Ottawa cycling news

Ottawa-Gatineau cycling news

News about non-CfSC activities and decisions affecting cyclists in Ottawa-Gatineau.

City of Ottawa Sustainability project: have your say by July 14!

Monday, 11 July 2011 00:00

The City of Ottawa Choosing our Future project is looking for input.

An interactive online "Have a Say!: campaign is now running. Share your views about sustainability and how you personally will take action towards a more sustainable future. You can also provide ideas that could be used by the project partners to move from planning to action. The campaign allows you to post an idea, comment on other ideas and vote for ideas you like. By participating, you have a chance to win an iPAD or several other prizes (1 entry per person). Participate here:

http://choosingourfuture.ca/get_involved/have_a_say_en.html

Hurry – campaign closes July 14th!

While there, be sure to check out the 2 minute Choosing our Future Video to inspire your thinking on how we can create opportunities for a strong, healthy and prosperous tomorrow. Help us spread the word about our sustainable future by sharing it with your family, friends and colleagues!

The video is available at Choosing Our Future and on YouTube at:

Laurier segregated bike lane opens

Sunday, 10 July 2011 00:00

Cyclists line up on Metcalfe Street for the start of the mass ride through the Laurier segregated bike lanes. Photo by Paul Clarke. The Laurier Avenue segregated bike lanes opened at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, with speeches by Mayor Jim Watson and Transportation Committee Chair Marianne Wilkinson, followed by a mass ride in the lane. The green vests identify Cycling Ambassadors who signed up previously.

Laurier segregated bike lanes open Sunday

Wednesday, 06 July 2011 15:03

The segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue West will open on Sunday, July 10.

Opening ceremonies will occur between 12:45 and 1 p.m. at the corner of Laurier Avenue and Metcalfe Street (near the Main Library). Speeches by the Mayor and the Chair of the Transportation Committee will be followed by an official ribbon-cutting.

Then all cyclists are invited to take part in the inaugural group ride. Dress code is casual (but be weather-appropriate): spandex is not required.

The City of Ottawa is a Bicycle Friendly Community

Tuesday, 28 June 2011 00:21

The City of Ottawa has been awarded Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community status – fulfilling one of the planks in Citizens for Safe Cycling's city election platform last year.

The Bicycle Friendly Community program was initiated in 1996 by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) in the U.S., to recognize communities that actively support bicycling. Last summer, the Share The Road Cycling Coalition started to work with the LAB to create an Ontario version of the award (a number of the LAB criteria are specific to the U.S.)

At the Share the Road conference in Ottawa June 27-28, the first four communities in Ontario were awarded bicycle-friendly status:

Ottawa – Silver
Waterloo – Silver
Ajax – Bronze
Windsor – Bronze

There are different levels of the award: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Municipalities are judged in five categories: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award. Communities with more significant achievements in these areas receive superior awards. Filling out the BFC application is an education in itself, as communities see where they are lacking in each of these categories. Applications are assessed by a team of experts who receive input from local officials.

Last fall, CfSC asked candidates in the municipal elections to endorse our "platform" to create a more cycling-friendly Ottawa. Point 10 in the platform asked the city to consider getting cycling-friendly designation, in order to see how it measured up against other cities in supporting cycling.

Many candidates, including Mayor Watson, did support this idea.

2010 Bruce Timmermans Award winners announced

Tuesday, 31 May 2011 00:00

Kathleen Wilker receives the 2010 Bruce Timmermans Individual Award from Coun. Marianne Wilkinson (l) and Dutch Ambassador Wim Geerts (r). ©2011, Paul Clarke The 2010 City of Ottawa Bruce Timmermans Awards were presented at a community BBQ celebration May 31.

The Individual Award went to Kathleen Wilker, a founder of a new advocates group called Hintonburg Cycling Champions. As its co-chair, she is spearheading efforts to identify cycling champions in neighbourhood schools, to organize safe cycling events for kids, and to put on a bike parade in Hintonburg.

The award for an organization went for the second time to Pathway Patrol. Since 1997, volunteers have spent thousands of hours keeping Ottawa’s pathways safe and clean. During their patrols, they address pathway users, offering them maps, pamphlets and guidance. They also encourage the wearing of helmets and pathway etiquette.

Ottawa Bike Day to present 2011 Bruce Timmermans Awards

Monday, 30 May 2011 10:49

Final Bike to Work Month Event!

Tuesday, May 31
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Snider Plaza (156 Bank Street, between Laurier and Slater)
Rain or Shine!

Please join Ottawa cyclists for a community BBQ celebration and Bruce Timmermans Cycling Awards ceremony to wrap up Bike to Work Month Ottawa for 2011.

The awards honour cyclists and organizations who have made a special contribution to promoting cycling in Ottawa. Bruce Timmermans was a long-time cycling educator and advocate, an active member of the Ottawa Bicycle Club and a founding member of Citizens for Safe Cycling. His legacy lives on through the awards program, created by the City of Ottawa to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations encouraging others to cycle. The program is an important part of Ottawa's TravelWise program.

This is your last chance for a free bike adjustment, provided by Foster Sports Centre’s bike mechanics. Just Voices will entertain us with live music and the proceeds from the BBQ will go to the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association’s Ottawa Helmets on Kids Initiative.

Hope to see you there!