to get the city they want …