Month: July 2018

Last summer the City of Ottawa posted a series of self-guided bike tours  with the goal of encouraging cyclists to explore the countryside within Ottawa’s limits and surrounding areas. I’ve been meaning to visit a few sites in and around Osgoode so I decided to try out The Osgoode Ride. The city rates this 59km route as ‘experienced’. I’ve gone on many rides of varying difficulty within Canada and abroad so I figured I qualified. On Saturday morning I gave it a shot. Here’s how it went.

I  set out from the parking lot off Mitch Owens Road on the edge of the converted rail-to-trail Osgoode Link Pathway. This parking lot is conveniently located right beside The Wood Source where they have a great selection of types of wood not available in most lumber yards.

I rode south along the Osgoode Link Pathway and turned left onto Gough Road to get onto the city’s recommended route.

The majority of this route runs along two lane straight-aways in various states of repair, from crumbling asphalt to fresher pavement. Most of the shoulders are a mix of loose and packed gravel.

I’m guessing the linear directness of these roads are what encouraged most drivers I encountered to push the pedal to the metal, regardless of the condition of the roadway. Tragically, last September alone there were two fatal collisions along this route, one at the intersection of Pathway Road and 8th Line Road, the other along Dalmeny Road.

If there wasn’t any traffic coming in the opposite direction most drivers generously moved way over to the opposite lane to pass. There were a few instances that required bailing out onto the gravel shoulder in hopes of survival. For example when this oncoming driver chose to move into my lane to pass another car.

There are only a few small hills on this route. When they did appear, drivers were loathe to move over when passing me lest an unseen vehicule be cresting the hill in the opposite direction. The proper thing to do is wait until you are over the hill and sight lines are clear to safely pass, but this was not a popular option for some, like this guy who could be heard accelerating from a long ways off, making it quite clear he had no intention of slowing down as he flew over the hill.

Another common circumstance that often necessitates taking to the shoulder is when a vehicule insists on passing even though the timing coincides with another car approaching in the opposing lane, leaving minimal or no room beween the passing car and the edge of the road. This was paticularly common along Victoria Street where traffic was busiest. Having a mirror is essential in these circumstances to be able to guage how close the encounter was lining up to be, and to assess the size of the vehicule coming up from behind, particularly in communities that often rely on wider than average vehicles as their mode of transpo.

The need to always be prepared to ride onto an unpredictable gravel shoulder in a moments decision means I don’t  consider this route to be safe for cycling. To do so there would need to be paved shoulders to provide riders with a safe means of escape in such dangerous situations. There are a few instances along this route where there are paved shoulders, such as when entering Metcalfe, and a short section where Dalmeny Road road turns onto Gordon Murdoch Road.

Optimally every road should have a paved shoulder or, at a minimum, along bike routes recommended by the city, similar to those along Albion Road and other roads frequented by cyclists near the airport.

The intitiative to encourage cycling through the countryside is admirable. It provides a boost to local economies, like at the vegetable stand I visited along the route and at the Metcalfe Farmers’ Market . It also allows for wonderful healthy outings for residents and tourists alike. But without proper infrastructure, routes such as this will remain accessible to only the most foolhardy of cyclists. Build safe bike infrastructure and they will come. Don’t and they won’t. I only saw 4 other cyclists on the roadway portions of this route whereas along the Osgoode Link Pathway I encountered over 15.

I leave you with a few fine discoveries made along the route.

Et voila!

Updated – July 23rd, 2018: On Sunday, July 22nd there was a pop-up bike lane installed along Moodie Drive in Bells Corners for cyclists to try out. The Healthy Transportation Coalition was behind this great initiative which you can read more about by clicking here. An important part of their goal is to demonstrate the need for safe cycling infrastructure on Moodie Drive in Bells Corners West.

Here’s a bike route for those located closer to downtown who are interested in riding out to Bells Corners! The purple line indicates the location where the pop-up bike lane was installed.

As the event landed on a Sunday, the first section of this route capitalised on the weekly Sunday Bikedays event when the Sir John A Macdonald (SJAM) Parkway westbound lane along the Ottawa River is closed to traffic, starting from the War Museum and continuing all the way west to Carling Avenue.

SJAM Parkway is re-opened to cars at 1pm on Sunday Bikedays, so the orange line on the map proposes an alternative return route from the Pinecrest Creek Pathway that is primarily along the Experimental Farm Pathway. Or one could ride along the Ottawa River Pathway that runs parallel to the SJAM Parkway.

Just before Carling there is an oppportunity to get onto the Pinecrest Creek Pathway just off the SJAM Parkway exit.

The path goes under the Queensway and up to Iris St, then continues on the opposite corner of Iris, like so.

Further along there is a path off to the right. There is a sign (barely visible on this photo) pointing to it that reads ‘Baseline’. If you miss the turn off and wind up by the fire station on Woodroffe you’ve gone too far.

After curling up and under Baseline Road the official path circles around a bus parking lot, however most continue straight to avoid this detour.

The path continues parallel to Woodroffe, then veers west just before reaching the Legacy Skatepark. It then continues westwardly, twice crossing Centrepoint Drive.

The path dips under the train tracks and ends a bit further at Craig Henry Drive.

Craig Henry Drive has a painted shoulder but it is not signed as a bike lane so there is a chance you may have to bike around the odd parked car. Follow Craig Henry Drive all the way to Greenbank Road.

