It's Jamie
@sjamieit.bsky.social
Municipal issues, data, transportation, history, yelling at drivers. Serious ideas, unserious person. Lots of original content. Pretend journalist. 🚲👶🌳
Centretown, Ottawa, Ontario
Centretown, Ottawa, Ontario
Light dusting of snow and the traffic guy on the radio is reporting over 20 collisions on the roads this morning. Yet what we here constantly is that you can't BIKE in the winter.
November 28, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Light dusting of snow and the traffic guy on the radio is reporting over 20 collisions on the roads this morning. Yet what we here constantly is that you can't BIKE in the winter.
Doug Ford: "Hey we said no bike lanes!"
City: "They're bus lanes."
Doug Ford: "They're only 2m wide!"
City: "The bus."👇
City: "They're bus lanes."
Doug Ford: "They're only 2m wide!"
City: "The bus."👇
November 28, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Doug Ford: "Hey we said no bike lanes!"
City: "They're bus lanes."
Doug Ford: "They're only 2m wide!"
City: "The bus."👇
City: "They're bus lanes."
Doug Ford: "They're only 2m wide!"
City: "The bus."👇
Something that doesn't violate Bill 60: modal filters. They make the entire street much safer to bike on without actually removing any motor-vehicle lanes. Use them more!
Also, putting a contra-flow lane on Percy Street won't violate Bill 60 either. Combine that with modal filters and: fietsstraat🤩
Also, putting a contra-flow lane on Percy Street won't violate Bill 60 either. Combine that with modal filters and: fietsstraat🤩
November 27, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Something that doesn't violate Bill 60: modal filters. They make the entire street much safer to bike on without actually removing any motor-vehicle lanes. Use them more!
Also, putting a contra-flow lane on Percy Street won't violate Bill 60 either. Combine that with modal filters and: fietsstraat🤩
Also, putting a contra-flow lane on Percy Street won't violate Bill 60 either. Combine that with modal filters and: fietsstraat🤩
... but on the horizon, a beacon of hope!
November 26, 2025 at 4:42 AM
... but on the horizon, a beacon of hope!
Tremblay could work for redevelopment, Fallowfield cannot. Greenbelt plus small SFH lots. Much easier to turn a Walmart into a new neighborhood than redevelop 1000 homes.
Although I'd much prefer a downtown station, at least Tremblay is on the LRT.
Although I'd much prefer a downtown station, at least Tremblay is on the LRT.
November 26, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Tremblay could work for redevelopment, Fallowfield cannot. Greenbelt plus small SFH lots. Much easier to turn a Walmart into a new neighborhood than redevelop 1000 homes.
Although I'd much prefer a downtown station, at least Tremblay is on the LRT.
Although I'd much prefer a downtown station, at least Tremblay is on the LRT.
Well, Preston is maybe not closed to Col. By, but it's definitely not open either!
November 26, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Well, Preston is maybe not closed to Col. By, but it's definitely not open either!
This had better not connect at Fallowfield. What a waste of a HSR station that would be. Tremblay is bad enough.
I was just in Malmö (metro population 780,035), and they had a massive 6km underground rail tunnel into their central train station.
I was just in Malmö (metro population 780,035), and they had a massive 6km underground rail tunnel into their central train station.
November 26, 2025 at 2:44 AM
This had better not connect at Fallowfield. What a waste of a HSR station that would be. Tremblay is bad enough.
I was just in Malmö (metro population 780,035), and they had a massive 6km underground rail tunnel into their central train station.
I was just in Malmö (metro population 780,035), and they had a massive 6km underground rail tunnel into their central train station.
What happened to all the old speed camera signs? Can I have one to go with my shirt?
November 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
What happened to all the old speed camera signs? Can I have one to go with my shirt?
This bus was parked on the wrong side of the road, on the sidewalk, blocking the sidewalk and bike lane. I asked one of the half dozen cops standing 20 feet away to write them a ticket and he said "I prefer not writing tickets". And then just did nothing.
November 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
This bus was parked on the wrong side of the road, on the sidewalk, blocking the sidewalk and bike lane. I asked one of the half dozen cops standing 20 feet away to write them a ticket and he said "I prefer not writing tickets". And then just did nothing.
There were cars parked in the no stopping zone and blocking the bus stops all down Gladstone. So police were diverting Gladstone traffic down Percy Street, including the 14. Buses were idling outside people's homes all day.
November 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM
There were cars parked in the no stopping zone and blocking the bus stops all down Gladstone. So police were diverting Gladstone traffic down Percy Street, including the 14. Buses were idling outside people's homes all day.
I don't understand how you can just "rent a room" at the community center, and then out in the park, set up a stage, loud speakers, tents, dumpsters, 20+ porta potties, propane heaters, crowd control fencing, giant signs, etc.
