BIKE LANES NO WALK IN THE PARK
The National Capital Commission is looking for ideas to create a linear park along the Ottawa River.
Here’s one: kick the bikes off the bike path. Yes, I absolutely mean that.
More helpfully, why not create a separate bicycle-only path system along the shoreline that lets pedestrians wander around in peace, safe from the spandex knights on their daily crusades?
If you live anywhere near the river, you will know about “path rage.”
The NCC’s system of shared “recreational paths” is so popular — and this is a good problem to have — that it attracts all these rival, jousting tribes: serious and loafy cyclists, joggers, regular walkers, seniors, seniors with walkers, mothers with strollers, mothers with strollers being pulled by dogs, families on picnics, whatever you call those inline-skating ski-pole people, guy with a kayak over his head, guy holding his girlfriend’s hand, and whoever else disembarks from this everyday Noah’s Ark.
On a nice day, a pedestrian will hear this constant “ding-a-ling” from passing cyclists, or “passing on the left” at the last second, to serve as constant reminders that danger is only a few inches away and that the good citizen walks single file, never swaying an inch past the yellow line, as though off to war.
This does not make for a “park,” people. At the moment, the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway — at least great parts of it — is a transportation corridor, not a park. A park is a place where you never ask: “Will my 10-year-old be run over today?”
And, do not be fooled, conflict is not uncommon, nor are outright accidents.
All of which to say: why don’t we just make it a better, safer transportation corridor, with a few staging areas, and forget about “oasis-this” and “sanctuary-that,” as though we have a shortage of parks in this city or a lack of places for geese to fart around?
This is a green ribbon with four or more lanes of traffic through it, loads of buses, soon a buried train, and a massive bridge or two. It is not Algonquin Park. Often, actually, it is quite noisy, easily heard through a bedroom window 400 metres away.
We are, then, trying to solve an urban problem only humans are bizarre enough to create in the first place: we HAD a long natural green area by a beautiful river, then we put roads and traffic and trains on the green space, and today ask ourselves: how can we make this a park and create access to the river? Weird.
So, to begin with, a separate path for bicyclists and skaters and anything else on wheels. Furthermore, it is apparent we have a dedicated demographic that will cycle in the winter. Plus, we have normal people who like to walk from December to March. Would it not make sense to plow just one path, like a sidewalk, all winter, to permit and encourage winter use?
Would it really be that expensive?
And, if it is to be a year-round commuter route, why not build in some so-called comfort stations, with drinking water, washrooms and, God forbid, even food outlets?
At the initial blue-sky meeting a year ago, someone suggested using the empty Tunney’s Pasture lots for weekend parking for river visitors or cyclists carrying their bikes by car. Great idea. And the parking should be free.
The NCC released an updated concept plan Tuesday. Some great ideas in it. Especially appealing was the above-river boardwalk on the western end, from Cleary Avenue to the Britannia water-filtration plant, including viewing towers.
If anything, the concept plan was stuffed: music venues, recreation hubs, history loops, education stations, new nature trails. All to the good, but probably over-ambitious.
It does make sense to concentrate effort on those sections of the 9.5-kilometre run that have room to breathe: at the Britannia end, with access to underappreciated Mud Lake; at the Lincoln Fields corner, where it serves as a backyard to the highrise community; at the Champlain Bridge, where there is access to the islands; and at Parkdale, with its wider spaces and small-island system.
So, it is all a big sky with nice pies at this point. However, Step 1 is safe movement: give the cyclists a dedicated path, away from the poky masses, or else no one goes to the movable feast.