City of Ottawa - Cycling in the City - September 2026

 

As summer comes to an end and more people return to work and school, cycling can help you avoid increased road congestion while enjoying a reliable commute. If you're new to bike commuting, explore the Ottawa-Gatineau bike map, GeoOttawa, or route-planning apps such as Cycling Guide and Transit. You can also ask an experienced cyclist for advice or try your route on a weekend before commuting during the week.     Let’s Bike Month recap

Let’s Bike Month wrapped up at the end of June with another successful campaign. This year, 2,780 participants on 204 teams logged more than 600,000 kilometres of riding, equivalent to travelling nearly 15 times around the world. Together, participants eliminated more than 13,000 car trips and avoided approximately 77 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. More than 100 prizes were awarded thanks to the support of local sponsors. The Ottawa Hospital registered the largest team with 101 members. Most importantly, 136 participants were new to cycling this year, demonstrating the campaign’s success in encouraging more people to choose active transportation. Thank you to everyone who participated, and we look forward to seeing you again next year.   Bruce Timmermans Award winners  The City of Ottawa announced the recipients of the 2026 Bruce Timmermans Awards in June. Kate Walker received the individual award, while Békanecycles received the organizational award.    Kate Walker has been a volunteer board member of the Ottawa-based bicycle advocacy organization Vélo Canada Bikes since 2016. She has served as Chair since 2023, helping promote everyday cycling in Ottawa and across Canada. During her time with the organization, she supported three national bike summits held in Ottawa. She also helped develop policy documents leading to Canada’s first National Active Transportation Strategy and the $500 million Active Transportation Fund. She developed the annual Pedal Poll/Sondo Vélo, Canada’s national bicycle count.  Békanecycles is an Instagram blog started when Pascal René rediscovered a passion for cycling. He uses the platform to promote life on two wheels and to connect with cyclists worldwide. In recent years, Békanecycles has organized or supported several group rides, including Vélo-Friday, the Move & Groove glow ride, and an annual Father’s Day ride. Under Pascal’s leadership, the initiative has expanded to reach new communities, including immigrants, people in lower-income communities and people of colour. These efforts have created inclusive cycling events that focus on confidence-building, safety, movement and community connection. Max Keeping Bridge Record Usage!   Several of Ottawa's automatic cycling and pedestrian counters recorded unusually high activity this spring. On May 8, the counter on the Max Keeping Bridge recorded approximately 3,600 crossings, six times as many as the typical May weekday average. The increase coincided with the Ottawa Titans home opener and reflects strong use of walking, cycling and transit connections in the area.   Another location that saw a similar spike in usage during May was the Flora Footbridge. This bridge connects the neighbourhoods of Old Ottawa East and the Glebe and provides a useful route to travel towards the downtown core without riding on a busy road. On May 23, coinciding with the Great Glebe Garage Sale and Ottawa Race Weekend, over 6700 trips were recorded, twice as many trips as an average Saturday in May.      New O-Train Pathways and Signage Recent O-Train expansion work has added new cycling and pedestrian connections throughout the city. A new four-kilometre pathway segment between South Keys and Leitrim Road now provides a continuous route connecting the Sawmill Creek and Osgoode Link pathways. Cyclists can ride from downtown Ottawa to Bowesville Road and Bowesville Station (21 kilometres) or to Osgoode (37 kilometres) along this southern pathway route. New wayfinding signs have also been installed to help users navigate.   In the east end, a new pathway between the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway and Blair Station improves access to local neighbourhoods, transit stations and nearby destinations along Ogilvie Road. Both routes can be seen on GeoOttawa under the Active Transportation layer (east and south).   Lowertown Neighbourhood Bikeway Route Cyclists travelling through Lowertown can now cross King Edward Avenue at York Street using new cycling infrastructure. Changes to the intersection, combined with new bike lanes on York Street and Beausoleil Drive, create a more comfortable east-west connection through the neighbourhood and provide an alternative to busier roads.     Ottawa River Pathway Reopens  A key section of the National Capital Commission’s Ottawa River Pathway behind Parliament Hill has reopened after being closed since 2022 for escarpment stabilization work. The restored pathway improves access to downtown destinations and connects users to the new East Wharf dock, the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument and the Rideau Canal pathway network for accessing Ottawa's downtown.      Bike Night will be back in 2026  The National Capital Commission's Bike Night returns on September 12. The free event features an 11-kilometre nighttime cycling route along Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Colonel By Drive. Riders of all ages and experience levels are welcome and can complete as many or as few loops as they choose. Participants are encouraged to wear helmets, reflective gear and bike lights. You can find more information about this free event on the BikeNight webpage.     Findlay Creek Cycling Facilities  Major infrastructure upgrades are underway in Findlay Creek, including watermain and sewer replacements and the widening of Bank Street. The project will add sidewalks and separated cycling facilities to improve safety and provide more travel options for residents. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2027.   Construction Roundup  Throughout summer, construction activities are continuing at several high-profile locations along the City's cycling network.   On Laurier Avenue West, a new protected intersection at Elgin Street and a raised westbound cycle track are being added to improve cycling safety. Construction is expected to be completed this fall.  New cycling facilities are being installed between Riverdale Avenue and Collins Avenue as part of the first phase of the Bank Street Renewal project. Most of the corridor will feature raised, separated cycle tracks. Construction is currently underway between Riverside Drive and Collins Avenue; adding bike lanes to the Billings Bridge and intersection works at Riverdale Avenue will begin later.   A new protected intersection featuring crossrides and bike signals is being installed at the intersection of Prince of Wales Drive / Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Preston Street to improve safety and continuity for cyclists travelling through the area.  Free supervised bike parking available at upcoming community events Free, supervised bike parking will be offered at several local community events this summer and fall through the City's Cycling Safety Awareness Program. The Hello Velo program provides organizers with free use of bike racks, giving residents a convenient option to bike to local events. Events were selected to cover a range of areas and audiences to help spread awareness of the Hello Velo program and encourage more people to cycle to local events.  Upcoming events with bike parking provided by the Cycling Safety Awareness Program include:  Council on Aging’s Walk of Ages, Saturday 12 September   Convent Glen Woods Community BBQ, Sunday 13 September   Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association’s Pumpkins in the Park, Saturday 17 October   Visitors at these events can make use of the free, supervised bike parking available on site, or visit the event booth to pick up free lights, bells, and other cycling safety items. If you would like to organize a bike parking area at your upcoming event, please refer to the City's Hello Velo webpage for more information.