Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
@christaggart.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.5K following 1.1K posts
Heatpump Papa. Software Engineer. Climate. Cargo Bike Dad. I build software to accelerate residential electrification. @electrify613.bsky.social @ferncomfort.bsky.social https://electrific.co https://ferncomfort.ca https://electrify613.ca, YOW
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They did it, they nabbed an Aventon Level 3 Step Thru. 🎉
Most batteries on the UL models are removable, we bring ours inside during winter to charge. Even the downtube battery models have removable batteries.
“Line for tow truck rides starts here”
Probably drank his own “both sides” koolaid that he sells to cities as a starting point, and now he believes it.
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
Update: the event has been postponed to Sat. October 18th at 8pm. New location: Prince Albert block 270.

Please tell anyone who may not see this message
Come show your support for this precious child’s family and community.
Neighbours in Overbrook have shared that there will be a candle lighting ceremony around 630pm tonight, October 17th at 394 Presland Road.
All are welcome to attend, please bring a 🕯️if you can. 💔
#OttBike
A five-year-old dies on our streets. When will the City of Ottawa finally commit to Vision Zero?

Our heartfelt condolences to the family of this young boy.

bikeottawa.ca/2025/10/17/a...
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
Love this on e-cargo bikes & family life:

“Forgoing a second car may have been the reason we bought it, but it was simply more fun to see my son grinning on the bike.”

“You see the joy that the kids get out of it, the time you get to spend with them … [and] it encourages you to use it more.”
Load and behold: should you opt for an electric cargo bike over a second car?
Cargo ebikes are ideal for the millions of short-distance car trips Australians take every day. Here’s how to make one work for you
www.theguardian.com
Library book machines where you tap your library card and can take out up to 3 books would be awesome.
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
There's no universe in which the literal pipes of an existing fossil gas utility can switch to carrying steam or some other 'thermal energy network' fluid. I don't understand why this is still on the policy table at all beyond the fact that it might fool some people who don't know better.
I was mostly joking, but ostensibly 2.6T of emissions for a return flight from Ottawa to Paris.

Average ice vehicle emits 4.6 tons/year.

So if people did ditch their car most of the time, seems like good value.
Far too high.

But theoretically if it causes someone to ditch their car and eliminate its emissions, not so terrible?
$1000 ebike incentive where the first $600 covers your round trip flight to Paris, then when you get back you get $400 towards your bike
We have an Urban Arrow, it’s the best!
I think thats coming…

bsky.app/profile/shaw...
I’m at a bike share conference today and very enthusiastic to bring this momentum to the City of #Ottawa. Some news coming soon for our city, Gatineau and the NCC. #Ottnews
I believe there’s maybe something in the works in Ottawa ebike library-wise, at least some efforts to get one going.

There’s also the piece where the cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in those cities is even more normalized that makes something click in people’s car brains.
A co-worker just got back from a trip to Europe where they went on an ebike tour of a city and is now back looking to acquire an ebike to replace some of their car trips in Ottawa.

How do we scale this? 😂
That article is a full nimby bingo card. Neighbourhood character in the first sentence.
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
It's been 25 years since One-Big-Ottawa was imposed on us. The world has finally taken note: this thing doesn't really work for urban or rural residents. I wrote about why and what's next.
glebereport.ca/articles/ott... #ottawa #ottcity #deamalgamateottawa
A seasonal take on this success as “Snow Streets” could be fun and interesting too. Like the Lansdowne Christmas market, but within a community instead of performatively setup within a stadium
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
As humans heat the planet, largely by burning fossil fuels, more people are dying in extreme heat. Their deaths are often recorded as accidents or attributed to other conditions that heat exacerbates. This piece tells the tragic stories of people who died preventably in extreme heat in Phoenix, AZ.
Americans are dying from extreme heat. Autopsy reports don’t show the full story
Official reports are likely to overlook heat’s role in a death. As US temperatures rise, experts say the true toll needs to be counted
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
Is Ottawa school zone safety negotiable?

🚷Delays to sidewalk builds
🚦School Street policy red lighted
📸 Automated Speed Enforcement to be cut down by Doug Ford

📣 No! Tell the Mayor to stand up to the province and anyone who makes communities less safe.

schoolstreetsottawa.ca/2025/10/11/o...
Ottawa Streets Are Not Safe For Kids – A Call to Action to Keep ASE, Have Sidewalks and School Streets
Ottawa Streets are not safe for kids – losing ASE will make it worse
schoolstreetsottawa.ca
Reposted by Chris Taggart 🏡 ⚡️ 🔌
You've heard of the #OttCity's Climate Change Master Plan, and you know it's approaching the end of its horizon; but how are we doing on its 8 priorities, and what did the latest Progress Update reveal?

Our Council Watcher Karolina Galuszka's got you covered.

www.ecologyottawa.ca/ccmp_progres...
Ottawa’s Climate Change Master Plan: A Progress Update
www.ecologyottawa.ca
It’s not improved building codes that have made homes more expensive. Better building codes have lowered operating costs of those homes and improved health + comfort.

Minimum code is the worst home you’re allowed to build.
Is it because the rest are suspended with pay?