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Movement: how to take back our streets and transform our lives | Book Recommendation
I just finished this book, it’s a great read on the reasons why reducing car dependency and designing streets for people and not cars is so important for society. Highly recommended. Movement: how to take back our streets and transform our lives Thalia Verkade, Marco te Brömmelstroet
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Third Places and Their Role in the 15-Minute Neighbourhood
In the bustling rhythm of modern life, where screens dominate our attention and digital connections often replace face-to-face interactions, the concept of “Third Places” emerges as a beacon of community resilience. These spaces—whether a cozy cafe, a vibrant park, or a welcoming library—play a pivotal role in shaping the 15-minute neighbourhoods of tomorrow. Let us…
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What My Kids See and Do Aboard My Ebike
My older kids are 6 and 3 (coming up on 4 now), and they absolutely love spending time on the back of my cargo ebike. In past years, we would go for rides together, but they were in a trailer behind my hybrid bike, and it wasn’t really a family ride since my wife didn’t…
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Jeanne d’Arc Blvd Pedestrian Crossing
Creating a new pedestrian crossing to get across a certain problematic section of Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard is something I’ve been mulling over and wanting to talk about for literal months. My version of this story contains some aspects of government bureaucracy, car-friendly transportation rules, and common-sense safety and accessibility changes. The exact spot I’m describing…
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Bike Trip to the Library – July 17, 2024
I’m wrapping up 4 weeks of parental leave from work (going back Monday), and so for the last few month I have been spending all day every day with kids. Since I got the new bike (which can carry the older two on the back), the kids have been wanting to run errands and do…
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Vineyard / Voyageur Community Bus Loop
I’m a big fan of efficient, convenient, and frequent bus routes that access or connect common amenities. Growing up in Calgary, I made frequent use of what that city calls ‘community shuttles’, basically smaller buses that tend to run shorter closed loops in a community connecting riders to transit hubs or nearby amenities. A Tangent…
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My First Ebike (~2 months in)
Before I get too far into specific ideas and thoughts on this site, I wanted to spend a little time talking about my current thoughts and feelings about ebikes, about two months in to owning my first one. My thoughts will almost certainly evolve on this topic as time goes on, but here’s how I…
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Running Errands on a Cargo Bike – July 14, 2024
I did something today that would have been very hard to do without the cargo ebike I got this spring (I’ll describe this bike more in a future post). This afternoon I did a couple of errands on the bike, which is better in almost every imaginable way than doing equivalent tasks would have been…
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Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard North – Road Layout Update
My neighbourhood I live in a suburb of Ottawa called Orleans, and though the neighborhood is starting to work towards a modern understanding of good urban design, a lot of the transportation infrastructure in the community is based on 99% car traffic. There are affordances for other modes of transport in some places, but in…
This site is full of ideas, each of which aim for just a little less car. LessCar.ca is a part of and supports the mission of Strong Towns Ottawa, check that out for a broader view at improving the places people live. I am also a Director on the Board of the Convent Glen / Orleans Wood Community Association, trying to do what I can to enact the Orleans Corridor Secondary Plan. I’m also on the board of Bike Ottawa, doing my part to make the suburbs friendlier to cycling and active transportation.
Send a message to mail [at] lesscar [dot] ca if you would like to share an idea or write something to post here. I’m based in Orleans, Ontario (suburb of Ottawa), but less car is a good thing anywhere.