On the opposite side of Greenbank continue along Canfield Road for a short distance before hopping onto another path. To access this path take the closest cut in the curb which is a few yards away from the start of the path, infront of some communal mailboxes.

This section of path weaves it’s way through a wooded area before crossing McClellan Road, and then follows power lines all the way to Bruce Pit.

Once arrived at Bruce Pit turn right and follow the packed stone dust path that circles the Pit.

Cross Cedarview Road on the west side of Bruce Pit and then ride along the bridge, that has bike lanes, over the 416 highway.

Once on the other side of the 416 cut through to the northwest corner of Bell High School campus. Just beyond the black chain link fence there is a short path off to the right that leads down to Stinson Avenue.

Stinson Ave is a quiet residential street, as are Delta St, Evergreen Dr, Ridgefield Crescent, Longwood Ave, Tanglewood Dr and Hadley Circle which I followed as per the above map all the way to our final destination on Moodie Drive.

Et voila!

The Merry Dairy is a wonderful ice cream parlour at the corner of Gladstone and Fairmont Avenue, a perfect destination on a warm Summer’s day! Here’s a bike loop from the Trillium Pathway and back. (The Trillium Pathway is also popularly known as the O-Train Pathway. Some wayfinding signage uses this name as well).

We begin at the bottom of the path that comes down from Somerset Street and joins the Trillium Pathway. Head south along the pathway.

After crossing Gladstone, the path continues under the Queensway.

Just beyond the Queensway there is an exit to the right that crosses over the O-Train tracks along a pedestrian bridge to Young Street.

Continue up Young Street all the way to Fairmont Avenue. Turn right on Fairmont Avenue and ride back under the Queensway.

Nota bene: The Merry Dairy also has an ice cream truck that attends various events around town. On the evening of July 21st it will be in Fairmont Park where A Company of Fools will be presenting Twelfth Night! To get there, turn left once you reach Fairmont Avenue and ride south for a couple of blocks. I’ve indicated this option in purple on the above map. (UPDATE Spring 2021 – Performances by A Company of Fools are on pause until we get through this Covidian mess).

A block north of the Queensway you’ll find the ice cream parlour on the south west corner of Fairmont and Gladstone.

AND they love cyclists! For example, when it came time to purchase a bike rack they surveyed the Ottawa biking community via Twitter who overwhelmingly preferred this model.

The service is great and the ice cream is delicious!

To get back to the Trillium Path, continue north along Fairmont across Gladstone to the lane opposite Duhamel Street. Turn right onto this lane which takes you to quiet Irving Avenue.

Turn left on Irving, them right on Laurel, and follow Laurel all the way to Breezehill Ave N. Turn left onto Breezehill. These are all pretty quiet residential streets. You’ll pass Devonshire Elementary School at the corner of Laurel and Breezehill.

Heading north along Breezehill takes you to Somerset. Turn right onto the bike lane over the Somerset bridge.

On the opposite side of the bridge there is a right hand exit onto the path that leads dowm to the Trillium Path to where our adventure began.

Et voila!

If anyone needs directions to the Trillium Path please let me know and I will post a route.

Bruce has been a long time resident of Orleans. When asked for his opinion on places he thought a visitor might find interesting in his neck of the woods, he generously offered a few suggestions which I have linked together into the following bike route!

We begin at the western end of Hiawatha Park and follow a path that weaves it’s way though the residential neighbourhood. This is also the park where A Company of Fools will be performing Twelfth Night this Thursday night! UPDATE, Fall 2018: The show was a great hit! You can follow this link to see what the Company of Fools are up to next!

Halfway along the path through Hiawatha Park I turned north towards the Ottawa River via Hiawatha Park Road. Near the northern end of the road there are two interpretive panels that describes the history of Orleans. One panel details the origins of Bruyere Village which the panels are facing, and the Grey Nuns who were it’s initial residents. The second panel details the history of Louis-Théodore Besserer and the influence he had on the formation of Orleans, including the origin of it’s name.

There is a pleasant little park at the end of the street with a fine view across the river.

Next I retraced my treads a short distance up Hiawatha Park Road to where there is access to a bike path that heads east. Bruce mentioned the numerous branches off of this path that lead through the woods down to the rivers edge, in particular the one across from Bilberry Drive.

As one approaches the river along this trail the ground surface transitions from stone dust to packed dirt.

The path follows along the river a short distance, affording some pretty great views across the water and into the woods. Bring bug spray.

Now back on the main path, the next area Bruce mentioned was the stretch between Champlain St and 10th Line Road. The beauty of this section of path is hard to capture in a photo. There is a wonderful cacophony of wildlife in the surrounding canopy of trees and sloped forest floor rising up on the right.

To get to our final destination requires heading inland across a few major traffic arteries. Fortunately there are multi-use paths and bike lanes along Trim Road with a couple of round-abouts to keep things calm.

I then turned right onto St Joseph Boulevard which has bike lanes as far as our final destination, the Princess Louise Falls. The falls are on the south side of the road which requires waiting until there is a long break in traffic to cross, or riding up to the lights at the 174 on ramp, then coming back on the south side. I don’t reccomend trying to get to the falls via 10th Line Road unless you are comfortable riding with lots of speeding heavy traffic. I tried. It sucked. The vantage point of the falls is pretty far from the road, although after a heavy rain fall or in the Spring they would appear quite dramatic even from this vantage point. There is a hiking trail that brings you closer however this would require a mountain bike to negotiate, if they are permitted.

Et voila! Thanks Bruce for all the great suggestions.