Comments for Cycling in Ottawa

Comment on Council failing on biking by Ben

Ben — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:08:23 +0000

That is very encouraging. It’s generally nice to see that the “zero tax increase” line didn’t last long.

Grassroots democracy at work?

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Comment on Council failing on biking by Charles Akben-Marchand

Charles Akben-Marchand — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:07:51 +0000

Council approved $1.1 million in funding for the department that deals with cycling and pedestrian infrastructure and programs as part of the budget deliberations.

It is not yet apparent exactly how this money will be spent, but it is certainly a welcome change of direction!

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Comment on Council failing on biking by Charles Akben-Marchand

Charles Akben-Marchand — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:07:10 +0000

I’ve got to dispute this on a couple of grounds, not the least of which is that this is a mere gimmick that uses oversimplified information to draw attention.

The Sun made a good point (I know, quite a surprise) that even the Sierra Club admitted that the votes that this assessment is based on were all pretty insignificant decisions.

Also, this was an “environmental” report card; not specifically cycling. It is technically possible, then, that they had improved on cycling but gotten worse in all other environmental areas.

But most importantly, they could not have gotten worse on cycling, because funding in the budget for cycling for 2007 is at $0, from $400,000 a few years earlier. You simply can’t get worse than zero.

Right now, the cycling education and promotion programs are in the 2008 budget (actually, the first time in my memory that we didn’t have to remind council to put it in), albeit tucked away as part of the TDM department.

The Ottawa Cycling Plan, which has been in draft phase since 2003, might get passed this year, but even if it is, there is no funding at all to implement it. The budget has a $75,000 item below the cutoff line for educational programs, but development of the cycling network and infrastructure is still entirely unfunded.

Cycling infrastructure still gets built, but only if it can piggy-back onto larger road reconstruction projects. There are many “missing links” in the cycling network between these larger reconstructions that simply will not get fixed/built.

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Comment on MEC’s “controversial” plan to sell bikes by Francbiss

Francbiss — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:17:43 +0000

I just don’t believe MEC can make that much damage to the bike industry. LBS are at each others throat and undermining their own margin. How come you don’t feel bad when you’re ripping off in of your LBS for free tubes or rebates on these guys labour? MEC is and has been a good company that offers good benefit to their staff as oppose to any LBS.

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Comment on City Cycling Safety/Lane study? by Mike

Mike — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:36:36 +0000

My wife was the same way, having not been on a bike in more than a decade prior to coming to Ottawa. She stuck to the NCC paths for the first while before transitioning to quieter side streets with marked cycling routes.

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Comment on City Cycling Safety/Lane study? by Betsy

Betsy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:35:48 +0000

I bought a bike after not having one since I was a kid when I moved to Ottawa last year. I enjoy riding on the path by the canal, or on Colonel By when it was closed for cycling last summer, but I definitely do not feel comfortable on most surface streets yet.

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Comment on City Cycling Safety/Lane study? by Mike

Mike — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:35:14 +0000

Obviously, I totally agree.

The proposed cycling funding in the city budget for this year is a welcome change, as is the extra staff to support Robin Bennett. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with the downtown: an obvious solution would be to convert the albert/slater bus lanes to cycling routes once the transit tunnel is completed, but that’s a long ways away and would be sure to cause a stink.

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Comment on City Cycling Safety/Lane study? by anon

anon — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:34:38 +0000

I’ve actually been doored twice on Gladstone, and now feel safe only when taking the entire lane… which drivers seem to dislike.

Even so, we need segregated lanes in Ottawa not for people like you and I who already feel relatively safe, but for the huge percentage of the population that doesn’t cycle, but could given the right conditions. Sense of safety (perceived or real) is consistently cited as the number one reason for choosing not to cycle.

On the funding front: the city has 16 million from the Feds for cycling infrastructure in 2010. The Ottawa Cyling Plan calls for 5 million of municipal revenue to be spent per year — admitedly, this has been on hold so far, but should begin very soon.

The question of feasibility is an interesting one. We often can’t simply add bike lanes downtown because, by and large, there is no space. This is why cycling infrastructure requires a change in thinking: city planners needs to start thinking about converting some infrastructure currently dedicated to cars, to cycling lanes. Ottawa’s cycling coordinator knows this, but I’m not sure he has much support on the issue. Fortunately, in every example I have heard of, this type of approach has reduced congestion, not created it.

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Comment on MEC’s “controversial” plan to sell bikes by Paul

Paul — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:17:14 +0000

These people criticizing MEC for its tax-advantaged co-op status are hilarious. Nothing stops a competitor taking the same status. The only problem is that you don’t get rich running a co-op. You might get rich running a sole proprietorship or a corporation. It’s your choice.
For the record, I buy my bikes at a local bike shop that includes free tune-ups. I buy some of my outdoor gear at MEC, but most at local stores. My decision is based on price, quality and service, not legal structure.

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Comment on MEC’s “controversial” plan to sell bikes by Doug Smith

Doug Smith — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:16:30 +0000

One thing that bothers me is that I’ve been reading posts where people have already said they will buy a bike from MEC because of better pricing and better product. I recently compared two styles of bikes, an internal gear commuter and a cyclocross, at different LBS and MEC. In no way did MEC have the better product or pricing on these bikes. I found both their Hold Steady and Cote to be no cheaper than other offerings from Rocky, Brodie, etc. In fact, the Hold Steady was almost $400 more than the Rocky Metropolis. Granted, it had a nicer fork and slightly better brakes, and maybe this matters to some people. The point is that it was absolutely no better in terms of bang for buck, and certainly an upgraded fork is not a requirement for hassle-free commuting. So will MEC sell bikes because they have a better product for less money? Absolutely not! Will they sell bikes because of better service? I have no complaints with the LBS that I use, so I say no to this. Ultimately they will sell bikes because of their buying power and size.

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