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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

Parking meter to bike-stand conversion fails — as predicted

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We recently came across the above scene on Elgin Street between Waverley and Frank. All along the sidewalk, it’s  a jumble of bikes locked to railings and bikes locked to other bikes; a classic Ottawa jumble of improvised bike parking.

But what of those parking meter-to-bike post conversions we were promised last year? There was not a one along the whole length of the block; a block smack dab in the middle of a Centretown neighbourhood well-known for intensive bike ownership and usage.

Even more aggravating, this shortage of street-side bike parking facilities is unfolding exactly as predicted one year ago by Eric Darwin in his West Side Action blog.

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2 comments

  1. I used to live right behind that tree. 🙂  2002-2004…

    That railing was always used as a bike parking area.  Sadly, it was also a place where bikes were often vandalized too.  Probably by rowdy weekend drunks.

    Looks like the bike parking situation hasn’t changed much in 10 years.

  2. It will be interesting to see how this continues to unfold. Ottawa has the potential to be a accommodating biker-friendly city. Will we make the right moves over the next few years??

    bywardofmouth.ca