Your letters for Saturday July 2: Of bicycles and other transportation
Ottawa Citizen

By Nancy Dahl and others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, July 2, 2016

Cycling will never really be safe

Re: Biking myths that simply refuse to die, June 28.

David Reevely cites some chilling accident statistics, but fails to reach some obvious conclusions.

Despite years of trying to make both our roads and cars safer, we continue to have accidents. Thanks to human error, I doubt we will ever eliminate vehicle collisions. We have turn signals and daytime running lights and a myriad of safety features and yet we continue to drive into each other. Why, then, do we ever think that we will succeed at making the roads safe for cyclists?

Severe thunderstorm warning for Ottawa area ends
Ottawa Citizen

By Ottawa Citizen, July 1, 2016

Environment Canada ended a severe thunderstorm warning for the Ottawa area at 7:56 p.m. on Canada Day.

An earlier warning had stated that meteorologists were tracking a thunderstorm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to nickel-sized hail and heavy rain. The thunderstorm had been tracking east at up to 100 km/h.

Rideau Street to reopen to buses, taxis on Saturday - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, July 1, 2016

A section of Rideau Street that closed after a large sinkhole formed more than three weeks ago will reopen to buses and taxis on Saturday, according to the latest update from the city.

Buses and taxis will be able to travel along Rideau between Waller Street and Sussex Drive, but that section remains closed to motorists and cyclists because of ongoing light rail construction, according to a City of Ottawa media release.

Dude-bro-macy: Three Amigos summit concludes with climate change agreement
Metro News

By Ottawa Metro News, June 29, 2016

OTTAWA—The leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico ended a quick one-day summit celebrating a new continental climate deal and pushing for international co-operation in the face of an isolationist streak in Western politics.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Barack Obama, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced a new climate and clean energy deal that commits the three countries to generate 50 per cent of electricity from “clean” sources by 2025.

The deal also commits the countries to phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, decrease methane emissions, and invest in clean energy projects to help workers affected by the transition away from fossil fuels.

Centrepointe CDP area exempt from new parking minimums once bylaw passes

By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, June 29, 2016

A new City of Ottawa bylaw that would reduce the number of parking spots required for developments in the inner urban core, won’t apply to areas within the boundaries of the Centrepointe Community Design Plan, said College Coun. Rick Chiarelli.

The city’s planning committee approved changes to the minimum-parking bylaw on June 28. It’s the first time the city has altered the bylaw since the 1960s. The changes will be considered by council on July 13.

Lanark County eyes adopt-a-road program to combat noxious wild parsnip - Ottawa - CBC News

By Hallie Cotnam, CBC News Ottawa, June 29, 2016

Workers in Lanark County, Ont., have been experimenting with some alternative methods to curb an infestation of noxious wild parsnip after some landowners raised concerns about spraying chemicals on their properties.

On Tuesday a crew of four county employees were busy digging up, weed-whacking and mowing wild parsnip stalks along one 50-metre stretch of rural roadside, and CBC Radio's Hallie Cotnam caught up with them for Ottawa Morning.

Denley: Let’s not overstate the virtues of cycling
Ottawa Citizen

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen, June 29, 2016

I’ve never really understood just what it is that makes riding a bicycle so special. Sure, riding a bike is good exercise and an inexpensive way to get around, but that’s all it is. Cycling’s contribution to our transportation needs is minimal, as is its contribution to improving the environment.

And yet, when they climb on a bike, some cyclists believe they are on a planet-saving moral journey that entitles them to demand special bike lanes and as much government spending as they can get. In addition, they claim a right to ride on sidewalks as required and to ignore the laws that apply to bicycles. All while complaining about drivers and claiming that cyclists are subsidizing motorists.

Civic lesson: Consulting on the new hospital isn’t quite right
Ottawa Citizen

By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, June 29, 2016

The National Capital Commission was recently handed an unenviable, but incredibly important task: study and recommend the best site for the future Civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital. The NCC has very little time in which to do its work, and no guarantee that the final decision won’t be based entirely on political considerations anyway. But it will try its best. Its best, unfortunately, is still lacking in one crucial respect.

(...)

It plans to spend the summer drafting the standards by which to judge the best site – talking to the city, the province, federal departments, the hospital, regional health experts and so on. It’ll arrange “targeted engagements” including face-to-face meetings with interested groups such as Friends of the Farm, First Nations, Heritage Ottawa, accessibility advocates and community groups. In September and October, it’ll hold its public consultations.

All good. Where this falls down, in our opinion, is on how to consult the general citizenry, people interested in health care who don’t already have an entrenched view.

City wants to tweak Sparks Street oversight, pursue public realm plan
Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, June 30, 2016

The complicated oversight structure for Ottawa’s historic pedestrian mall won’t be streamlined in a proposed tweak to the governance of Sparks Street, but at least the city wants to get moving on a plan to improve the commercial strip.

Sparks Street is managed by a Sparks Street Mall “authority” and a “Business Improvement Area” group.

The authority, which is in charge of all aspects of Sparks Street, from program permits to where to put benches, dates back 51 years.

LETTER: Community should have had more notice about construction
StittsvilleCentral.ca

By Jillian McKim, StittsvilleCentral Letter to the Editor, June 29, 2016

Re: Sign’s up at Porter Place

The community is not amused by the description of Patten Homes’ Porter Place “Closer to nature, closer to the right pace of life. Porter Place promises inspired family-friendly living in a new community knitted into an established neighbourhood you will be proud to call ‘home’.”

(...)

Residents were not given any previous notice (as required by the City of Ottawa Plan of Subdivision Conditions) even though the developer claims to have sent it weeks ago. Notification came to the SouthWest Stittsville Community Association from the Developer late on the afternoon of June 21 to advise the community that heavy equipment would be onsite starting June 27. Environmental protection measures would be put in place which would include Silt and Snow fencing along the Urban Natural Feature (UNF) beginning as early as June 22.

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