Cycling in Ottawa

Archive for the ‘safety’ Category

Robert Sullivan’s piece in the New York Times is getting a lot of attention from bike blogs for its four suggestions to improve the image of cyclists (it’s also a great description of what it’s like to bike in New York City). They are:

Stop at major intersections.
Don’t go the wrong way on one-way streets.
Stay off sidewalks.
Signal before turning
These suggestions strike me as incredibly modest and probably already followed by everyone who reads this blog. In fact, I’m not sure the bad reputation that cyclists have comes from anybody who is serious enough about cycling to read a blog, join an advocacy group, etc. (although Sullivan does criticize the “Lance Armstong types” in his piece for their poor urban etiquette). That being said, it’s good to remember we are all in this together, as far as reputations go – maybe some more casual cyclists will read this the Times and reform their ways.

1. Cycling in Ottawa contributor appears on CTV News to discuss bike safety in the wake of recent cycling deaths.

2. The New York Times’ ethics columnist goes for a bike ride around New York City and discusses cycling ethics.

3. The 2010 Bikeway Network Improvements pass Toronto City Council, but the high-profile plan for a segregated lane on University Avenue (which I was really looking forward to) fails due to an ostensible voting error by one councillor.

4. An NDP private member’s bill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario would require drivers to leave 3 feet of space between their vehicles and cyclists; write your MPP.

The Canadian Police Information Centre is the agency in Canada which maintains criminal and police records. It also maintains a database of stolen vehicles – including bicycles – which is searchable online. One can enter the serial number for any bicycle in the Bicycle Search section of their web page to see if they have a record of it. For Your Information.