Go Ottawa at the National Bike Summit

This was the 25th year of the National Bike Summit, hosted by The League of American Bicyclists. The League’s mission is improving lives and strengthening communities through bicycling. They are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. For the Summit, hundreds of these cycling enthusiasts gathered in Washington, D.C. for three days of workshops, rides, inspirational lectures, and advocacy. They believe life is better for everyone when more people ride bikes. When more people bike, people are happier and healthier and our communities are safer and friendlier.

This mission and vision tie-in beautifully to Ottawa’s Strategic Plan’s goal to “Build safe bicycle and pedestrian connections between our schools, the reservoir, downtown, and the river.” With this strategic goal, the plan calls for us to:

1)     Build an interconnected off-street trail network that connects neighborhoods to schools, downtown, and the river

2)     Maintain clear branding, pavement markings, signage, and debris/snow clearance along the trail network

3)     Calm intersections and prioritize pedestrians along key streets and Main Street

4)     Support the growing use of golf carts, eBikes, and electric vehicles

5)     Broaden the presence of active living in marketing Ottawa

6)     Reduce reliance on school busing

7)     Ensure that pedestrian comfort and safety are at the core of every street improvement

With Ottawa’s strategic vision in mind, I listened to several sessions, reflecting on what was said into how it could make sense in our community. Below are my top 3 takeaways.

It Starts with the Kids

            Have you ever been biking and been honked at or had a vehicle drive by uncomfortably close? The driver-rider relationship is often a strained one. The biker may not know the rules of the road well or may not be wearing the appropriate safety gear. The driver may not be used to seeing cyclists on the road and might be anxious because they do not know the rules around who gets priority. (Or they may just be in a hurry.) One comment that really stood out to me was that the kids are eventually our drivers, so if we instill a respect, understanding and a love for biking early – the relationship between driver and rider will start to shift as they become our drivers too.

In Rhode Island, they are doing this through a 4-day workshop that comes to the elementary schools (Rhode to Bicycle Safety). They focus on the 5th grade, with the first day being in class learning traffic regulations and the following days being on the bike practicing their riding skills and bike mechanics. In the state of Washington, their operation is a little less ‘boutique approach.’ They have incorporated the biking education into the physical education curriculum, setting the program up to meet OSPI Health and PE standards (Cascade Bicycle Club program). Their statewide program focuses on grades 3-8. The third example I listened to was a national organization called All Kids Bike. This program focuses on Kindergarteners and equips schools with balance bike programs to teach essential riding skills through 8 lessons. This program is also done through PE class. While each program has its unique approach and focuses on different ages, the main concept was the same: it is more than just learning how to ride a bike. Programs like these:

1) Teach kids to understand traffic regulations and the rules of the road.

2) Teach kids how to safely ride and take care of their bike.

3) Give kids a joy and independence that can only be found on a bike.

* Other related, fun tidbits to think about: ‘bike buses’ snd biking access for all abilities.

Cultural Change Takes Time and Never Ends

I listened to two presentations from the Dutch Cycling Embassy. Many look to the Netherlands as the ultimate biking community, but many do not realize they were not always that way. In the 1960s and early 70s, cars were taking over and traffic deaths were increasing.

“In 1970, the Netherlands experienced 245 traffic fatalities per million people, almost as high as the U.S. rate at 257 per million. The U.S. also had a much lower rate of fatality when measured in relation to fatalities per miles driven. But by 2019, the fatality rate in the Netherlands had plummeted to 34 per million, 70% lower than that in the U.S.” (source)

Where the U.S. took a vehicle-centric approach to improving safety-with straighter roads, more lanes, and efficiency-the Dutch approached improving safety by rethinking how their streets could be designed for the pedestrian and cyclist. This started through the Stop de Kindermoord social movement (translated as “stop the child murder”), which called attention to how many of those traffic deaths were children playing in the streets.

It has now been 50 years since the start of this movement, and we can see the effects of how this advocacy impacted infrastructure for the betterment of all road users. However, it is important to note that it is not just infrastructure alone that has led to this strong biking culture, but a continual focus on how to increase and improve ridership.

The Dutch national government’s program, CycleOn, is focused on those 55+ and has themed bike rides, specialized bike try-outs to expose people to different types of cycles, and cycle lessons. The Dutch government launched a campaign (Choose the Bike) to promote bike commuting because studies have shown employees use less sick leave and are more productive when they bike to work. Children in their final year of primary school (around age 12) take a practical traffic exam to assess their cycling skills and knowledge of traffic rules. This is a prerequisite for secondary school! Promoting cycling is weaved through all facets of Dutch culture. It is a continual cycle of improvement, constantly asking the questions: What can be done to improve cycling conditions? How can we enable more people to ride?

5 Essentials of a Bike Path

What does a good bike path entail, you may ask? The Dutch Cycling Embassy broke it down into 5 easy to remember concepts:

1)     Safety – This means providing a physical separation from traffic whenever possible, providing good lighting, using well-marked crossings, and regular maintenance of the pathway.

2)     Directness – Routes should be clear and efficient, minimizing stops, detours and unnecessary turns. They should be interconnected, allowing cyclists to easily travel between destinations.

3)     Coherence – Paths should have a consistent design and layout. They should integrate with the surrounding environment. Signage is important.

4)     Attractiveness – Paths should be visually appealing and have adequate amenities.

5)     Comfort – Paths should be smooth, well-maintained, with enough width to accommodate all users, with gradual inclines/declines.

There were many other takeaways and fantastic programs shared, but I will leave it at three for now. Tying these back to our strategic plan, we are still at the early stages of creating these safe bicycle and pedestrian connections between our community assets. To make this vision a reality, we will need to keep in mind ‘safety, directness, coherence, attractiveness, and comfort.’ It is also something that is not just a ‘build it and they will come’ thing. We will need programming around biking education and activities to encourage more community members to bike. We will need to constantly be looking at what we can do to improve our cycling conditions and what we can do to increase our ridership.

Image from the Village of Ottawa Strategic Plan adopted March 2023

If you are interested in learning more about any of these programs, or sharing your thoughts on biking here in Ottawa – do not hesitate to reach out: hello@go-ottawa.com.