I was coasting down the big hill on the north end of Blair Rd. in Ottawa and filming with my new Hero GoPro Helmet cam. I am trying very hard to keep my helmet still so the video isn’t too choppy. I made it up to 70 km/h without even pedaling. I uploaded the video to Youtube so you can have a look.
Dear _________________,
I was shocked and disappointed to read the article in the Ottawa Citizen where the National Capital Commission (NCC) has arbitrarily banned the use of electric-assisted bicycles on our bike paths.
My wife has not been able to ride a regular bicycle due to a degenerative disk in her back, but I have been an avid cyclist for many years. There were three obstacles that we needed to overcome to get her riding comfortably and safely. The first problem, comfort, was solved by getting her onto a recumbent bike where she has full back support and a gentle reclining position that enables her to sit without too much pain. The second issue is stability, so she now has a recumbent trike that will not tip over easily. The last obstacle was her inability to pedal continuously, so we added an electric-assist hub to her front wheel to allow her to manoeuvre her bike safely and confidently. These three solutions have restored her freedom and independence. She can ride almost painlessly and effortlessly to places she could never see before she got the trike. We have enjoyed the Ottawa River Parkway and the bike paths, both paved and gravel, along the edge of the river. We have enjoyed the Rideau Canal pathways and we have visited the Bytown Museum while we were out riding. On a weekly basis, we attend the Farmer’s Market at Landsdowne and we visit the shops and restaurants in Chinatown, all by bicycle and all by using portions of the NCC bike paths. Clearly, her favourite ride is the gravel path along the river, but with the recent ban, these special moments in her life are now in jeopardy.
Other vehicles, that are much bigger and longer and faster than e-bikes, are still allowed on the NCC bike paths. I also ride a recumbent bicycle, but with no electric assist. My bike is 8 feet long and it is capable of speeds in excess of 60 km/h. Quite often I haul a bike trailer behind my bike to carry items home from our shopping trips. With the trailer, my bike is about 12 feet long, and since I am more of a Clydesdale than a race horse, I’m sure that my set up weighs more than an e-bike, especially when I am carting home a trailer full of groceries from the market. Even when my bike and trailer are fully loaded, I am capable of much more that 20 km/h. I have seen many other vehicles on the bike path like tandem bikes and trikes, and even tandem bikes and tandem trikes with trail-a-bikes in tow, and some even have a child carrying trailer behind that. All of these bikes are allowed on the NCC bike paths even though they outweigh and out-perform the e-bikes that you are banishing from this city’s bike paths.
My wife and I travel well below the recommended speed and we are always courteous to other users of the bike paths. We ring our bells when overtaking pedestrians or slower riders. Everywhere we go, people are always commenting positively on our bikes and some will even ask us to stop so they can check out the trike. Most of them don’t even recognize that the trike has an electric assist option installed. There has never been an unsafe moment for us or anyone else we’ve encountered on the bike path (unlike the roads).
Since October 2006, the Government of Ontario has been conducting a pilot program to evaluate the integration of e-bikes into regular bike traffic. For nearly two years, there was never an issue to tighten the restrictions on e-bikes as far as the bike paths were concerned. Under the pilot program e-bikes are allowed to go anywhere that bicycles can go, including bike paths. The wording on the Ministry of Transport (MTO) website indicates that municipalities can restrict e-bikes on certain roads and sidewalks while also saying that e-bikes are allowed on any trails and paths where bicycles are permitted. This unwarranted ban of e-bikes flies in the face of the MTO E-bike pilot program and hijacks the successful outcome of the pilot. I wish the NCC could revise their position on the e-bike issue until the pilot program has been given enough time to make recommendations according to an unbiased collection of data from all of the stakeholders.
Finally Ontarians have an achievable mode of individual transport that embraces zero-emission vehicles. The promotion of green, sustainable options will pave the way for development of the transportation for the future. This is a great opportunity for the NCC and the capital city of Canada to lead the country toward a new vehicle solution. Current e-bike technology will eventually evolve into e-cars and busses. Please reconsider your decision concerning the exclusion of e-bikes from the bike paths in our great city.
Thanks,
Blackburn Pete
A reply from the NCC on August 18th, 2008 claims the NCC will ‘tolerate’ e-bikes on the NCC bike paths. Read the rest of this entry »
Our Sun EZ-3 trike has been coverted to a human-electric hybrid vehicle. We added a Crystalyte 404 hub motor in the 16″ front wheel. The stock wiring kit from Crystalyte was the perfect length to install the 20 amp controller under the seat of the recumbent trike. The throttle wires were also exactly the right length for the chopper style handlebars. We modified an aluminum rear carrier rack to mount sideways just above the rear axle for the battery pack. The 20 Ah NiMH battery pack fit nicely in the Crystalyte racktop pack and it also houses a convenient on/off key switch. Next, our mechanic, Juergen Weichert took the trike for a test ride before declaring the job complete. Juergen, from Acclivity Solutions, took every measure to ensure the professional installation. Now it is time for us to take it for a ride.
