Pedestrian, cyclist advocate wanted

By Makayla Peacock

Out of the million or so people in the Ottawa, there is no one dedicated to being a full-time advocate for pedestrian and cyclist safety. Ecology Ottawa is looking to change that.

With summer fast approaching, more people will be out and about on their bicycles and on foot, meaning there is an increased risk of pedestrian- and cyclist-related accidents. The two groups are being urged to come together to help fund a full-time advocacy position to help ensure Ottawa’s streets are safe for everyone who uses them.

According to Robb Barnes, Ecology Ottawa’s managing director, the decision to put out a fundraising call for the position was driven by a few factors.

“We’re kind of at a crossroads as a city. We see a lot of changes happening in terms of Ottawa’s built environment,” he said, referring to various measures being implemented by the City of Ottawa to transform the way citizens move through the capital. “They’re making a lot of changes that are going to have sweeping implications in terms of how people get around day to day.”

Two hundred Ottawa residents have been encouraged to donate $1 a day to fund the full-time position to ensure that the person chosen for the job can push for pedestrian and cyclist priority when streets are re-built in neighbourhoods across the city, to keep the public in the know on policy developments at City Hall, to pressure the city to implement smart decisions and to help ensure that the city delivers on promises for pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, according to the website.

According to Barnes, the city has done plenty, but it is not enough — and there are still too many accidents, he said.

“There’s a difference between having a good policy and implementing that policy to the fullest extent,” he said. “That’s really our mission, is treating every street as essentially a political question and a question of showing that the community demands sustainable transportation options for the streets being rebuilt.”

The planned advocacy position is a component of Ecology Ottawa’s “Active City” campaign, which aims to promote sustainable transportation and increases in provincial and federal funding for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure — all aimed at promoting safer communities for walking and cycling.

According to the Ecology Ottawa’s website, the more that communities are designed around vehicles, the more transit becomes unaffordable and walking or cycling dangerous. The advocacy initiative comes after 22 fatal collisions and 15,076 reportable collisions in the city in 2015. The most recent fatal collision involving a cyclist occurred in September when a young female cyclist collided with a truck making a so-called “right hook” turn at the intersection of Laurier and Lyon streets.

With the implementation of the “complete streets” concept — which stipulates that every time a major road is rebuilt, it’s going to be designed for all users, ages and abilities — Ottawa could become a nationwide leader for pedestrian and cyclist safety, according to Barnes.

“Some cities are doing different things better than others. Broadly speaking, Ottawa is no exception to the rules that North American cities have been primarily built around the car. Now you’re seeing a nationwide — really worldwide — rethink of that, and an attempt to reconceptualize how we build a city,” he said. “Some cities are kind of moving faster in that direction. For example, the province of Quebec has a series of interconnected bike lanes. They’re really leading in some respects.”

The planned EC position would require someone to forge a new path with what Ottawa already has, including a variety of bike paths, a generous transit system and vibrant communities with access to amenities and greenspace. The priority will be to make the communities safer and more practical for everyone while giving people the opportunity to choose a transportation method that is beneficial to them.