Riding your bicycle all year round can be quite the challenge. In the summer, some say that the rain and wind keep them from riding. In winter, others say that the snow, the ice, and the cold temperatures make riding sometimes dangerous. In both of these cases, many tools are available to either reduce risk or make your s ride more pleasant. Winter riding Winter riding can be dangerous, which is why it’s important keep your eye on the prize. Here are a few tips to make your ride more pleasant and safer: First, dress appropriately. If possible always have a wind breaker because it helps to keep warm when the wind blows hard. A good pair of gloves, pleather if possible, helps a lot because wind doesn’t pass through them. Bring an extra pair of socks if you feel the need or if the forecasted weather includes rain (or even worse.... freezing rain). Second, use a second hand bike. Salt and sand can destroy you bike during winter so if you don’t want to end up wasting money on re...

Every year, students in the ENV 1101 course go about conducting surveys and collecting a massive amount of data about sustainability related activities on campus (all part of the Community Service Learning program). And every year, the Office of Campus Sustainability (mostly just Merissa actually), compiles that data and analyzes the results. There are many fun tidbits that we siphon from the data, including that this years findings seem to indicate that cycling is on the rise at the University of Ottawa. In our surveys we ask the very simple question "do you bike to campus?" and offer a variety of possible answers. In 2011, the number of people that "occasionally bike" or "always bike" was 25%. This year that number has risen to 31%. The largest increase was in the number of people who "always bike" to campus (rising from 7% in 2011 to 19% in 2012). Granted that these are self reported numbers and granted that the surveys are conducted by...

I recently joined up for the Bike to Work challenge being hosted by the City of Ottawa. The point is to create a goal about how much you would like to bike to work during the month of May, post your goal on their website, and then work towards that goal. Everything was going really well, I signed up on the site, set my goal.... and then I realized a day later that I have moved and don't bike as much as I used to, In fact, I don't actually need to bike at all to get to work. So now I am stuck in the precarious postilion of in no way being able to meet my cycling goal. This has played heavily on my mind and it got me thinking... what is better for the environment, walking or biking. At first glance you would think walking has biking beat hands down on this one; but maybe not. Resources First consider the amount of stuff that goes into making a bike (frame, pedals, seat, etc.) and maintaining. This number isn't so bad if you consider that amount of time y...

I love cycling to work every day. It clears my mind, wakes my body and gives me enough time to go from grumpy and groggy to awake and chirpy. I try to be respectful of everyone else (cyclists, cars and pedestrians), as well as respect the basic rule that a bike is like a car when on the street. So I stop at red lights, signal when I’m about to turn or change lanes and always look around. You can imagine my dismay when I got honked at this morning by a man in a dark blue honda merging into my lane is I was going straight on Allumetières (downhill too). I guess I was slowing him down in his merging because he started to honk at me, and had I been lost in my thoughts, I probably would have toppled off my bike (into a mucky puddle). Let’s say it wasn’t a little gentle “beep”. It was more like “BEEEP”. I tried to tell him to wait a minute and to let me change lanes, but he prefered to honk again. I eventually managed to change lanes before he ran me over. The lesson from this? If I...

Spring has sprung, and with it has come a flurry of bikes hitting the streets for the first time since the icy pavement drove them into winter hibernation. It also comes with numerous cars less than eager to have to share the road again, and maybe slightly out of practice with road etiquette. So, I come to you, in honour of new and seasoned cyclists alike, who find this unseasonably warm weather to be really greasing their chains, but are fearful of being derailed by aggressive motorists on the roads, to remind everyone of a few basic tips to keep cyclists safe on the road. Always signal . Make sure that you signal and brake properly and far enough in advance to respect the needs of cyclists on the road. Be patient. Cyclists are slower to start at intersections than cars, this does not make it okay to veer around them, instead just wait a moment. Remember good things come to those who wait. Look both ways before you open your doors . Car doors are a cyclist’s enemy. Opening yo...

Photo credit: http://www.armengames.webs.com 5. Treasure hunting on garbage day. Go for a late night walk through fancy neighborhoods and see what you can find! Chase au trésor le soir des poubelles. Promenez-vous dans les quartiers chis de la ville et voyez ce que vous pouvez y trouver! 4. Kayak or canoe the Rideau Canal from the docks at Dow’s Lake where you can rent them. Check out the duck pond while you are on the water. It’s quite a sight. Allez en kayak ou en canot sur le canal Rideau à partir des quais du lac Dow. Si vous avez la chance, passez par le petit étang des canards. 3. Go on a Bike ride on the Trans-canadian along the Ottawa River or try its sister trail in Gatineau. Why not stop for a picnic by the rapids on Bate Island while you’re at it? Faites une promenade en vélo sur la transcanadienne d’un côté ou de l’autre de la rivière des Outaouais. Tant que vous y êtes, pourquoi ne pas faire un pique-nique sur l’île Bate près des rapides? 2. Board a random bus and go on a...

Photo credit: unknown Spring weather has officially arrived, and as I pull out my bike from winter storage I realize that it may need a few tune-ups so I consult my dear colleague Marie-Pier’s blog on cycling tips. And after making some adjustments I decide to go for a nice ride downtown Ottawa, although fearful at first, it turns out alright. I am fairly nervous biking downtown because the majority of my biking experience stems from growing up in the countryside where your biggest worry is the traffic around five o’clock when all the neighbours are coming home from work for the day. I’ve had a few close calls biking along highways that had no additional room on the side other than choppy gravel that pulls you into the ditch, but other than that my biking experience at home has been very enjoyable. This year I decided to bring my bike to Ottawa with the promise to wear my helmet at all times to my mother and to be cautious when biking on busy roads. The first few weeks of school I plan...