Category: cycling in Ottawa

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, pedestrians, streetscaping8 Comments

Signs of the times

Westsideaction

  The City ascribes geographic omniscience as a characteristic of cyclists. How else could one explain the total lack of street signs or directional signs along the City’s multi-user paths (usually called “bike paths”). In contrast, vehicular motorists are considered by the City to be geographical ignoramuses. How else could one explain the provision of street signs on every corner of every street, no matter how minor the street or how few places (if any) there are on the street? Sarcasm aside, there should be street signs along pedestrian and cycling paths. They should be installed using similar criteria to regular street signs, ie at every … Continue reading Signs of the times

cycling in Ottawa, downtown, Laurier Ave, pedestrians, sidewalks

Mr Clean’s Magic Eraser hits Downtown streets

Westsideaction

Installing the separated bike lane (SBL) on Laurier Street downtown was a new experience, with lots of little details to figure out. Fortunately Laurier had just been resurfaced, so City staff had a clean slate to work with. Less aesthetically, the lines were painted on the street, changed slightly, repainted, shifted again, repainted… leaving a rather confusing mess. At the last minute, just in time for the SBL opening,  work crews painted over the ‘wrong’ lines with black paint. This was obviously a short term fix, since the first thing to wear off would be the black paint, revealing the white lines again, which … Continue reading Mr Clean’s Magic Eraser hits Downtown streets

Bronson, cycling in Ottawa, Dalhousie, Gladstone, pedestrians, road diet, roads, sidewalks, somerset street25 Comments

Progress on Rescuing Bronson

Westsideaction

The City has compromised on some Bronson issues. They have agreed to remove their proposal to widen the street, which would have speeded up vehicular traffic while simultaneously making the corridor less cycling and pedestrian friendly and chopping off numerous front yards, church entries, and mature trees. In our opinion, it didn’t make the road any safer for motorists either. I like to think it had a lot to do with people objecting. Rescue Bronson encouraged many people to have their say. This included residents, landlords, school principals, recreation coordinators, churches … and yup, we even got some of Ottawa’s condo … Continue reading Progress on Rescuing Bronson

cycling in Ottawa, downtown, parking, pedestrians, sidewalks5 Comments

Downtown Moves

Westsideaction

The folks running the Downtown Moves study had an open house last evening. I was very pleased and surprised at the large turnout  around 6pm. Some attendees were the usual suspects we find at these events, ie the city builder activists and those promoting their favourite causes. There were a l0t of “new” faces as well. All good. One of the display boards offered attendees the opportunity to put a dot on the main cycling and pedestrian problems in the core. Jumping right out at any viewer was the cluster of both ped and cyclist dots at the Albert-Bronson intersection, especially … Continue reading Downtown Moves

cycling in Ottawa, Laurier Ave, pedestrians8 Comments

Ode to a bare sidewalk

Westsideaction

Friday saw me wandering about a fair bit of the City. The Centrepointe MUP (ped/cyclist path) is plowed in the winter, and there was the imprint of one cyclist. Mind, it was snowing hard at midday, so the evidence of previous cyclists (if any such hardy souls…) was quickly erased. Later in the afternoon, another cycle track, this time on the Albert Street MUP running along LeBreton Flats: But the most interesting stroll took me past the Laurier Separated Bike Lane. Now the City did promise to keep it plowed all winter, and boy, do they ever live up to their word on that one! It … Continue reading Ode to a bare sidewalk

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, design, downtown, LRT, OLRT, pedestrians, sidewalks, streetscaping, Uncategorized9 Comments

Is it time for a Sparks Street bike mall ?

