Ottawa Cycling Updates December 2025

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Here is the last issue of the year. Halfway the year, somewhere in the summer, I decided to bundle some cycling updates in a separate blog post and that was well received. So I decided to continue it. It is bit of extra work, but it is fun to do so I am hoping to crank out more next year.

Mantis Mirror

I was recently made aware of a new rearview, helmet-mounted bike mirror developed in Ottawa and fully made in Canada. So I had a conversation with the inventor, Mike Kelly. While riding on Ottawa’s country roads, Mike realized that switching between different riding positions meant his rearview mirror needed a different angle—and constantly adjusting it was taking his attention off the road. So, he set out to develop a better mirror. Not just one, but effectively two in one: the Mantis Mirror System. Once set up, it lets you ride in different positions without having to constantly re-adjust the mirrors whenever you change positions —helping keep your eyes forward and both hands on the bars.

two images comparing different positions of a cyclists and the view in the mirror

“The mirror attaches securely yet detaches easily, has low vibration, and offers a wide range of adjustments to suit different riders“, says Mike. He continues: “It also includes a simple, novel marking system that makes quick setups easy. Once dialed in, you can see from the various positions you naturally take on the bike —whether sitting upright, standing, or getting more aerodynamic— without having to tweak the Mantis™ Mirror System again and again“.

For more information, check out the product videos and FAQs at https://mantismirror.com/. You can also reach Mike at support@mantismirror.com with any questions.

Note this is not some commission based kick back scheme for me, I am just happy to support local entrepreneurs in cycling.

Cycling means business in Almonte

In October, I was invited to speak in Almonte at a regional conference about cycling promotion and business in Ottawa. I don’t have much data on cycling and business, and while there are some data from cities like Toronto’s Bloor Street and Vancouver, that doesn’t really help if you talk to a more rural village audience. So I decided to change the topic somewhat (with permission) and shared some cycling data from Ottawa instead: the Chief William Commanda bridge, the underpass at Colonel By and uOttawa, the Adawe bridge while talking about networks and amenities and sharing my experiences as a bike tour guide.

a group of around 40 people in an old townhall sitting around tables. A polished wooden floor is visible as well as a powerpoint that says Dirt and Water festival Petawawa

I noticed that the small town tourist offices outside Ottawa drive cycling very much as a recreational activity for out of towners, such as gravel riding, whereas cities like Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto see cycling first and foremost as a means of local transportation; the NCC obviously looks to cycling as a way of discovering the capital’s and nation’s assets.

“Cycling tourism starts with building a cycling culture in your own village or town so that visitors feel welcomed and being among likeminded people“, I stressed. I mentioned the importance of places to stop such as bakeries and ice cream shops, a local museum, washrooms and picnic tables along the river and bike racks and places to stay and safe suggested routes and route maps for families. Cycle Simcoe has done great work in this field and so have the people behind the 800 km Log Driver’s Waltz gravel route, Jen Adams and Eric Betteridge from Ottawa, who I finally met in person.

City to receive $4 million from province

I received some data from the city regarding the speed cameras which I want to share with you. Since 2020, the city collected $97.5 mln in fines from the Automatic Speed Enforcement (ASE) Cameras. Of that, $18.3 mln was remitted in the Victim Fine Surcharge to the Province and $37.6 mln was used to operate and administer the program. The remaining 41.6 mln had been allocated to the Road Safety Reserve which funds road safety initiatives “including those identified in the City’s Road Safety Action Plan”.

After Bill 56 was implemented, the Province made $210 mln available for two years for all Ontario municipalities that operated ASE systems. Based on that, Ottawa received $4 million from the $42 million of the total interim allocation for all participating municipalities. Although the premier suggested speed bumps and roundabouts as an alternative, which is not necessarily a bad idea, we all know that many schools are on arterials which you can’t litter with speed humps all of a sudden. And given that a roundabout cost $ 1 million+, you will likely see only large signs and not much else for now from that provincial money. Councillor Brockington has already mentioned seeing higher speeds on Bronson at Carleton University since the camera has been switched off. Going back to the numbers, if Ottawa received 4 of the 41 mln, or about 10%, we can probably expect another (210-42) * 10% is roughly 17 mln dollars.

Bill 60 dealt with the removal of bike lanes. It has serious impacts on several City projects, the city’s cycling network, challenges for many projects such as those in the Transportation Master Plan, the Road Safety Action Plan and some projects will therefore not be able to move forward or will require redesign. I have heard that staff is poring over the projects to see how they can creatively work with the new legislation. But if you have a limited space to work with, it will be a tough call. In all likelihood, the downtown area will be the biggest victim and the core will remain a car sewer for commuters. All the more a reason to sell Wellington St asap to the Feds so the NCC can close it off and make something beautiful of it.

529 Bike Detective

Bike theft is a significant problem across North America. According to FBI data, nearly 150,000 bicycles were reported stolen in the U.S. in 2023, with losses totalling over US $148 million. Bike thieves have long used online marketplaces as an easy way to flip stolen rides, but a new technology from Project 529 is making that a lot harder.

Project 529, the world’s leading bike registration company (which began as a pilot project in partnership with the VPD in Vancouver) has launched 529 Detective, a digital tool that scans online marketplace listings and flags potential matches for stolen bikes.

529 Detective allows bike owners and authorities to quickly search digital ad listings, making it harder for thieves to sell stolen bikes and easier for owners to recover them. 529 Detective is currently available in the USA and Canada. If your bicycle has been stolen, set Detective to work here.

I looked a little further into bike theft data for Canada and found that Carl Ellis is maintaining a bike lock website where he states:

“There are no official numbers for how many bikes are stolen in Canada each year. However, if they were to publish the numbers of bikes reported stolen each year, I estimate that they would be in excess of 50,000. And of course since (according to my own survey) nearly 50% of Canadian bike theft victims don’t report the crime to the police, the real number of bikes stolen in Canada every year would be significantly higher.”