Spring

Springtime is so beautiful in Ottawa. It has one of the harshest winters in the world for an urban area. I am also from Vancouver Island, which has a much more moderate climate. Spring also means more bikes on the road, and I keep hearing about something called the cycling "season." Sometimes I grumble about not being able to find parking, but I get a thrill from seeing other bikes and feel far less alone in my commute. I have also gotten some shots of interesting local bikes.

Here in Ottawa, there really is a sense of the bike season. It's officially April-October as far as city facilities go. That's when buses have bike racks, paths are maintained (although the Rideau Canal path has snow removal, no other paths do) and locking racks are available on the street. I haven't seen many bike racks out yet, even though it is late April. I am not sure why they are taken in for winter: salt, danger of vandalism, clutter.

The roads are much less challenging than in winter, but it is still necessary to be aware. Novist cyclists may not be familiar with traffic laws (please rectify this!), drivers are not used to seeing cyclists and everyone wants to be on the road more for a nice, sunny drive. I have had a couple of near misses with drivers not realizing one-way streets are not two-way, thinking a two-way street was one-way, and not noticing a cyclist advance at an intersection. Hi tourists! Enjoy your visit to Ottawa!