Finn recommends segregated lanes for cyclists

Acivil engineer visitingfrom Finland sayswinter weather doesn't need to prevent people from cycling to work.

Timo Perl said cleared and segregated bike lanes similar to those in Finland are the solution when he spoke to Ottawa cyclists at the Tom Brown arena Tuesday night.

There are not many Ottawa cyclists like Howard Waserman, who attended the talk.

"Twelve months of the year, and depending on my job, or where I have to go, but I do bike all year-round," Waserman said.

But he is particular about how he gets around Ottawa on his bike in winter.

"The road when necessary, [but] I try to stick to bike paths, and thankfully they're mostly cleaned around the canal. So that helps," Waserman said.

Fewer than two per cent of people in Ottawa ride their bikes year-round.

In Finland, where winter temperatures can drop to -32 C, but -6 C is normal, 12 per cent of Finns ride in the winter

Perala said it's all about segregated bike lines.

"You need separate systems I'm not talking about bicycle lanes right next to the car and those lanes need to be maintained," he said.

"If you expect people to go to work by bike in winter it has to be cleared out of snow, it has to be even, and it can't be too slippery," he said.

Finland spent 30 years building a stand-alone cycling network throughout the country, Perala said. Those paths are cleared in winter, by seven a.m. every day.

That's something cyclists would like to see here.

City council is considering a segregated lane along Laurier Avenue.

But this winter, the best that riders Waserman can hope for is a clear path along Colonel By Drive.