We had a great day for our annual participation in Ottawa’s St Patrick’s Day Parade. While there is still an enormous amount of snow on the ground, the parade route was completely plowed free of snow. There was a bit of freezing ice pellets but it was breif and never turned into freezing rain. We even had a few snow flurries at the end of the parade. The centerpiece of our parade was a Greenspeed Tandem tadpole trike that was hauling a trailer that was set up as an Irish Bar. The rest of the human powered vehicles rode in circles around the rolling bar.
Today was a beautiful winter day with the temperature around -10 C and the winds from the west at about 10 km/h. Neverthless, I was compelled to get out on two wheels and take some pictures of our snowy scenery. Most of these photos were taken along the Ottawa River from the Rockliff Parkway and one was taken yesterday where the Rideau River falls into the frozen Ottawa River. Even with the drivetrain coated thick with ice, my trusty winter bike performed admirably for the whole ride.
We are pleased to announce the arrival of our third recumbent bike. Our Sun EZ-3 SX was delivered late yesterday to proud parents, Pete and Cindy and siblings Evox LE and RANS Formula 26. Sun is the first 3 wheeler in the family tree for about 40 years. She has 21 speeds, disc brakes, full supporting backrest and chopper style handlebars. This sweet little trike will be my wife’s primary bike and we are installing an electric assist motor option before spring riding begins. Alterations to the handlebar shifters have already begun to make way for the Crystalyte electric assist throttle. The SRAM 3.0 grip shifters were replaced with Shimano SIS shifters and the rear derailleur was changed from SRAM 3.0 to a Shimano Acera. More photos and details of the conversion will be blogged as they happen.
Several hundred people attended a rally on Parliament Hill to draw attention to Canada’s poor response to the Kyoto Accord. Someone was dressed up as the Prime Minister complete with a huge mask over his whole head. There were lots of speakers and each of them kept their messages short but after forty-five minutes, even my feet were getting cold. Fortunately, I had bundled up for my bike ride from Blackburn Hamlet, but some people weren’t even wearing hats and I thought they were getting frozen quickly. I ran into a handful of people that I knew including Gerard. He has a lot of information about environmental events in and around Ottawa. The march left Parliament Hill and meandered down to the University of Ottawa where a mini Eco-Fair was being held.
Winter has arrived in Ottawa and we’ve got a lot of snow already this year. Most of the major roads are clear and great for cycling. Occasionally, the bike lanes aren’t plowed clear and it makes the road rather thin for cycling, but it is still safe and fun if you just pay a bit more attention to the traffic. Cars and trucks aren’t expecting to see bikes in the winter, so dress in high visibility clothing and make sure you have all the lights and reflectors installed and working. Courses are available for people interested in winter cycling but I haven’t heard any dates for this winter yet. For winter biking, use your old bike but make sure it is in good shape mechanically. Lubrication is very important in the winter too. Water and salt will make a mess of your bike and fenders are a necessity. Studded winter tires are available and nice to have, but not absolutely required. I’m running the cheapest tires ($6) from MEC and they work fine in everything but the deepest snow. I was even able to ride on the bike path that hadn’t been cleared. In the winter, the paths are not plowed so the X-country skiers can enjoy them too.
Temperatures hovered near the freezing mark and the winds were Westerly about 20 km/h to make for a chilly Santa Toy Parade this year. I joined up with the Human Powered Vehicle Operators of Ottawa and we decorated our bikes as well as a Christmas tree on a huge trailer. Mike’s homebuilt tandem trike was created from two BMX bikes sharing a common front wheel and it pulled the huge trailer. Several youngsters enjoyed the ride on the trailer as the centerpiece of our entry meandered slowly down the parade route. My Wike trailer served as a miniature parade float, sporting a smaller Christmas tree and some presents. Most of the presents were just wrapped up empty boxes that I will save for next year, but there were also a couple gifts to help out Santa’s cause.
I have been very fortunate to get a Wike cargo trailer. This trailer is light, capable and easy to hook up. The wheels are quick release and they fit snugly in the cargo bed for easy storage. With a weight capacity over 100 pounds, this trailer can handle many tasks that would ordinarily require a car (or even a truck). The trailer tags along behind my bikes with a barely noticeable effort. Sometimes on a downhill ride, the trailer will almost push my bike along . This makes me glad that I have the oversized 8 inch disc brakes on my recumbent bike.
