Even when it’s chilly and snowy, Dave Robertson hops on his bike to get round city.
Robertson: “There’s no particular gear. It’s no matter garments you’re carrying … placed on a jacket, placed on a pair of mitts and a hat, and get in your bike and go.”
Robertson is the vice chairman of Bike Ottawa, a nonprofit group that advocates for bike-friendly infrastructure in Canada’s capital metropolis.
He says many cyclists need to maintain driving in winter. It’s cheaper than driving a automotive and higher for the local weather. So he says it’s important that cities maintain bike lanes and bike paths plowed.
Robertson: “For those who’ve obtained a snow-covered highway or pathway, or it’s very icy, then you definitely see an enormous drop within the variety of individuals simply because they will’t get by.”
To assist cyclists navigate in winter, Bike Ottawa has created a crowdsourced map that exhibits which routes are freed from snow.
Robertson says town formally maintains a community of about 30 miles of motorbike paths in winter. And Ottawa plans to double that by 2030.
However biking advocates want to see that quantity develop, and quicker.
Robertson: “I’ve to bolster that it’s so vital for the pathways and the streets to be well-cleared, and that’s the way you get the uptake for winter biking.”
Reporting Credit score: Ethan Freedman/ChavoBart Digital Media
