The pathway from South Keys to Osgoode
Hi all,
Two years ago I added a "By me a coffee" button to my website. Not because I am a starving blogger, but because sometimes people wanted to thank me for cycling promotion and the efforts I put into cycling advocacy. Initially I would thank people and tell that I just "do it for the fun of it". But I started to realise people were genuinely really grateful and wanted to give back. People like yourself.
2026 topics
So from the bottom of heart, I thank you for the appreciation. When I sit behind my computer researching and typing away, it is hard to fathom that others actually read what I produce. Writing is a bit strange that way.
I have already a bunch of topics lined up for 2026, such as a post about bike parking in Ottawa, cycling adventures in Bordeaux, a look at several new bike infrastructure locations, and some research I did on a Dutch map from 1609 of the place where I grew up.
Why bother with a blog?
Why bother, you may ask. I am partly doing this too because the local news media rarely report about cycling (is it not clickbaity enough anymore?) and partly because I'd like to know what is going on with cycling in Ottawa myself. By talking to fellow residents who bike, I learned that people don't always have a clear picture what infrastructure is being built, where the bike infrastructure is, what the shortcuts are in the City. So I share what I discover.
Not always about cycling
Indeed, sometimes my blogs are not about cycling. I wrote about that old Apple computer earlier, and about disappearing and new food outlets on Merivale Road (nearly 100). In fact, one of the most popular posts (go figure) is about how to make Tiramisu with real eggs. My guess it is partly because I have no advertising on my blog, no annoying videos in the bottom right corner and no affiliate programs with Amazon.😀 But the most popular page is the one with the Ottawa Cycling Maps. The thousands of hits on that page move with the seasons, so I am assuming those are real people, not bots. My most popular new post of the 30 posts I wrote last year was "Unboxing the new Beacon Hill Multi Use Pathway" with just under 3000 hits.
Mapping and GIS
I started teaching myself more about cartography and GIS to create nicer, custom maps: an exciting new field to explore for me. I have always liked maps, and now I can basically make my own at home with NCC and City open data. Does that sound nerdy? Look forward to more custom maps on my HansontheBike blog.
Playing with QGIS software: separate cycling infrastructure in Ottawa with data from Open Street Map
So in short, lots of stuff to look forward to!
I hope you have a wonderful 2026. Please share my posts with friends so that more people stay informed.
Hans