Westsideaction

Late last year I wrote a two part post for www.SpacingOttawa.ca on the Downtown Moves project, a scheme aimed at improving the downtown pedestrian and cycling environment. This improvement is to make the LRT project work better by improving access to the stations; and to improve the downtown post-LRT implementation when the space currently occupied by bus movements will be much reduced. There were a lot of ideas in those posts, and some are worth elaborating on.   Today, can the Sparks Street mall be improved by making it a bike mall? Downtown pedestrian malls were all the rage a few decades ago. Some are still thriving; many … Continue reading Is it time for a Sparks Street bike mall ?

cycling in Ottawa, design, OLRT, pedestrians, road diet1 Comment

Building a better underpass

Westsideaction

I snapped this pic while in Toronto a few months ago. It illustrates several bits of better transportation engineering than we are likely to find in Ottawa. First, notice the dark line down the centre of the lane. It is a painted-out white line that used to divide the road into four lanes, two in each direction. These would have been narrow lanes, especially narrow-feeling at the underpass structure itself. There was no accomodation for cyclists. The road has been dieted, and changed to one wider lane in each direction. Sailing through the underpass in a car was easy and … Continue reading Building a better underpass

condos, cycling in Ottawa, infill, intensificatioin, pedestrians, Richmond road, sidewalks, streetscaping, Uncategorized, Westboro27 Comments

Westboro tizzy (iii)

Westsideaction

As part of the Uniform Developments condo proposal for Roosevelt Avenue, the City/Councillor negotiated some “community benefits”. This consists of $200,000 worth of traffic calming and streetscaping to be paid for by Uniform. Here is an overview of the changes to Roosevelt (top street in pic) and Winston (lower street in pic) (transitway trench is running up the right side of the pic): Double click on the picture to enlarge it. The south end of Roosevelt Avenue, to the left in the above pic, where it meets Richmond Road, gets redesigned to be more pedestrian friendly. Midway along the block are some traffic … Continue reading Westboro tizzy (iii)

Albert St, Bayview, Bayview Otrain, bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, Dalhousie, DOTT, intensificatioin, interprovincial transit study, LRT, O-Train, OLRT, ottawa river, Uncategorized10 Comments

Bayview Station (final)

Westsideaction

The saga of the amazing perambulating Bayview Station is nearing completion. Recall that the station has been proposed in various scales, sizes, and locations. Well, the final plan is available exclusively to readers here. Bayview Station is back to being “on the structure” of the transitway bridge over the O-Train cut (yes, I know, the O-train isn’t in a cut, it’s on the level, it’s the road that is elevated, but  such is our road-focussed society that the road becomes the normal level, and the flat becomes the hole…). The new station is in the same style as the majority of other proposed LRT stations. … Continue reading Bayview Station (final)

Albert St, Bayview Otrain, bike path, bikewest, Carling Ave, City Centre, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, design, Gladstone, LRT, NCC, O-Train, oc Transpo, OLRT, parks, Scott street, surface water, Uncategorized6 Comments

Planning the O-Train bike path

Westsideaction

Okay, so it’s not really a “bike path”, the City doesn’t have any of those. We have MUPs, or Multi User Paths, which are shared by cyclists, dog walkers, parents with wailers, grannies with yappers, kids alone,  etc. (It makes an interesting contrast: on roads, cyclists are told to play nicely with cars, buses, and tractor-trailers going 70km; off road, cyclists are sent to play with various pedestrian folks). I’m on the PAC (public advisory committee) for the O-Train path that will eventually run from the Ottawa River pathways south to Dow’s Lake. The City will construct the section from Bayview Station to Somerset (or maybe … Continue reading Planning the O-Train bike path

Bayview, Bayview Otrain, bike path, cycling in Ottawa, DOTT, LRT, O-Train, oc Transpo, OLRT5 Comments

Bike shelter at Bayview Station

Westsideaction

OC TRANSPO has installed the new bike shelter at Bayview Station. It does not have a glass wall on the “back” side of it, but nor is the back side readily accessible for cyclists while there is loose dirt/mud. Presumably, if no glass back wall is installed, and the grass grows, some cyclists can use the rack from the back side but at the cost of losing out on the roof. Is it safe to suggest this is another one-sided front-in only bike shelter? In which case, it holds six bikes. After we spend millions on the new Bayview LRT and indoor-transfer-by-escalator to the … Continue reading Bike shelter at Bayview Station

Bayview, bike path, cycling in Ottawa, DOTT, LeBreton Flats, LRT, NCC, O-Train, OLRT, pedestrians, Richmond road, sidewalks11 Comments

How “secure” (or disruptive…) will the OLRT be?

