What does your community need?

Have you seen the #CBCStreetTalk team in your neighbourhood? Our local CBC Ottawa team has been busy visiting city wards to speak with residents about local issues (because unless you have your head buried in the sand, you'll know that we have upcoming municipal elections on October 27th!)

The question they're asking is: What would make your neighbourhood a better place to live?

This got me thinking about ways I would like to improve my own neighbourhood. Choosing where to live in a city is a tough decision - many middle class families can't afford the trendy and vibrant areas like Westboro, Hintonburg and the Glebe. And although I sometimes yearn to be closer to downtown, I do appreciate the big property and quiet that comes with suburban living.

But I want to have my cake and eat it too! How come I can't live in a trendy suburban neighbourhood? Most of us in the older part of Orleans are within walking distance to St. Joseph - but the walkability of our ward is dismal. Who wants to walk around places when you could break your ankle on a broken sidewalk or get run over by a speeding car?

Those complaints aside, I love my neighbourhood and I can't wait to see it flourish! So here's my wish list for Orleans, Ward 1:

•  A great local coffee shop within walking distance (bonus points if the coffee shop has a playroom for kiddies!)
• A redesigned "Main Street" (St. Joseph) - making it pedestrian and cyclist friendly
• More healthy, fabulous restaurants using local ingredients
• A revival of the Ottawa Farmer's Market, which seems to be dying a slow death in Orleans
• Ottawa River Action Plan for the health of our river and Petrie Island!
• More attention paid to the trail system in Queenswood Heights - the bridges which are being replaced have been chained off for over a year now. There was also a major landslide down there, and I'd love to hear how this will be cleaned up and future stability managed.
• Future LRT (check out this fascinating idea about demolishing the Queensway!)
• Promotion of cycling to downtown - I discovered this past year it only takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to bike to work (if that seems crazy to you, it's also possible to bike partway and bus partway). We need more education around safe cycling, and campaigns to get more people on their bikes!

So tell me, how would you make your neighbourhood a better place to live?

Pedalheads Bike Camps in Ottawa

I have a 4 year-old who is learning to ride a bike. Riding a bike is a skill (like swimming) that happens at all different ages. Right now she's on training wheels, but she has little friends who are already barreling around the roads sans training wheels. So I was more than a little excited when I was contacted by Pedalheads - a Canadian organization providing bike camp experiences to children - to come check out a mini-camp last Thursday. Traffic and densely populated urban areas make it difficult for parents to teach their kids to ride their bikes. Kids need the confidence to ride safely on the road, in parks and around the neighbourhood. The Pedalheads bike camps provide children with the right environment, trained instructors and small groups to prepare children for the road - some as young as three can learn to ride without training wheels upon completion of camp.

We showed up at the Alta Vista location (there will also be camps held in Nepean and Kanata), and my daughter's face lit up when she saw the obstacle course. She quickly hopped on her bike, and the instructors took her around the pylons and up over the balance boards. She asked to go again and again!

I also got a chance to speak with one of the instructors about the camps. The kids will spend the majority of the day on their bikes, but like most camps, there will be plans for extreme weather. They have use of a large church and indoor play equipment. The church is on quite a large property, with ample space for riding down grassy slopes. A slip 'n slide will come out on hot days for the kids to cool off.

I was really impressed with all of the friendly instructors, and they seemed really enthusiastic about their jobs. When I asked my daughter whether she'd enjoy a full week camp, she answered a loud "YES!"

Children can register in morning, afternoon, short 45-minute sessions or even private lessons. The earliest program starts with Riding Rookies, a child and caregiver program, then Trikes and Trainers, a program aimed at three year olds - to teach them to steer, stop and pedal. Once the child is four years old they can start the 10 level program starting with Newbees, who still ride with training wheels, and finishing with Crankheads, who can do both a front and rear lift with their mountain bikes. Pedalheads has something for every child to enjoy this summer.

To find out more, or sign your child up for camp, check out their website and Facebook page.

Happy Peddling!

Spring Biking

We went out for our first family ride today after a super long winter. My husband and I are training for several charity bike rides this summer, so we were long overdue for a venture out. Living in Orleans, we headed north to the river pathway. As we turned towards the direction of Petrie Island, we quickly realized the path was impassable. Spring flooding has covered both directions!

We decided to turn around and head back towards the house and do some side streets on the way. Just as my husband started to peddle off, the chain on his bike snapped. And being totally unprepared, we hadn't brought any tools or even a cell phone.

I decided to peddle home myself and pick everyone up with the car. The girls were very happy to run around the giant field down by the river, and were super tired by the time we got home.

So lesson of the day? When you're heading out for your first ride, make sure to do a proper bike tune-up ;)

Here are some resources for bike tune-ups in Ottawa:

Re-Cylces: A Community Bike Shop
Kunstadt Sport Kanata
Giant Orleans
Full Cycle 

Now to figure out an alternative biking route to work that will bypass the flooding!

Bicycle Safety: The Naked Rider {Video}

Would you go out in the snow without proper covering to protect yourself? Why ride a bike without proper protection. Helmets save lives. What do you think of the new video from Tail-Wags?