Pedal-powered infrastructure audit reveals ‘pinch points’ on Ottawa’s streets after report published

Back in September, a group of more than 50 cyclists took to the streets of Ottawa, following several different routes across the city. With their destination being City Hall, the objective of the trip, the CBC reported, was to appraise the conditions of the morning commute and identify the most troublesome parts of the ride.

This week, the results of that multi-rider infrastructure audit came back in the form of the Cycle In report[PDF], completed and published by Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict.

In all, the cyclists — many wearing jerseys splashed with the maple leaf — explored 20 different routes, all of which involved some kind of established bike infrastructure in the nation’s capital. Bike lanes, multi-use pathways and cycle tracks were the focus, but as the riders learned, their existence didn’t make riding around Ottawa any less of a chore at times. In many places, the pathways were disconnected, with gaps that forced riders on to the sidewalks, through the grounds of commercial properties, or even through traffic itself.

The most problems, the report detailed, could be found in “pinch points” throughout the city — 12 of them in all — where bikes and cars were funneled together. These, it went on to say, are the key places that should be addressed in order to get more people out and riding, or at least more comfortable and more secure in choosing two wheels over four.

“Pinch points,” the report said, “are hard to avoid and many present the cyclists with a dilemma. Do I travel through this pinch point, which is less safe and difficult to ride, do I try to find an alternative or do I choose not to cycle?”

According to the Cycle In report, those points included:

• Billings Bridge.
• Bank Street Bridge.
• Queensway Underpass at Bank Street.
• Wellington Street West, between Bayswater Avenue and Parkdale Avenue.
• Beechwood Avenue from the Vanier Parkway to Mackey and Charlevoix streets.
• Cummings Bridge over the Rideau River.
• St. Patrick Street Bridge.
• Smyth Road – Main Street Bridge.
• Mackenzie Avenue.
• Sussex Drive Bridge.
• The Donald Street Bridge over the Rideau River.
• The planned bridge connecting Clegg Street with Fifth Avenue over the Rideau Canal.