Many cycling comments today (diary)

Before I start, I just want to say that there are some pretty neat G. K. Chesterton quotes at WikiQuote.

Back to cycling. A cycling advocate was remembered today at a ceremony to unveil a plaque in his honour. Darrell Richards' name will be immortalized in a plaque at the Greenboro transit station, where he stood a few years ago with his son Simon and friend Tim Lane, dreaming about bringing the O-Train to that station.

I took my bike on the O-Train back to Bayview, and then checked out a staircase on Empress Avenue (the street across from the Transitway at Scott/Albert/Wellington street). A friend of mine in the City said that they were planning on redoing it and they were considering adding a ramp for bicycles. I took a number of pictures, and forwarded my comments to that friend.

Prior to this, on my way to the Bayview station this morning, I counted the number of holes on Scott Street between Oakdale and Western. There are nine. These holes are water shut-off valve access holes that are about nine inches in diameter, only they don't have the metal covers they should have. If a cyclist were to hit it, they could fall and/or be directed into the way of traffic. I reported this to the City of Ottawa's traffic people, as well as to my friend mentioned above.

Anyways, after I visited the staircase, I took the pathway home, and found a number of trees that had fallen in one spot onto the Ottawa River Pathway (South side of the Ottawa River Parkway) about 500m East of the Transitway entrance. I took a number of pictures. Upon doing so, I noticed that the trees were cut, not broken (i.e. by wind). They were cut above the chain link fence. I also noticed that on the other side of the fence was an infamous and very controversial residence whose owner had had troubles with the NCC.

Given these facts, that the trees on NCC property were deliberately cut, and that they were cut above the fenceline but within reach of the other side of the fence, and that they were not cleared from the path after being cut, and that the owner of this property has had previous spats with the NCC, I am led to believe that these trees were likely cut from within that property by someone who did not come around to the other side.

Anyway, I reported it by phone to the NCC on the spot (and it took long enough to try to get the person to understand where exactly this was), and left a note attached with red reflective tape (which seems to be my trademark when I encounter fallen foliage on the pathway). I'll check on it tomorrow or sometime to see if they have cleared it.

In other cycling commentary...I mentioned the notepad that I installed on my handlebars, did I not? Well, I had neglected to fasten it securely to the mounting bracket (I had just made holes for the bracket's bits and shoved it in). I will have to somehow find a way to screw it in securely. Back to the drawing board, as they say...

- RG.