The City of Ottawa released the draft of its new cycling plan earlier this month, including the proposed maintenance of a winter cycling network meant to increase accessibility to the downtown core during snowy months.
The draft is part of the city’s “Transportation Master Plan” that will be presented to the transportation committee and city council at the end of the November. The proposed plan will connect existing downtown pathways to a larger network focused within five kilometres of the downtown core, allowing winter cyclists to come in and out of the area with greater ease and safety.
The plan includes about 40 kilometres of bike paths, 21 km of which are already winter-maintained as either shared-use lanes or as part of the separated cycling facilities along Scott Street, Albert Street and Laurier Avenue. As part of the network, they will receive “upgrades and changes to current maintenance practices.”
The idea of creating a maintained winter network has been in the works since the last cycling plan was approved in 2008, says city transportation planner Zlatko Krstulic, but was never implemented. “We do get numerous calls and questions from cyclists asking about winter maintenance,” says Krstulic. “I think the interesting question for us to consider is if having a larger winter network can increase the number of people that cycle in the winter.”
A survey taken in 2011 and released earlier this year showed an increase in daily biking by 40 per cent since 2005, according to the Origin Destination Survey for the National Capital Region.
As the number of cyclists increases in the city, the idea of year-round cycling has gained more attention from local advocacy groups such as Citizens for Safe Cycling. For the past two winters the organization has held a family winter bike parade to promote cycling throughout the winter months.
Hans Moor, president of the group, says it’s not the cold weather that’s making cyclists put their bikes away after the first snowfall.
“If you look at the temperatures, you see people skiing on sunny days and on the canal,” says Moor. “So it’s really not the cold, it’s more the conditions of the roads.
“You never really know what is clean,” he continues. “Yes it’s cold, but people want to cycle – people who don’t have cars and maybe don’t want to take the bus, but just want to take their bicycle a short distance. But we have to know if it’s cleared or not.”
Bike counters on the Laurier bike path indicate that 17 per cent of bike trip volumes along that route occurred from December to mid-March last year, while a survey conducted by the city shows that 19 per cent of respondents would use the proposed winter pathways, and another 17 per cent would use them “sometimes.”
Andrea Recht, director of Ottawa Cycling Tours, says there isn’t enough interest in year-round cycling yet for her company to create winter tours. “There have been discussions,” she says. “Winter cycling does bring more wear on bikes with road salt, grit and the constant exposure to wetness. Also, when it’s -30C, there is, of course, some people, somewhere, thinking ‘Let's ride!’ But that's still a smallish percentage I'd say.”
She adds: “Before starting the company, I cycled into work through a few winters. If you wear the proper gear – layered, and a good waterproof or windproof outer layer – you can stay warm.”
Krstulic says the proposed plan will not be put into action until council’s next term in 2014, at which time elected officials will decide whether it’s a priority for municipal funding. If given priority, the network is planned to be implemented by the winter of 2015.