Interprovincial cycling strategy in the works, too

For a while now, the NCC and the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, along with OC Transpo and STO, have been looking into ways to integrate public transit between the regions. Now, the cities and the NCC are also looking at finding ways to map out a 50-year plan to create a vision of cycling in the national capital region.

From the Ottawa Citizen:

NCC chief executive Marie Lemay, Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien and Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau met Thursday to discuss a plan to improve cycling infrastructure over the next 50 years and to create a safer environment for the region’s cyclists.

“If we do want to increase the percentage of people using their bikes to commute, we have to make the routes safer,” Lemay said. “The reality is, if people don’t feel safe, and if it’s not easy to do, the people that are not avid cyclers … won’t take their bikes.”

It seems sensible to consider cycling when the region's municipalities work to integrate public transit. The two can often work with one another to provide transportation alternatives for residents, but serve more effectively as complements rather than mutually exclusive.