Ottawa parents test a new school commute to keep kids safe

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Children participate in a bike bus to Devonshire Public School on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Photo by Supplied by Chris HircockArticle content

“We want to be able to feel safe going to places we need to go (on bike). In this case, it’s school, but it could also be a community centre or a soccer game or a local library,” Hircock said.

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“We could always use more bike infrastructure. It makes it easy for us to be able to get places by bike. In a city where most of our car trips are under five kilometres, it would be nice to have the option to be able to ride our bikes.”

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Safer road infrastructure includes bike lanes with barriers and traffic calming measures like narrower streets and slower speed limits. Safer road infrastructure must also be accessible, he added.

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“It’s really important that bike infrastructure needs to follow the 8-80 rule. You should be able to ride with your eight-year-old child or 80-year-old parent or grandparent,” Hircock said.

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“It needs to be safe, it needs to be comfortable, it needs to be convenient. It can’t be a painted line on a side of a busy road. It needs to be something that is separate. (The city) needs to prioritize this.”

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Richard Rizok and his family have been living in the Broadview neighbourhood for almost five years. His children usually walk to school, but there’s a lack of stop signs and speed bumps along a good stretch of the way. As a result, he’s seen drivers speed through intersections and crash into snow banks.

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“I mean, generally, it’s safe. My kids are eight and five, they’re not quite old enough to walk on their own. I don’t think I’d be comfortable just yet having them walk on their own,” he said.

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He would like more traffic calming measures along Keenan Avenue, which he identified as a big concern.

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“I don’t think painting lines is enough,” he said. “Anything that (the city) can invest in would benefit the environment and people,” Rizok added.

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Hircock said the City of Ottawa has made efforts to improve cycling infrastructure, such as the bike paths along Scott Street and Dovercourt Avenue. However, he wants to see more bike lanes so more kids and families are able to move around the city without having to depend on a car.

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He is also encouraging parents and community members to start their own bike bus initiative.

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“It’s really simple. Just do it. Reach out to another family and set a time and a date, and just do it. It’s the simplest thing to make happen and then build upon that, and it teaches our kids independence of mobility. You know that they’re able to get to a friend’s house or go to a game without having to ask their parents for a car ride. It teaches those habits early,” he said.

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Rizok also urged parents who choose to drive their kids to school to be more alert and aware of their surroundings.

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“Put your phones down. Leave a bit earlier so you’re not in a hurry. It’s not everyone else’s job to get out of your way because you’ve left your house early or late. The signs are self-explanatory. Stop. It says it right on there,” he said.

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