Jan Gehl to tell Ottawa how to be cycling champion

That Jan Gehl, Danish urban consultancy icon and muse to wannabe bicycle-friendly cities worldwide, is coming to Ottawa next month finally gives me an excuse to use this image.

I had posted Aug. 5 on how important it is to get data to back up cyclist demands for better infrastructure, and had recounted how counting is a fundamental to Gehl Architects, so fundamental that there is a basket of counters and clickers by the front door, to remind staff of the importance of data to back up their arguments. I had seen this image in the Dutch Cyclists Union publication Cycling Cities, but was not able to obtain a copy until recently. (Thanks to Suzanne Brink of Fietsersbond who took the photo, and Michiel Slutter who forwarded it.)

Numbers, and the importance of compiling them, will likely be part of the message that Gehl brings to Ottawa on Oct. 6 when he speaks at a pubic meeting about transforming major world centres into bicycle-friendly and sustainable communities. He is the Jane Jacobs of bicycle culture, a steady and clear voice for walkable/bikeable communities since the early 1970s. His firm has been brought in to inspire the re-imagining of New York, Melbourne, and London. And now he is being brought to Ottawa by the Ottawa-area contingent that was exposed to the possibilities for a new cycle-culture this summer, partly on visits to the Netherlands and Germany, and partly as participants in Velo-city Global 2010 in Copenhagen.

Representatives from the City of Gatineau, the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission attended Velo-city, the largest Canadian "bloc" to attend, and the only group from Ontario featuring municipal politicians (the people who actually vote to spend money on cycling infrastructure).

Gehl's visit is just part of the Ottawa-area group's commitment to that area's cycling future. Two public meetings will be held in the Gatineau on Sept. 21 at 7 p..m in the Maison du Citoyen and Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. in Ottawa City Hall to share what the delegates learned. Gehl will be the featured speaker at the Oct. 6 public meeting, and will also lead a workshop with municipal officials to discuss bicycling as a part of downtown life in Ottawa and Gatineau. And finally, the three levels of municipal government, through a tripartite committee, have agreed to produce a regional cycling map which will show trails and cycle facilities.

The committee has also made cycling a permanent agenda item for the committee, and there are noises about colour-separated cycling lanes, improved bike share, attempts to increase cycle commuting and involvement with area bicycle advocacy groups.

And you'll be able to get some of the details of this metamorphosis next Monday in Burlington at the Ontario Bike Summit, when National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay, who was a member of the Velo-city delegation, will speak on the committee's plans for the nation's capital.

I had posted recently that Toronto is likely no longer a model for Canadian municipalities looking for examples of bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Perhaps Ottawa is where we should look.

Comments

[AlanM]

Or look to Montreal. While Ottawa gets lots of press, has some good history of progress (although slower in recent couple of years) and has some great recreational trails and linkages, having ridden there and Montreal I'd look to Montreal any day. Velo Quebec, MTQ and the City of Montreal together have moved at an amazing pace to create a network of recreational and commuting trails and bike-friendly routes throughout their city (and across the province). I continue to be baffled by folks who talk about Europe when Montreal is right here and ranks world level.