Westsideaction

        We are in the process of replacing the transitway with LRT. In the Scott Street cut, this won’t matter much. But at either end of the cut, it matters a lot. The City is preaching two totally opposed messages on how the track will interact with the community.  On LeBreton Flats, they claim that anyone getting near the tracks will be imminent mortal danger so great that six foot high chain link fences will be constructed on both sides of the tracks. For pedestrian safety, of course. So there will be no crossing of the tracks through the Flats.  City staff … Continue reading How “secure” (or disruptive…) will the OLRT be?

Bayview, bike path, cycling in Ottawa, DOTT, LRT, oc Transpo, OLRT, parking8 Comments

OC Transpo provides better bike parking

Westsideaction

Users of the main transitway stations will have noticed that some bike parking racks have been shoved aside from their usual locations. Then concrete pads have been poured. Only at Baseline Station did I notice a sign identifying what is going on: new bike racks. Kudos to OC for providing better bike parking. In the pic below notice the new shelter, the moderately strong bike racks, and in the distance, the numerous bikes attached to the shoved-aside racks that are no longer bolted to the ground (and the background, the free employee parking lot attached our municipal office building). And here is a … Continue reading OC Transpo provides better bike parking

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, NCC, Preston street10 Comments

NCC reopens the gate …

Westsideaction

Madame Chairman sent crews of workers down to LeBreton Flats and the Preston “extension” on Friday morning. Crews were busy adjusting the tension on the chain link fence, lopping off a few weeds, removing a superannuated  “stop” sign, etc. They even cut off the protruding rebar and its chip-bag safety cone top: While I was watching the crews, there were a steady stream of walkers and cyclists going through the gate. And a trickle of media-types to check up on the path. That the path is reopened is an example of people-power over the bureaucracy. Together, by complaining to Madame … Continue reading NCC reopens the gate …

cycling in Ottawa7 Comments

Important day to ride your bike

Westsideaction

There will be a memorial bike ride (pedestrians welcome) at 9am on Tuesday, starting from Bronson and Queen, going east up Queen to the site where a cyclist was killed last week when she got doored. There are various bike parades and mass rides held from time to time in our fair city. This would be a good one to make. Remember, 9am Tuesday. Or would you rather do some boring desk work or attend another useless office meeting? Get your priorities straight. Get out the bike. I have a reason of my own to attend. In ’07 my wife got … Continue reading Important day to ride your bike

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, NCC, oc Transpo, pedestrians, Preston street, sidewalks, Uncategorized25 Comments

NCC closes popular cycling link after promising to keep it open

Westsideaction

Readers may recall the brief brou-ha-ha in late June and early July, when the gate at the north end of Preston street was unexpectedly closed and locked. You can read about it here: http://westsideaction.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/popular-bike-and-ped-route-locked-shut/#comments (when you get to the link, scroll up a bit to read the post, and down a bit to see the commentary). See also http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Shortcut+river+locked/5038541/story.html To recap, there is a paved bit of ‘closed’ road running north from Preston and Albert to a legal crossing of the transitway and then connections to the Ottawa River pathway network. It is popular with people walking to work, cycling, walking … Continue reading NCC closes popular cycling link after promising to keep it open

cycling in Ottawa3 Comments

Safe parking

Westsideaction

I do my best to pump up the Laurier bike lane numbers by cycling on it as often as I can. A quick trip to the Rideau Centre ended in a bit of confusion, as the sidewalk outside the mall on the McKenzie King Bridge is all torn up. I found a bike rack had been shoved down the sidewalk a dozen yards. While parking my trusty steed, I felt a bit alarmed, since it appears the bike rack is right outside — and blocking — emergency exit doors from the mall. Continue reading Safe parking

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, O-Train, somerset street, Uncategorized5 Comments

