GoBiking.ca News Blog

Will no longer be posting on this News Blog.

Michael McGoldrick — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:38:35 +0000

I have decided to stop maintaining this News Blog because it has become redundant as a result of the recent opening of the Ottawa Citizen’s blog (Citizencycle). This became obvious when I was travelling during my vacation this summer. No internet access, slow internet access, and the difference in time zones made it difficult to post material on my news blog in a timely manner. When I did get a chance to update the blog, I noticed that much of what I was going to post was already on the Ottawa Citizen Blog. Hence, my postings were going to be old news.

The Citizencycle website and blog have gotten off to a good start, and I hope the Ottawa Citizen continues to support what they started. Despite the good job they are doing, the Ottawa Citizen site cannot be relied on for all news and information about cycling. For example, they may be reluctant to point out interesting material about cycling that may appear on the Ottawa Sun website (especially the excellent blog that is being maintained by Kris Westwood). As a result, I have included links to several news sources and blogs about local cycling on the main page of the GoBiking.ca website.

I have also decided to resurrect the old “Discussion Forum” that used to appear on the Gobiking website. Although it was never well used, it may be of service to people who wish to post announcements and other messages. I will also post material on it from time to time.

Note that there is no need to register to post material on this Discussion Forum. However, this could change if the forum starts picking up too much spam or inappropriate material.

Click here to return to the main page of the GoBiking.ca website.

Click here for the GoBiking News & Discussion Forum.

Cycling is good for cancer patients

Michael McGoldrick — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:41:02 +0000

I had heard somewhere that cancer patients who cycle regularly do better than those who don't. I can't remember exactly where I picked up this information, but a report on the BBC seems to confirm it. Research now shows that cancer patients who exercise regularly have a better chance to recover and live longer. It seems that being advised to rest and take it easy after cancer treatment is an outdated view.

Click here for the BBC report.

LA outlaws bicycle harassment

Michael McGoldrick — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:20:49 +0000

Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance yesterday designed to protect cyclists from being harassed by motorists. The ordinance makes it an infarction to verbally or physically threaten cyclists. The ordinance is being described as a "pioneering new law", and the "toughest of its kind" in the United States.

This is quite different from the situation locally. Here in Ottawa, if a motorist harasses a cyclist, hits the cyclist with his car, and then physically attacks the cyclist, there is a very good chance that the police will treat the cyclist as the source of the problem.

Click here for the story in the LA Times.

Click here for an example of what sometimes happens in Ottawa.

Click for anther example in Ottawa.

It's time to take a vacation on your bike

Michael McGoldrick — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:07:04 +0000

If you have never taken a vacation on your bike, this may be the year to start. It's called bicycle touring, and it can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of cycling. You depart from your front doorstep and simply head out for a few days.

A lot of people may think bicycle touring is only for hard core cyclists. In reality, anyone who is capable of riding 40 to 50 kilometres a day is a candidate for taking a vacation on their bike. In Ottawa, we are blessed with a number of nearby destinations for people who would like to try a short bicycle trip for the first time. One of these is Carleton place. It is possible to cycle all the way there on paths and trails, and the entire ride takes place over flat terrain. Carleton Place has an interesting downtown area, an old inn, several B&Bs, and a good assortment of restaurants.

There are also services that make it easy for people to plan extensive trips on their bicycle. One of the best examples is VIA’s “bike” trains. On these trains it is possible to check your bike without any special preparation. When you arrive at your destination, your bike rolls off the train and is ready for use. Another service is Ontario’s recently inaugurated "Welcome Cyclists" network which identifies bicycle friendly hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, etc. This service has been around for a number of years in Quebec under the name "Bienvenue cyclistes".

When it comes to planning bicycle trips, don’t forget about Quebec's renowned "Route Verte" network that allows cyclists to ride 4000 kilometres on bike paths, bicycle lanes, paved shoulders, or quiet country roads. In Ontario, cyclists will find much the same thing with the 900 kilometre "Waterfront Trail" which runs from the Quebec/Ontario border to the Niagara Peninsula.

So what are you waiting for?

Click here for more detail about bicycle touring.

Click here for more information about cycling to Carleton Place.

Click here for more about VIA’s "bike trains".

Click here for more information about Ontario's "Welcome Cyclists" network.

Click here for more information about Quebec's "Bienvenue cyclistes" program.

Click here for more information about Ontario’s "Waterfront Trail".

Click here for more information about Quebec’s "Route Verte".

Reminder - Laurier bike lane opens this Sunday

Michael McGoldrick — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:17:05 +0000

If you are thinking of going out for a ride on Sunday Bikeday, why not take a detour through the downtown area to check out the new segregated bike lane on Laurier Avenue? The official opening ceremony will be taking place this Sunday (July 10) at 10 am in front of the Main Public Library on Laurier Avenue (at the corner of Metcalfe Street). The people behind the bike lane project are hoping to get thousands of cyclists to come out for this event.

Although the opening ceremony will take place on Sunday, the Laurier bike lane will first be used during a weekday rush-hour on Monday morning, July 11.

It has to be emphasized that the segregated bike lane on Laurier Avenue is a two-year pilot project. At the end of this period, it will be evaluated for its impact on the downtown area and to see how well it has been used by cyclists. If successful, it could be used as a model for the creation of additional segregated bike lanes in Ottawa’s downtown core. If you believe that the project is a valuable addition to the city’s bicycle infrastructure, show your support for the bike lane by using it and by coming out for the opening ceremony.

Click here for a City of Ottawa video about the bike lane.

Click here for the bike lane signs and symbols.

