It is essential to deprioritize cars. Maintaining safe bike lanes is a crucial step for this endeavour.
Right now, commuting by bike from Ottawa to Gatineau offers unexpected perks, thanks to a unique circumstance: the Alexandra Bridge is temporarily closed to cars.
Every morning as I pedal over the river, I get a quiet moment to enjoy the sunlight reflecting off the copper domes of Parliament (which is still under construction). This bike commute takes me just 15 minutes from Sandy Hill to my workplace in Gatineau—a striking contrast to the 40 minutes it would take by bus from Rideau Centre.
Meanwhile, the highway beside the bridge is packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic, worsened by back-to-office mandates flooding downtown streets. Car-centric infrastructure continues to dominate, contributing to congestion, accidents, pollution, and parking challenges. Yet, instead of investing in effective alternatives, many still believe that widening roads and sacrificing bike lanes will magically solve these issues. It’s a flawed approach.
Ottawa’s mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, recently indicated in a CBC article that he would not oppose an Ontario policy requiring cities to seek provincial approval before building bike lanes that might limit car lanes. This openness to more provincial oversight suggests a retreat from building bike-friendly infrastructure. The proposed policy’s goal could be to ensure traffic flow and bike lane expansion. Yet, the effect could be the opposite: hampering the city’s ability to create dedicated bike lanes.
The city should, instead, focus on developing separate, well-designed bike lanes that keep cyclists safe and off major roads. Sutcliffe’s stance foreshadows recent moves by the provincial government, which have shown little hesitation in supporting bike lane removals.
Contrary to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s narrative, cyclists aren’t “villains” disrupting traffic. They’re just individuals seeking safe, accessible routes that could alleviate, not exacerbate, road congestion. So why are politicians like Doug Ford pushing back against bike lanes? The answer may lie in public opinion. Politicians want to stay popular, and reducing traffic congestion is an easy way to keep drivers happy. But while removing bike lanes may seem like a quick fix, it’s hardly a sustainable solution.
In Montreal, for example, the city has turned certain intersections into pedestrian-only zones seasonally, which has had little impact on overall traffic congestion. During the summer in Ottawa, the National Capital Commission already closes some parkways to cars, making them more accessible to bikes, strollers, and wheelchairs. The city could follow suit, maintaining bike lanes year-round and planning for their upkeep. Prioritizing bike lanes does not take away from drivers but offers a more inclusive road-sharing solution.
Despite this, politicians continue to scapegoat cyclists. Ontario transportation minister Prabmeet Sarkaria recently made the misleading assertion that “the 1.2 per cent of people who commute by bike shouldn’t be clogging primary roads for the over 70 per cent of people who drive. It’s just common sense.”
Perhaps the real solution, then, is to reduce that 70 per cent of drivers and clear the roads by creating viable alternatives to driving. Effective policies could include reducing the number of mandatory in-office workdays or staggering work hours, easing the overall load on road infrastructure.
It’s time to reframe our thinking. Making room for safe bike lanes is essential if Ottawa hopes to reduce its car dependency. Rather than letting drivers dictate urban planning, the city should recognize the crucial role that cyclists play in shaping a more sustainable, collaborative urban landscape.
