Riding the next wave

By Krystle Chow, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jul 14, 2008 12:00 AM EST

Ottawa's new cycling plan could be a tourism and retail boon for a city known as a top bikers' destination

Long known as a cyclist's paradise, Ottawa is about to get a little more heavenly for the two-wheeled set – and the retailers, hotels and other businesses who serve them – with city council's decision last week to green-light a 20-year master plan for more than 2,500 kilometres of on- and off-road cycling paths.

The plan calls for about $25 million over the first 10 years to expand cycling paths to 896 kilometres from the current 540.8 kilometres. The facilities would be a combination of on-road cycling lanes on major streets and signed routes on collector streets, with the goal of building a spine network on main roads which would connect to parks, schools, community centres and so on.

The second phase is expected to cost about $60 million, and will add more facilities such as bike parking and lockers, as well as allowing cycling paths to be built on an as-needed basis rather than on the current opportunity-based approach in conjunction with other road work.

Already, local businesses have expressed excitement over the cycling plan's prospects.

"It couldn't be better given the political realities; we're quite delighted with it," said Harry Musson, who has operated the bike tour company RentABike for 26 years.

"The subsidies for automobiles are huge, so if we can get a small percentage in terms of infrastructure, we're pretty happy."

Mr. Musson, whose business provides bike tours around the Ottawa River Parkway, Rockcliffe and the Rideau Canal to large groups as well as smaller parties, said the plan could increase walk-in business for the company by at least 10 per cent per year.

That's not even counting the impact of the plan on RentABike's yearly bike sales, where the company sells off its fleet of new bikes bought in the prior year, nor does it scratch the surface of the jobs it could create for bike mechanics and other service providers, he added.

And tours are just one aspect of Ottawa's cycling tourism scene that stands to gain from the plan.

"We do have a reputation as a cycling-friendly city and region, and the plan will fix the gaps that exist so cyclists can stay for miles on the recreational pathway," said Jantine Van Kregten, Ottawa Tourism's director of communications, noting that one of the four 'pillars' of tourism marketing for the city is an emphasis on easy access to recreational and green space.

"We do use a lot of cycling imagery in our advertising and in promoting the region."

In fact, about 13 per cent of the 497,000 cyclists who said they used the National Capital Commission's bike pathway network at least once a year in 1999 were visitors, the NCC said. Although the NCC's bike paths are different from those provided by the city, the estimate of 17.5 million visits to NCC pathways in 1999 is surely no drop in the bucket, and new path connections and added infrastructure from the city's cycling plan could further boost Ottawa's cycling industry.

While Ottawa's cycling facilities are already among the "top 10 per cent of the world in an urban setting," according to Mr. Musson, the plan could also encourage local residents to travel more via bicycle, increasing sales for local bike shops along the way.

The city said it hopes to triple the number of person-trips made by bicycle from 4,500 in 2001 to 12,000 by 2021, which means commuting by bike will likely be on the rise.

That's something Phil Brun Del Re of Full Cycle is counting on, as his store carries a range of commuter and road bikes.

"On the commuting side of things, we're expecting to increase sales by up to 15 per cent just for bicycles, which doesn't take into account people taking their older bikes and bringing them out from the attic or shed to get repaired and getting the associated items such as accessories and service," said Mr. Brun Del Re, who said he himself commutes on his bike every day from Chelsea, Que. to Full Cycle's store on St. Laurent Boulevard.

"I've spoken to a lot of customers about (the plan), and most people thing it's a positive direction the city's going into ... (I hope it means) there'll be less dependence on cars, so there's the environmental aspect of it, and people will have more active lifestyles with less reliance on vehicles."

Mr. Brun Del Re also said he's seen sales of hybrid bikes, often used by commuters, climb at Full Cycle this year, and over the past few years.

"With the rise of gasoline prices, (hybrid bike sales) is one segment that's been increasing . . . people from Ottawa are also using their bikes for leisure and as an alternative to running or rollerblading," he said.

RentABike's Mr. Musson added it's much cheaper to provide infrastructure for cyclists than to plan for automobiles, calling the cycling plan a "municipal budget reality."

"With the possibility of safer roads with shoulders and safer intersections, it's a viable policy for moving people around the city for work or recreation," he said.

"We're hoping sooner or later people realize providing as many positive experiences for cyclists and pedestrians as we can is good for the municipal taxpayer in the city," he said.

"Because the alternative – for automobiles – is so expensive."

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CYCLO PATH

Phase one of the Ottawa Cycling Plan will include capital costs of:

$8.1 million for 81.6 km of bicycle lanes

$9.1 million for 165.7 km of paved shoulders

$6.2 million for multi-use pathways

$1.6 million for new initiatives and enhancements to existing programs

Source: City of Ottawa