NCC to plow another 1 kilometre of its bike paths
Portage Bridge, St. Patrick Street bike lanes to be kept clear this winter
The National Capital Commission is promising to keep an additional one kilometre of its downtown bike lanes plowed this winter, CEO Tobi Nussbaum announced Thursday morning.
Once the maintenance contracts are finalized, the NCC will begin keeping 620 metres of the Portage Bridge bike lane and another 400 metres of the St. Patrick Street lane in front of the National Gallery of Canada clear of snow and ice.
That stretch of St. Patrick Street connects the Alexandra Bridge to Mackenzie Avenue.
"The purpose of this pilot project is to improve the connectivity for cyclists travelling between Ottawa and Gatineau, and to respond to a growing demand from the public, and to encourage active transportation options," said Nussbaum in his update to the board of directors.
The NCC will assess the results of the pilot before deciding whether to repeat, or possibly expand, plowing next winter.
Some winter cycling enthusiasts were quick to take to social media to decry the modest scale of the project, while others called it a "good start."
1 km? Some hardy folk with snowblowers could do that in about half an hour. Talk about underwhelming.
—@DasBod
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