November 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I don't understand how you can just "rent a room" at the community center, and then out in the park, set up a stage, loud speakers, tents, dumpsters, 20+ porta potties, propane heaters, crowd control fencing, giant signs, etc.
1972 watermain.
With these 1970s pipes failing prematurely and the pipes from the first wave of suburban sprawl all coming up for replacement at the same time, we're in for a very disruptive and very expensive next few decades.
With these 1970s pipes failing prematurely and the pipes from the first wave of suburban sprawl all coming up for replacement at the same time, we're in for a very disruptive and very expensive next few decades.
November 23, 2025 at 11:19 PM
1972 watermain.
With these 1970s pipes failing prematurely and the pipes from the first wave of suburban sprawl all coming up for replacement at the same time, we're in for a very disruptive and very expensive next few decades.
With these 1970s pipes failing prematurely and the pipes from the first wave of suburban sprawl all coming up for replacement at the same time, we're in for a very disruptive and very expensive next few decades.
I challenge anyone to even find an example of this in the city. I've looked and I can't find any.
The city claims this change is about making room for trees, but I think it's really about their inability to keep up with the enforcement of these widenings. They're giving up and legalizing them.
The city claims this change is about making room for trees, but I think it's really about their inability to keep up with the enforcement of these widenings. They're giving up and legalizing them.
November 21, 2025 at 2:41 AM
I challenge anyone to even find an example of this in the city. I've looked and I can't find any.
The city claims this change is about making room for trees, but I think it's really about their inability to keep up with the enforcement of these widenings. They're giving up and legalizing them.
The city claims this change is about making room for trees, but I think it's really about their inability to keep up with the enforcement of these widenings. They're giving up and legalizing them.
November 20, 2025 at 11:32 PM
For the driveways that are illegally widened by adding a pathway onto them, the new private approach by-law is actually proposing to legalize them!
November 20, 2025 at 10:57 PM
For the driveways that are illegally widened by adding a pathway onto them, the new private approach by-law is actually proposing to legalize them!
Here's a section of James Street. No illegal spaces removed.
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Here's a section of James Street. No illegal spaces removed.
That "illegal parking lot" is on Google Street View in 2007, and actually dates back to at least the 1950s. If the city is willing to remove that, why the lack of any enforcement in Centretown?
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
That "illegal parking lot" is on Google Street View in 2007, and actually dates back to at least the 1950s. If the city is willing to remove that, why the lack of any enforcement in Centretown?
Wow, illegal parking being removed and driveways being narrowed during a road renewal in Westboro. I wish the city would do that in Centretown, but here they keep reinstating the illegal parking when they do renewals.
November 20, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Wow, illegal parking being removed and driveways being narrowed during a road renewal in Westboro. I wish the city would do that in Centretown, but here they keep reinstating the illegal parking when they do renewals.
Did you ask them why they don't pull over or ticket nearly as many drivers as they used to?
November 17, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Did you ask them why they don't pull over or ticket nearly as many drivers as they used to?
Here's the data in ArcGIS for anyone to explore.
Select the collision data layer and use the filters to change the year, or filter other ways.
www.arcgis.com/apps/mapview...
Select the collision data layer and use the filters to change the year, or filter other ways.
www.arcgis.com/apps/mapview...
November 15, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Here's the data in ArcGIS for anyone to explore.
Select the collision data layer and use the filters to change the year, or filter other ways.
www.arcgis.com/apps/mapview...
Select the collision data layer and use the filters to change the year, or filter other ways.
www.arcgis.com/apps/mapview...
Here's just 2019 and 2024 side by side.
There were no speed cameras in 2019.
There were no speed cameras in 2019.
November 15, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Here's just 2019 and 2024 side by side.
There were no speed cameras in 2019.
There were no speed cameras in 2019.
I've filtered Ottawa's traffic collision data to show only collisions with injuries for each year, and then added the speed camera locations present in those years.
It looks like speed cameras have made the roads much safer.
It looks like speed cameras have made the roads much safer.
November 15, 2025 at 1:34 AM
I've filtered Ottawa's traffic collision data to show only collisions with injuries for each year, and then added the speed camera locations present in those years.
It looks like speed cameras have made the roads much safer.
It looks like speed cameras have made the roads much safer.
There are two speed cameras on Walkley Rd between Bank and St Laurent that were installed in 2024. In 2022 that stretch of Walkley had 34 collisions with injuries. In 2024, after the cameras were turned on, there were just 4 collisions with injuries. Speed cameras work.
November 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
There are two speed cameras on Walkley Rd between Bank and St Laurent that were installed in 2024. In 2022 that stretch of Walkley had 34 collisions with injuries. In 2024, after the cameras were turned on, there were just 4 collisions with injuries. Speed cameras work.