2023-06-02|Extremely Unsafe Bikeway

To whom it may concern

I had an extremely serious bicycle accident on a bikeway near Pimisi station of OC Transpo's O-Train Line 1 on LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, ON, Canada. Contrary to the conceptual map with straight and smoothly curved path lines, the reality is that the bikeway around Pimisi station is full of sharp turns.
- LeBreton Flats pathway
- Le sentier des Plaines-LeBreton
When the multi-use pathway branches out from Ottawa River Parkway West, there are 3 lanes. As the pathway approaches Pimisi station, the walkway suddenly disappears and merges with 2 lanes of the bikeway, which loses YELLOW centreline. There is a warning sign for bicycles to yield to pedestrians.
Even though the map in NCC/CCN's report "LeBreton Flats Pathway Project/Projet du sentier des Plaines-LeBreton" indicates "Slow zone/Zone de ralentissement", there is no warning sign for cyclists to slow down. The only warning sign is an arrow for bicycles to avoid stairs, as shown below. There is no warning for a series of sharp turns at nearly pi/2 radian (90 degrees) while cyclists expect to be able to pass as usual, i.e., at the speed of 20 km/h or so.
I really did not realise what had happened until after crashing into the bump which is about 20 cm in height. The bump is marked in YELLOW, but my brain interpreted it as a 2-dimensionally flat marking instead of a 3-dimensionally raised bump on the bikeway because of the combination of bright sunlight and the lack of shadow. Also, there is non-raised tactile paving in WHITE for blind and vision-impaired people nearby, compounding confusion. Moreover, the YELLOW marking on the ground is not at cyclists's eye level. Furthermore, my focus was towards the continuation of the bikeway ahead, but the paths before and after Pimisi station are quite misaligned due to poor design, as shown below, thus causing me to hit the unexpected obstacle on the way.
Sudden collision with the raised bump caused me to suffer twisted wrist, abrasions and bruises on the leg. My Quetzal Bike suffered unrepairable deformation and flat at its front wheel despite the combination of FLAT DEFENSE tire and STOPS FLATS WHILE YOU RIDE inner tube. I am still in pain and trauma, but had I not been wearing a 4-season baseball helmet, such high-energy impact would have caused life-threatening concussion or worse...
There were 2 witnesses who were genuinely worried if I had suffered concussion. They were commenting that it would be a matter of time before such poorly-designed bikeway results in more serious accidents. I may not be the first victim, but I would rather be the last cyclist to suffer from bikeway's poor design.
Although I am not sure about jurisdictional issues (NCC/CCN, City of Ottawa, OC Transpo), I hereby propose the following action items for bicycle safety around Pimisi station, without resorting to costly destruction and reconstruction.
- Put up a warning sign "Slow down/Ralentissez" and "Line ends/Fin de voie".
- Draw a smoothly-curved line with GREEN paint on the pathway in order to guide cyclists around the raised bump.
- Around the raised bump, erect a fence to be visible at cyclists's eye level and to obstruct the bikeway after the raised bump.
- Institute beta testing of any newly-constructed bikeway by cyclists before the grand opening.
Thank you very much for your attention.

To whom it may concern

The following 2 images show curb situation in Gatineau, QC, Canada. The curb painted in YELLOW means that it is safe to proceed, compared to the unpainted raised portions of the curb.
Thank you very much for your attention.