Ottawa cyclists know the feeling all too well. You approach an intersection, look at the road ahead, and think: there is absolutely no way this is safe to bike on.
A photo shared on Reddit this week, and quickly picked up by Ottawa social accounts, captured exactly that sentiment. The image, posted by u/Top_Locksmith_9695, shows a stretch of road that prompted an immediate community response: would you bike on that? The answers ranged from "absolutely not" to "I bike on worse every day," which pretty much sums up the state of cycling in Ottawa in 2026.
Ottawa's Cycling Gap
Ottawa has made significant investments in cycling infrastructure over the past decade, the city's cycling master plan calls for an integrated network of protected lanes, multi-use pathways, and shared roads. But the gap between the plan and the reality on the ground is still significant, particularly in suburban and transitional neighbourhoods where protected infrastructure is sparse or non-existent.
The Rideau River Eastern Pathway, the Ottawa River Pathway, and the Confederation Line pathway are some of the city's best-loved cycling routes, but they don't connect everywhere commuters need to go. When cyclists leave those protected corridors, they often end up on roads exactly like the one in the Reddit post.
What the Numbers Say
A 2025 City of Ottawa report found that the share of residents who cycle at least occasionally has held steady, but the share who cycle as a primary commute mode remains stubbornly low, with fear of traffic cited as the #1 barrier.
Protected infrastructure changes that calculus. Studies from cities like Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto consistently show that when you build physically separated bike lanes, cycling rates rise, especially among people who currently don't ride because they feel unsafe on roads.
The Bigger Picture
Ottawa's cycling season is just around the corner as winter thaws. The freezing rain and ice storms of early March are giving way to the tentative promise of spring, and soon the city's pathways will fill back up with commuters, recreational riders, and families.
The question of which roads are safe enough to bike on isn't going away. If anything, the attention a single Reddit photo can generate shows how much Ottawa residents care about the answer.
Have thoughts on a specific road or intersection that needs attention? The City of Ottawa takes cycling infrastructure requests through its 311 service and the annual transportation capital budget process.
Source: @613trending on Instagram via u/Top_Locksmith_9695 on Reddit
