More than 500 cyclists blocked from bridge for trinket-sellers

For immediate release: July 12, 2001

The boardwalk on Alexandra Bridge, one of the busiest commuter cycling routes in the National Capital Region, has been closed to rush-hour cyclists from July 12-24. The reason: to set up a "pont des arts" for the Francophone Games.

A usage count done for CfSC May 10 showed 510 cyclists traveling across the bridge boardwalk in both directions, just during morning rush hour. More than 300 pedestrians also used the boardwalk during this period. In June, the City of Ottawa counted more than 700 cyclists crossing in the bridge in a 12-hour period. This is one of the highest usage by cyclists of any roadway/pathway in the national capital.

"Nobody would set up an art fair in the middle of the Bronson Bridge and expect motorists to stop using it for two weeks. Why should we remove the best access across the Ottawa River for cyclists just for arts and crafts booths that could be set up anywhere?", asked Citizens for Safe Cycling (CfSC) President Alayne McGregor.

"The sliver of remaining space on the bridge will cause increased conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians. It's ironic that people using active transportation would be most negatively affected by athletic games."

One of the Games' objectives is to "help provide new impetus for sports ... in countries that have in common the use of the French language."

The Alexandra Bridge has two motor vehicle lanes, plus a boardwalk shared between pedestrian and cycling lanes. While the south-bound motor vehicle lane on the bridge is paved and could be shared by motorists and cyclists, the north-bound motor vehicle lane has an open steel grate surface, which is slippery and dangerous when wet, uncomfortable to cycle on for more than a few metres, and does not allow easy lane sharing.

The 45 arts and crafts booths, sponsored by Mouvement des caisse Desjardins, completely cover the designated cycling lanes on the boardwalk, for almost the entire length of the bridge. The only open space left on the boardwalk is the (app.) 3m formerly left just for pedestrians, which will now be shared by cyclists, pedestrian through traffic, and visitors to the booths.

The Alexandra (Interprovincial) Bridge is particularly important to cyclists because it is the most cyclist-friendly bridge over the Ottawa River. CfSC has received numerous complaints from cyclists about traffic speed and inconsiderate motorists on the other bridges, and, in fact, the Champlain Bridge has been made almost impassible for cyclists during its years of construction. A survey in CfSC's newspaper, Better Bicycling, last fall overwhelmingly picked the Alexandra as the best bridge for cycling in the national capital.

Cyclists are being told by security staff to walk their bikes over the 1km long Alexandra bridge, or risk $100 fines from the RCMP. No advance notice was given to cycling groups or cyclist commuters using the bridge. City of Ottawa staff working on traffic and parking and on cycling issues were also caught by surprise.

Cyclists will be allowed to use the paved motor vehicle lane of the bridge from 7 p.m. to midnight weekdays, and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends. McGregor pointed out this is useless for commuter cyclists travelling during weekday rush hours.

The decision was apparently made by a Francophone Games Coordinating Committee, including representatives from the National Capital Commission, Public Works Canada, and the City of Ottawa. CfSC has asked the committee to provide acceptable cycle commuting routes over the bridge, as well as ensuring that cycling commuter routes are not blocked for future events. In response, city staff are currently working on improving the accessibility of the bridge to cyclists during the games.

For photos of the bridge, please see the CfSC web site at: http://www.cfsc.ottawa.on.ca/HotNews/AlexandraBridge/

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