Yes, Kanata has a secret, or at least unpublicized, segregated bike lane on Huntmar Drive from Maple Grove Road to the Canadian Tire Centre parking lot, even if, for some strange reason, it is only on one side of the road. This is not like the high profile (and more
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THE FIFTH COLUMN: Prince of Wales Bridge: Why Isn’t This a Bikeway
(click on image to enlarge)
As early as 2005, after the rail line was discontinued and the City of Ottawa purchased the bridge for possible future public transit use the NCC proposed using the bridge as a pedestrian and cycling bridge (Wikipedia: The …
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Prince of Wales Bridge: Why Isn’t This a Bikeway
(click on image to enlarge) As early as 2005, after the rail line was discontinued and the City of Ottawa purchased the bridge for possible future public transit use the NCC proposed using the bridge as a pedestrian and cycling bridge (Wikipedia: The Ottawa Citizen. (15 November 2005), NCC plans
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Stop Signs as Yield Signs for Cyclists – Ontario Cycling Strategy and The Idaho Experience
The following, based on a previous blog post, was submitted to the Ontario Cycling Strategy public consultation process. Stop Signs as Yield Signs For Cyclists – The Idaho Experience I am proposing that as part of the Ontario Cycling Strategy the Highway Traffic Act be amended to adopt the policy
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: "Tour de Sudbury" – Cycling in Sudbury
Our hometown of Sudbury is not known for it’s cycling infrastructure or even for a positive attitude towards cycling but there are organizations like the Sudbury Cyclists Union, the Rainbow Routes Association and the Sudbury Cycles Project that are trying to change that and there is even a proposed Bicycle
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Post Bike Tour Slide Shows
After the bike tour we stayed in Ennis for a few days and took a bus to Limerick for a day tour. The most interesting observation we made was that while Ennis had narrow streets with one lane one way traffic and narrow sidewalks, much of Limerick had wide streets
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 6 Slide Show
This was the longest ride of the tour but not too bad as far as hills go, except for the last ride into Westport, up and down and then back up and down again. Lots of scenery but not too many photo stops because of the long ride and then
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Break Day Slide Show
We took today easy, went for a walk near the lodge on Lough Inagh in the morning and managed to talk Jeff into driving us to the Kylemore Abbey in the afternoon where we explored the grounds and the remarkable gardens. There is some real interesting history about this place.
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 5, Sheep Shearing, Flowers and More Slide Shows
If you’ve ever been to a county fair or watched a movie about Australia you have seen sheep sheering, but usually with electric shears. In this part of Ireland they use hand shears and probably sheer the sheep faster and cleaner than with the electric ones. This was a great
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 4, Discovering Ireland’s Sheep Slide Show
Today was a day at the beach as we stopped at a wonderful little beach along the route, as well as made a visit to the lovely town of Clifden. More scenery, and did I mention the sheep. The sheep in Ireland seem to have priority over the roads, followed
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 3, The Aran Islands Slide Show
Most of the day was spent on one of the Aran Islands. It was a great day for photography as it was actually sunny and there was so much to photograph, from a remarkable fort to literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of stone fences from millions of stones dividing up the
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 2, To The Burren Slide Show
Today we did a circle route through the remarkable Burren, a landscape that almost defies description, although parts of Ottawa’s Lime Kiln Trail with it’s underlying Limestone hints at it. And, of course it’s Ireland so there were more ruins. This was the second hardest climbing day of the tour.
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Cycling Day 1, The Irish Landscape Slide Show
Today we got setup on our bikes with our self-guiding instructions so we could ride on our own while Jeff went ahead with the van and then would mysteriously appear on his bike cycling towards us to make sure we were not lost. We rode to the Cliffs of Moher
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour – Ennis Slide Show
We arrived a few days early and got to know the town of Ennis which was full of stone walls, first thing we noticed, and lots of local shops and pubs – no Walmarts or big box stores. The only chain store we noticed was a large Irish department store,
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ireland Bike Tour Overview
In recalling our wonderful bike tour of Ireland at first it seems like one long uphill ride in the rain, the green being the only constant. But actually every day was different with many different landscapes and varied geography throughout the over 300 kilometre route. We even had some dry
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Reflections
This has probably been the longest I have gone between blog posts, despite my best intentions, but as I said I have not abandoned you. I have simply been busy with other things mostly related to mapping and biking and the South Match Highlands struggle. But I have also been
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Winter Bike Final Modifications & Mid Season Review
When I first bought my new winter bike in October I wrote “It’s a bit small for me, but was about the largest they had in stock and with some adjustments to the handlebar and seat height I have it set up about the same as my mountain bike, which
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Cyclist Fatality Waiting/Designed to Happen
If you wanted to design a storm sewer grate to catch a bicycle wheel and throw the rider into fast heavy traffic you could not do better than this. These are located along Eagleson Road between the Queensway and Hazeldean Road. They seem designed to capture bicycle wheels and kill
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Watts Creek Pathway Construction Alternative Route
On Wednesday November 9, I noticed that a section of the Watts Creek Pathway running alongside the Nepean National Equestrian Park has the asphalt torn up and appears ready for construction work, barriers were ready to be placed across the path in two …
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Cycling and Mountain Biking Season in Review
I know it’s not over yet, and with the winter bike it is never over, but I feel it’s been a great season so far and now is as good a time as ever to put my thoughts down in print. The time will come soon enough when the trails are no longer rideable a…
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