Some cyclists in Hintonburg are starting a daily ride-to-work critical mass ride, with the idea being that they are safer from traffic in numbers. First one is this Monday, leaving from the Hintonburg Community Centre at 8:15.

This is a good idea in principle, I think, at least so long as it keeps to the principle of helping people bike to work safely. In my (limited) experience running into the monthly Ottawa critical mass advocacy rides, they seemed more obnoxious than effective. I’d also worry that a number of cyclists in a clump might be in as much risk as if that same number were staggered out over some distance. The heart, however, is certainly in the right place.

This is ultimately a band-aid solution, though. If there are significant numbers of bike commuters heading from the west along Somorset and its variations, the city should establish some sort of dedicated bike path, similar to the Percy/Bay corridor that runs through Centretown and the Glebe. Gladstone is already dedicated as a “bike-friendly” route on the official Ottawa bike route map, and would seem to me a good candidate for segregated lanes: it connects with Bay and, being more residential, has comparably less traffic.

(h/t to Miss Vicky)