CfSC news

News about Citizens for Safe Cycling (CfSC) committees, projects, people, public comments, and initiatives.

CfSC and Bike to Work Week: Something to Celebrate!

Friday, 16 July 2010 12:58

by Kimberly Forkes

The CfSC’s launch for its Cycling Trends Analysis Project (CTAP) was a great success during Bike to Work Week. Partnered with EnviroCentre’s Celebration Station and set up on the Ottawa River Pathway behind the War Museum, the CfSC greeted 211 cyclists on Tuesday June 8. Friendly volunteers helped to jot down cyclists’ routes, discussed safety concerns, and distributed the latest info, including ChainMail and Bike Counter data. CfSC’s “Eye on Cycling Projects” reports for the east end and the near-west end were also huge hits.

Many cyclists were happy to stop at the booth:

Hi....
Great to see CfSC booth by the bike path near the War Museum today.
My wife and I stopped to fill out surveys, have a coffee, chat and get some freebies.
WOW, great step for Ottawa bike commuters.
And keep up your great work.

Ottawa commuter cyclist

Cycling in the NCR is gaining in popularity. Cyclists reported benefits such as gorgeous views of the Ottawa River, regular exercise, and a more wide-awake attitude during their days. The Ottawa River Pathway CTAP counter recorded 2,100 cyclists on the day, and a total of 11,200 during the entire week. The Canal CTAP counted a further 6,500 cyclists during Bike to Work Week. CTAP project made possible through the cooperation of CfSC, the NCC, the City of Ottawa and TELUS. The latest counter results can be found on www.safecycling.ca

Cyclists also welcomed the opportunity to chat openly with CfSC regarding road hazards and to learn about the group’s efforts. Using CfSC’s road maps, cyclists plotted disruptions in bike paths and dangerous merges from off-ramps to busy roads (e.g., Bronson and Riverside Drive). Some cyclists called for more bike paths downtown or new footbridges over the Rideau River. CfSC volunteers talked about the group’s website, including the page for noting complaints along paths and roads. Meanwhile, folks at the EnviroCentre booth were available to discuss the City’s talks for proposed one-way bike lanes through the downtown core.

By promoting enthusiasm and education for cycling, CfSC’s CTAP launch and Bike to Work Week have given us something to celebrate and fresh reasons to keep up the good work!

Bike to Bluesfest, park it safely with CfSC!

Wednesday, 07 July 2010 00:00

CfSC Bike parking at Bluesfest

For the fifth year in a row, CfSC has teamed up with the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest to provide free, supervised, valet bicycle parking for Bluesfest volunteers and audience members.

There are two bicycle compounds at either end of the festival (see the Bluesfest site map) staffed with volunteers to help keep your bike safe while you're volunteering at Bluesfest or enjoying the music. Because the site is supervised, you can leave your helmet with your bike – so don't leave that helmet at home!

Donations collected go to Citizens for Safe Cycling and Bluesfest's charity, Blues in the Schools. The compound is staffed by Bluesfest volunteers and managed by former CfSC President Charles Akben-Marchand.

The bike parks are open from 3 to 11:30 p.m. (4 to 11 p.m. at the west compound) on festival weekdays, and 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (noon to 11 p.m. at the west compound) on weekends.

The 2010 Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest runs from July 6 to July 18 at Lebreton Flats.

Changes to CfSC Board of Directors

Monday, 21 June 2010 00:00

Citizens for Safe Cycling regrets to announce the resignation of its President and one of its directors.

Zlatko Krstulich resigned as President because he has taken a position in the cycling staff at the City of Ottawa, effective June 21. The Board wishes him all the best in his new position.

Peter Mason has resigned from the Board due to press of work, but will remain as a volunteer on specific CfSC projects. CfSC will thus continue to benefit from his skills and knowledge. The Board recognizes with gratitude Peter's service as a Director.

CfSC Vice-President Hans Moor will now become President, with the full support of the Board, to continue until the 2010 Annual General Meeting (AGM) this fall.

At its meeting on June 15, the Board also appointed Alex deVries as a Director of CfSC, to continue until the 2010 AGM.

Taking stock of Cycling's Popularity in Canada's Capital Region

Sunday, 06 June 2010 23:55

A tandem effort is underway to put facts and figures behind the love of cycling in Canada's Capital Region. With the support of the National Capital Commission, the City of Ottawa and corporate partner TELUS, Citizens for Safe Cycling is collecting detailed data on current cycling trends to pave the way for smart cycling investments for the future.

"Having detailed, year-over-year data from key cycling corridors helps us to advocatefor and justify continuous improvements in support of area cyclists.' -- Z. Krstulich, President, Citizens for Safe Cycling

The Cycling Trends Analysis Project (CTAP) sees electronic counters installed at key cycling corridors to collect data on cycling patterns into and out of downtown Ottawa. Three sites are now active, following a pilot project on the Alexandra Bridge from June to December 2009.

The results of CTAP could inform future decisions on cycling investments on the Capital Pathway network on both sides of the Ottawa River.

Cycling is a key component in the overall transportation mix for several reasons. Gathering '24/7' count data will provide a first good view of cycling in the shoulder seasons (spring/fall) and will allow for cycling trend data to be extrapolated into total trips/year. The first phase of this project will run for three years with three counter sites. Citizens for Safe Cycling hopes to expand the project to eight bike counter sites across the region.

Representatives of Citizens for Safe Cycling will be at the Bike to Work Week Celebration Station on the NCC pathway near the War Museum on Tuesday, June 8 between 7:30 and 9 am. The stop point for cyclists will have free coffee, tea, water and resources. Cyclists will also be invited to share information pertaining to their bicycle commute to work. For more information on Bike to Work Week events please visit www.ottawa.ca/b2ww.

Quick Facts:

A total of 200,000 cyclists crossed the Alexandra Bridge between mid-June and December of 2009, with an average of 1,750 cyclists crossing each (summer) weekday.
This spring, over 75,000 cyclists have already been counted across the three operational CTAP sites.
The CTAP counters can determine average cycling levels along a particular route to within +/-3%. By comparison, once-per-season sampling can only track trends to within +/-50%.

Want to see the results so far?

Press release in English and French.

Spring/Summer 2010 Chain Mail released

Saturday, 05 June 2010 00:00

The Spring/Summer 2010 edition of Chain Mail, CfSC's newsletter, is now available.

You can download it from CfSC-Chain_Mail-Vol26_No02-2010_SpringSummer.pdf

Or go to our Resources/Our Publications/Chain Mail menu item to see our past newsletters.

Cycling in the 2010 City of Ottawa Budget: Arguing for Transformational Change

Friday, 13 November 2009 23:27

CfSC sent the following letter to Mayor Larry O'Brien and members of City Council on November 13, 2009:

We are now seeing a welcome change in thinking about the role that cycling can play throughout Ottawa, with an approved master plan for cycling, increased public awareness of cycling issues, concern for cyclist safety, and a greater number of cyclists visible on our roads and pathways (for example, over 180,000 cyclists have crossed the Alexandra bridge alone since June of this year).

The recent inclusion of $16.7M within the preliminary budget for the 2010 cycling plan implementation by the Transportation Committee is a key breakthrough toward increasing active transportation in Ottawa. Citizens for Safe Cycling (“CfSC”) wishes to commend and support the Transportation Committee, chair M. McRae and vice-chair C. Leadman for sending such a clear message in this first step of the budget process.