On Sunday mornings Ottawa closes some of the streets in order to let people bike and roller blade on the roads. It is a very well organized event. There are blockades to stop vehicles, and there are volunteers at the major crossings. They also have public service tents set up to adjust your helmet or your bike if you need help
The day was very busy and there were tons of people out. Lots of families were out as well as small groups of friends. The road was mostly flat along the canal and there was very little wind so it was easy going. I went from one end to the other and back in about an hour with a few stops for pics and water. Quite a nice way to start the day and a good reason to get up early on Sunday.
These are just a few pics showing people biking & skating on the road along the canal. The road that I went on was Col By Drive which is named after the engineer who was in charge of the project to build the canal. There are over 65 km of "trails" so I have a few more places to explore in the coming weeks.
3 comments:
I got up at 0500 to see the Tour de France enter the first of the stages in the Alps. I guess that doesn't count as exercise though, does it?!
Closing some streets for 'bike day' on Sundays is really an excellent idea. Pass this on the the Burrard St. Bridge watchers.
Bike Sundays is a great idea! Family friendly and cheap - perfect weekend activity. Thanks for the pictures.
Oh, did you ride a bike or rollerblades? And can you get to the trails and canal easily without a car?
Bike Sundays is a great idea. There are some other cities that do it too but I have never lived in any of them so didn't know that this existed before. I sold my roller blades in the garage sale in Kingston so this is going to be a "bike only" event for me. The roads have a few ankle busting cracks in them so it is just as well to be on a bike, rather than blades. I can't wait to try out some of the other routes in the next few weeks. The Gatineau Hills are especially interesting - they are supposed to have some excellent bike trails.
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