Mayor rules out changes to Holland Avenue this year

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said there will be no changes to the new bike route along Holland Avenue at leastthis year.

"We've got this system in place. Let us go through one season and if there are changes that have to be made, obviously from a safety point of view, we'll do that," Watson said.

The city redesigned the 500-metre stretch between Byron Avenue andKenilworthStreet last week, as part of itstwo-yearplan to replace the Harmer Avenue pedestrian bridgeover Highway 417 a few blocks northeast of the Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus.

'Let's try this for a season,' Watson says of Holland Avenue changes

6 years ago

Duration 0:27

Mayor Jim Watson said, at least for this year, there will be no changes to the new bike route along Holland Avenue

Pedestrians and cyclists that typically use the Harmer bridge to bypass the 417, now have to use the adjacent Holland Avenue.

Cyclists are guided along the route by "super-sharrows"green road markings with a bicycle and two chevrons, set in the middle of the road.

The idea is to encourage cyclists to "take the lane" by ridingon top of thesharrows,with drivers expected to follow in a single file.

A biker's-eye view of the cycling changes on Holland Avenue

6 years ago

Duration 0:46

This is what it's like for cyclists to share the road with drivers along Holland Avenue. Recent changes mean cyclists are now forced to weave in and out of traffic.

Sharrows are nothing new to the city, Watson said.

"We have sharrowsfor instancein Hintonburg right now that are well used. Unfortunately, we can't have a segregated lane on every single street."

Plans for the detour initially included temporary segregated bike lanes on either side of Holland Avenue, but that design was quashed after residents complained it would eliminate street parking.

All parties concerned

But both cyclistsand driverswho use Holland Avenuehave expressed concerns about the detour.

The City of Ottawa has already lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h along the 500-metre detour route.

Jordan Moffatt, a cyclist who often commutes to work using Holland Avenue, says the design is an unsettling ride for cyclists, who might worry about holding back drivers.

"It creates conflict. It makes it so that an injury or a death is very easy to imagine," he said.

As a driver,John Salvatore says he understands that more and more cyclists are on the road, but he says not everyone behind the wheel is as considerate.

"I find it's dangerous, because most drivers don't have the patience to stay behind the cyclists," he said.

"Who wants to admit that there's a little bit of frustration there in terms of your speed."

What do Ottawa cyclists think of the changes to Holland Avenue?

6 years ago

Duration 0:47

What do Ottawa cyclists think of the changes to Holland Avenue?

One potential alternative would be to build a segregated bidirectional bike lane on one side of Holland Avenue similar to what's in place on O'Connor Street in the city's downtown which wouldleave one side of the street open for parking.

Watson said the city "may look at [bidirectional] lanes next year" but is confident in the current system in place.

"What we came up with was what I think is a compromise that our traffic engineers and traffic planners tell me is a safe alternative."