Tunnel goes underground

Westsideaction

Faithful readers will have seen earlier posts showing the excavation under the Somerset Viaduct, the placing of the new multi-user path underpass precast sections, and most recently, their waterproofing. Here’s what’s been happening lately: This version of the Canadarm pumps cement right to where the workers want it, when cement mixers cannot get close enough. The arm reached right over the hole, and down the outside of the viaduct walls, to pump cement into reinforcing walls on the exterior of the viaduct: Meanwhile, on the inside of the viaduct, workers installed the last of the tunnel waterproofing and drainage pipes, and … Continue reading Tunnel goes underground

bike path, City Hall, cycling in Ottawa3 Comments

Bike repair station

Westsideaction

I noticed recently that Ottawa City Hall will be providing some sort of bike repair station at their nifty new bike parking facility. The one shown above is at my son’s university. They were to be found in numerous places around campus. The bike can be lifted up by its seat and inserted into the bent metal pipes to hold the bike up off the pavement so the crank or wheel can be spun. The tools are all attached by a sturdy cable, and are supposed to be placed in the tray behind the red sign but obviously people prefer to let them all … Continue reading Bike repair station

cycling in Ottawa, design, Uncategorized4 Comments

Safe Bike Crossing

Westsideaction

A number of Ottawa people get worked up over obsolete text in the traffic act. Those “bike paths” and multi-user paths frequently cross traffic roads, access roads to parking lots, and other road-like surfaces. Sometimes a painted crosswalk is located right there, very handy. And sometimes there’s nothing. We are not at all consistent: Above: Ottawa River bike path, scene 1 Above: Ottawa River bike path, scene 2   Where there is a crosswalk, and the path delivers us right to it, of course we ride across it. Unless you are a real stickler for rules, in which case you dismount, walk your … Continue reading Safe Bike Crossing

cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, O-Train, somerset street2 Comments

Update on Somerset bike underpass

Westsideaction

Recall that a bike underpass is being constructed where Somerset crosses the O-Train tracks. Once the tunnel sections were installed, bolted together, then the roof had to be waterproofed: A red coating was painted onto the concrete using rollers. Then workers attached Blueskin to cover each joint between the precast tunnel sections. Quite a rough chopped out hole was made through the 12′ thick Somerset viaduct walls for the tunnel pieces to fit. That space was reinforced, rebars tidied up, and pumped full of cement, now making a handy tool shelf for the workers: At the south end of the tunnel, a worker is starting … Continue reading Update on Somerset bike underpass

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, somerset street6 Comments

Somerset tunnel: inside view

Westsideaction

The new pedestrian-cyclist tunnel under Somerset Street is now complete except for waterproofing and filling in the hole above it. Here are some shots taken from the top edge (Somerset street level) into the hole: The above picture is looking north; the one below is a steeper angle showing the south portion: In pictures on previous posts this week, I showed the holes the run through each tunnel segment. A threaded rod was inserted through the holes, from one end of the tunnel to the other, and then the city tightened a nut at each end, tensioning the pieces together. Here is … Continue reading Somerset tunnel: inside view

bike path, cycling in Ottawa, somerset street1 Comment

More Tunnel Segments go under Somerset Street

Westsideaction

A big truck delivers another section of tunnel to Somerset Street. The extra-wide load is escorted by leading vehicles. Each tunnel segment weighs 32 tons. The deliveries are not permitted during morning or evening “rush hours” so as to minimize traffic delays.                                   Continue reading More Tunnel Segments go under Somerset Street

cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, O-Train2 Comments

First tunnel segments go under Somerset

Westsideaction

Recall that there is a pedestrian-cyclist tunnel under construction. The tunnel will take users under Somerset Street, parallel to the O-Train. Segments of the pre-cast tunnel were delivered today. Each giant precast block of concrete has a female and male “end”. There are holes cast in the tunnel segments to tie them all together and some holes in the sides which will have pins that hold them to the concrete reataining walls of the viaduct. The first piece installed is the north portal. It got its inside leading edge a bit crumbled in the process (visible on the far left of … Continue reading First tunnel segments go under Somerset

bike path, cycling in Ottawa

Hidden treasures

Westsideaction

I was out a few weeks ago helping to put parking survey slips on parked bikes in the downtown. The focus was on bikes parked on the surface of streets between Wellington and Laurier. There were incredible numbers of bikes around Place de Ville. But there are also some tucked away parking spots, here is one off Wellington: If you squint closely, you might notice two-thirds of the way down the row, on the right, there is even one of those bike maintenance posts to hang your bike one whilst oiling it, adjusting the gears, etc. I didn’t notice a handy-dandy tool kit near-by, though. Continue reading Hidden treasures