Network for welcoming touring cyclists in Ontario

Michael McGoldrick — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:24:52 +0000

"Welcome Cyclists" is a network of hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, and other establishments which cater to people travelling on their bicycles in Ontario. To becomes part of the network, businesses have to guarantee to provide a certain level of services for cyclists (e.g. hotels or B&Bs have to provide a covered and secure bike storage area).

“Welcome Cyclists” only recently started to operate as a province-wide network. There is no charge for businesses to join the network, or for cyclists to use the service to identify bicycle friendly hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, or other establishments. It appears to be modelled after Quebec’s "Bienvenue cyclistes" program, which has been around for a number of years and proven to be very popular with people travelling on their bicycles.

Click here for more information about Ontario's "Welcome Cyclists" network.

Click here for more information about Quebec's "Bienvenue cyclistes" program.

Bike lanes projects create more jobs

Michael McGoldrick — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:39:22 +0000

With its official opening only a few weeks away, many people are extolling all the virtues of the Laurier segregated bike lane. Here’s one they may have missed. A study at the University of Massachusetts has discovered that proportionally, bike lane projects create more jobs than road construction.

The study found that bicycle projects created 11.4 jobs while road-only projects created 7.8 jobs for every $1 million spent. The main reason for this is that bike lane projects tend to be more labour intensive, with a larger proportion of money being spent on construction workers, engineers, and planners. By comparison, spending on road-only projects tends to go more for materials such as asphalt and cement.

The author of the study, Heidi Gerrett-Peltier, had originally come to this conclusion by examining the cost associated with construction of bike lanes and paths in Baltimore. Since then, she has expanded the study to include 58 projects in 11 different cities. The results remain the same.

Click here for a report on the study.

Businesses promoting cycling rather than opposing it

Michael McGoldrick — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:35:49 +0000

Businesses in Marshfield, Wisconsin, have established a program to encourage people to use their bike more by offering incentives such as discounts at participating stores. In order to be eligible to benefit from the program, cyclists have to get a special sticker which they can affix to their bicycle helmets.

"This is a fun way to get people thinking about riding their bikes," according to one business owner.

This is in stark contrast to the efforts that many Ottawa businesses have devoted trying to keep segregated bike lanes off numerous downtown streets. Now that the Laurier segregated bike lane will be opening in a few weeks, it may be time for them to finally put aside their old mindsets and start thinking about the Laurier bike lane as a new business opportunity. For example, they could target cyclists as potential customers with events and sales during the opening week of the new bike lane. Some businesses may want to attract cyclists by ensuring there is a safe and convenient place to park and lock bicycles in front of their establishments.

Click here for a news story about what businesses in Marshfield are doing to promote cycling.

Ottawa only scores a "silver" for being bicycle friendly

Michael McGoldrick — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Ottawa has been given a "Silver Designation" for being a bicycle friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists, it was recently announced at the Ontario Bike Summit.

On the surface, a "Silver Designation" may sound pretty good for Ottawa. However, in the larger scheme of things, it demonstrates that Ottawa has fallen behind many other cities in terms of being a bicycle friendly community.

The Washington-based League of American Bicyclists has been rating US communities for bicycle friendliness for the better part of a decade. It now has a list of approximately 80 cities and towns which is divided into four categories: platinum - gold - silver - bronze. (Ontario cities became eligible to be rated under the system last year through an arrangement with the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.)

When looking at the list, we see that there are two categories ahead of the “Silver Designation”, and that cities such as Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Seattle are all rated as being more bicycle friendly than Ottawa. We also see that Ottawa shares its category with cities such as Denver, Chicago, Boston, and New York.

To put all this in context, it be should remembered that 10 or 15 years ago, Ottawa would have probably rated as being the most bicycle friendly city in all of North America. Relative to everyone else, it might have received a "Platinum Designation". Back in those days, cities like Denver, Chicago, Boston, and New York were considered hostile to cycling, and it would have been heresy to even compare them to Ottawa. The bottom line is that in the past decade, many cities have caught up or passed Ottawa.

Fortunately, it’s not all bad news. At least Ottawa has its "Silver Designation". More importantly, the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau, and the CEO of the NCC, recognize that the region can no longer live off its old reputation as being bicycle friendly, and they are prepared to take action (however haltingly) to promote cycling.

Click here for the League of American Bicyclists' list of bicycle friendly communities.

Click here for story in the Ottawa Citizen about Ottawa's "Silver Designation".

No Tour de France on television?

Michael McGoldrick — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:14:24 +0000

The 2011 Tour de France starts next Saturday, but it seems that I won't be getting a chance to watch much of it on television. I suspect there may be quite a few other people in my situation.

Last February, TSN announced with great fanfare that it had acquired multi-year English-language broadcast rights in Canada for the Tour de France. At first I thought this was a step in the right direction because OLN had been slacking in its coverage of this race (it was no longer carrying the enhanced presentation of the race in the evening). However, it turns out that TSN has relegated its television coverage of Tour de France to an obscure corner of the cable channel universe called TSN2.

My current cable channel package includes OLN and TSN, but not TSN2. Over the pass two decades there has been a trend in the cable industry where content has been slowly migrating to more expensive cable packages. For years I was getting televised coverage of the Tour de France, now I will have to pay more if I to want watch the same thing. I also wonder why TSN couldn't put live coverage of the cycling's most important race on its main channel. The live feed for Tour de France comes in during the morning hours, hardly prime time.

What's frustrating with all of this is that access to televison coverage of the Tour de France is being reduced at a time when cycling is more popular than ever, there are more Canadians involved in the highest levels of the sport, and there is a good possibility that a Canadian (Ryder Hesjedal) could win a stage or even wear the coveted Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France.