Snow clearing for cargo bikes in Ottawa

Ottawa experiences chilly and somewhat snowy conditions for several months each year. Although we aren't the world's coldest capital, we boast the world's largest skating rink, thanks to the efforts of the National Capital Commission. They manage the skateway and a network of recreational multi-use pathways that wind through federally owned lands. The City of Ottawa maintains some of these pathways, in addition to city-owned active transportation infrastructure during the winter.

Taken from https://maps.ottawa.ca/geoottawa/. Separated infrastructure in orange and painted lanes and suggested routes in yellow.

Winter-maintained active transportation in Ottawa

Following a harsh winter in 2019, residents demanded better winter maintenance, particularly for those navigating the city without a car. In response, the City of Ottawa initiated a Winter Maintenance Quality Standards Review in 2020 to update the standards last set in 2003. The report recommended enhancements to the upkeep of sidewalks, residential roads, and the small winter cycling network. On October 31st, 2024, the City announced that measures would not be adopted due at least in part to financial pressure. Nonetheless, interim operational changes have made city navigation easier, including 24-hour active transportation winter maintenance.

What to expect in terms of snow clearing as of 2023 - City of Ottawa

Why only interim measures?

The aim of the winter maintenance review was to explore improving services rather than reducing or shifting them. Enhancing services, as expected, will require additional funding. With increasing financial pressures on our city, there is little enthusiasm for increasing budgets to raise standards, which would significantly benefit those utilizing active transportation (such as in downtown wards). Interestingly, one outcome of the WMQS review was the recommendation to adopt equitable practices. This was a point we vigorously advocated for as a stakeholder during the consultation process while on the board of directors of Bike Ottawa. We've noticed improvements, such as better snow clearing around schools. However, we view this as a more "equal" practice (everyone receives improved service) rather than "equitable" (people, especially women, receive the level of service they need). In Sweden, they justified the costs associated with slip and fall injuries to shift priorities from clearing primary highways, to residents walking, using bikes or clearing roads around schools.

How do these interim changes measure up?

Our household uses bikes to get around Ottawa's downtown core year-round. As city crews begin clearing the winter cycling network soon after snow begins falling, we can now rely on this level of service to get around the city even after a recent snowfall.

However, there have been a couple of instances where snowy conditions persisted for an extended period and winter maintenance on the winter cycling network disappeared for days, leading us to use roads with car traffic. In these examples, we suspect resources became stretched, where equipment broke down or was moved to other areas. Another issue that creeps up is allowing snowbanks to encroach 50% onto a pathway before snowbanks need to be removed. This means that pathways become unidirectional, all while people on foot and on bikes have to share the narrow strip of prime real estate away from cars. We still need a shift in the budget to give winter maintenance crews the resources they need to ensure a reliable active transportation network.

Snow clearing and designing facilities for cargo bikes in Ottawa

We are just beginning to develop safe, separated, active transportation facilities, so we haven't fully embraced winter design, including snow storage. We learned about this design element from a presenter from Oulu, Finland, during our visit to Edmonton's 2024 Winter Cycling Congress. In our city, snow banks along the roadside are common as extra asphalt along the curb is used for snow storage. However, many of our current active transportation facilities don't account for snow storage. Consequently, the snow banks gradually encroach on the pathway until they are physically removed by additional equipment.

In contrast, there is an example of a Parks Canada on Hog's Back Bridge that was designed for snow storage. It features a level concrete buffer that can be used for both riding and snow storage in the winter, making it easier for city staff to keep the pathway clear of snow.

Google Streetview from 2024 of the new Hog's Back Bridge pathway with its concrete snow buffer zone between the road shoulder and the asphalt pathway.

Hog's Back Bridge pathway with snow being stored in the snow buffer zone.

You can still have a good design like the Trillium cycletrack below that has a green buffer zone alongside that can be used for snow storage. However, our winter maintenance standards must specify that if the snow storage capacity fills up, that snow is then taken away or removed by other mechanical means such as a snow blower. Allowing snow bank encroachment 50% of pathway width, where a facility becomes unidirectional and challenging to navigate with a regular pedal bike, with one person going into the snow bank to let the other go by. If using a cargo bike or trike, navigating the narrow strip may be challenging and/or impossible to pass others coming in the other direction due to their size and weight.

Trillium cycletrack during the winter of 2022 where more than 50% of the width was encroached upon by snowbanks for many weeks, turning it into a unidirectional pathway that would make passing, especially with a cargo bike, challenging.

What are our suggestions to improve winter maintenance that addresses the needs of cargo bikes?

#1 Winter standards to maintain 100% of pathway width within a specified time period;

 #2 Budget and equipment to achieve #1 that would likely entail more snow blowers that can cut snow banks and blow the snow away from the area;

#3 Incorporate winter design standards (including snow storage buffer zones, water drainage, etc) for all future active transportation facilities, even if there is not a winter budget to maintain it at the design phase. We might want to maintain it down the road, but missing out on the design aspects means that the facility will not adequately serve residents for its lifetime;

#4 Ensure all current painted lanes have quick build barriers installed in the interim until permanent separated facilities can be built. Painted lanes cannot be reliably winter-maintained as snow from the road is pushed into this space for snow storage.

Let's adopt an attitude of a real winter city

In recent years, we've implemented beneficial changes to snow clearing, but we really need a shift in attitude. As a winter city, we should embrace this identity by designing facilities for year-round upkeep. If we construct them, we must maintain them, without exception. There shouldn't be a separate winter cycling network; instead, ALL active transportation facilities deserve winter maintenance, similar to what we consistently do for automobiles - we no longer store our cars away for winter due to inadequate winter maintenance. We decided collectively to budget for the resources to maintain our roads year round. Let's do the same for all modes so that residents have safe, cost-effective and reliable ways to get around their city without a car, whether walking or rolling, and also, taking into account the needs of snow clearing for larger and heavier cargo bikes in Ottawa that are becoming more popular with both residents and area businesses every year.