Ottawa has the potential of becoming a truly bike-friendly city, a spokesman for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said.
Tonight, one of the Netherlands’ leading experts in cycling infrastructure will be sharing the country’s best practices so that Ottawa decision makers can learn through The Hague’s challenges and successes.
In a presentation hosted by the National Capital Commission and the Netherlands Embassy, project manager for the city of The Hague’s cycling infrastructure, Inge Molenaar, will be answering questions on how The Hague — a city comparable to Ottawa in terms of size and layout —has become a world leader in bicycle transportation, as well as what did and didn’t work for the city, said Remco Volmer, a cultural officer with the Netherlands embassy.
“There is a lot of interest in cycle safety and bicycles as a form of transport in (Ottawa),” said Volmer.
“There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands,” said Volmer. “There are 1.5 to two bikes per person — many people own more than one bicycle. It’s been the main mode of transportation for at least 60, 70 years.”
Although Volmer called Ottawa “a very bike-friendly city, more work can be done.
“Many people believe that with a few modest adaptations, it would already be a lot more bike friendly,” he said. “In the short-term, a few modifications, like more dedicated bike lanes, and dedicated street lights for bikes, would be a good start and make people feel more safe on the road and more likely to take the bike around.”
