Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 6d

✨New Post✨ Our city budget often chases short-term 'municipal candy' while ignoring the long-term fiscal bellyache it causes. It's time for the adults in the room to prioritize financial solvency over flashy projects. 🍬💸 #Ottawa #Orleans #StrongTowns

Why Prioritizing Municipal 'Candy' Leads to a Budget Bellyache (And How the Adults in the Room Can Fix It) - The New Orleans

There’s a universal truth for every parent with a few kids: managing the family budget is a constant tightrope walk. Everyone wants the fun stuff – the latest video game, extra treats, a big…

theneworleans.ca

1 2

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 8d

✨New Post✨ From our weekly "Pedal and Play" rides to a season-ending Kidical Mass event, we're showing what a more connected, family-friendly Orléans can look like—one bike ride at a time. 🚲 #Orléans #KidicalMass #Community

More Than a Bike Ride: Kidical Mass Capping Off a Year of Pedal and Play Success in Orléans - The New Orleans

On the morning of Saturday, September 27, 2025, the streets of Convent Glen North filled with the cheerful sound of laughter, bike bells, and even a handful of cow bells. This Orléans edition of the K...

theneworleans.ca

5 2

Reposted by The New Orleans

It's Jamie @sjamieit.bsky.social · 9d

170 Slater, the collapsed parking garage being redeveloped into 538 residential units.

Community Benefits Charge (CBC): ~$600,000
Development Charges (DC): ~$13,000,000

Of those DCs, about $3-million goes exclusively towards suburban arterial roads. Those should be eliminated long before the CBCs.

3 8 26

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 9d

Cargo bikes & e-bikes are the true car-lite machines for suburban life—hauling kids, groceries, and gear. Upgrade your tools! 🚲🛒👨

1 2

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 9d

✨New Post✨ The average bike probably isn't practical for daily life, but realistically that just mean you have the wrong bike. Most North American cyclists are riding a sports car or Jeep when they need a sedan or a minivan. theneworleans.ca/2025/10/02/y... 👩👧👦 #CargoBike #Suburbs #urbanism

Your Bike Can't Do That? You Might Have the Wrong Bike - The New Orleans

In case you didn’t hear, this week is the Week Without Driving. It’s the time of year advocates suggest thinking about your transportation choices and how you can reduce your reliance on driving…

theneworleans.ca

1 3 3

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 9d

✨New Post✨ The suburban dream sold us the 'freedom to drive,' but it came with a hidden contract: the obligation to own a car for everything. True freedom is about having choices—the choice to walk, bike, or live a full life without a car. #LessCar #Urbanism

The Suburban Dream and Its Hidden Contract: Trading True Freedom for the Freedom to Drive - The New Orleans

Lots of Ottawa residents just like us in the suburbs were sold a very specific dream, maybe even as early as when we were teenagers. Living in the suburbs meant owning a spacious home, having a lush,…

theneworleans.ca

3 2

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 9d

✨New Post✨ The city’s top-down approach to 15-minute neighbourhoods is too expensive. We can achieve the goal city-wide with a more fiscally prudent path: fixing our zoning to allow our communities to evolve organically. #LandUse #Zoning #OttPoli #Urbanism #StrongTowns

A Fiscally Prudent Path to True 15-Minute Neighbourhoods City-Wide - The New Orleans

To: Ottawa Zoning Bylaw TeamFrom: Rob Attrell, Engaged Urbanist and Suburban Resident I’m sending this letter via email to the zoning bylaw team. If you have feedback on the Zoning By-law process,…

theneworleans.ca

2 4

Reposted by The New Orleans

Guillaume @gguillaume.bsky.social · 10d

It’s even more striking if you look at survival rate

carsp.ca/en/news-and-...

1 8 11

Reposted by The New Orleans

Cassie Smith (she/her) @cassiesmith.bsky.social · 13d

I was the sweeper for this morning's #KidicalMassOttawa bike ride. These two little ones did a super job.

So does this ASE Safety Camera. There are 3 elementary schools located on this stretch of 4 lane road. The camera helps keep kids safe NOW & collects funds for more permanent changes. 1/2

4 people are biking, an adult with purple jack, an adult with Orange safety vest, a young kid with pink helmet and blue handlebar streamers, and another youngester with purple helmet and pink skirt. They are riding in the street. A sign on the pole beside says municipal speed camera. The next sign says share the road.

2 6 31

Reposted by The New Orleans

Bike Ottawa @bikeottawa.bsky.social · 13d

Great turnout at today’s Kidical Mass ride in Orleans, Ottawa. Shows there’s an appetite for cycling outside the core.

#KidicalMassRide #Ottawa #Orleans
@cgow.bsky.social

6 31

Reposted by The New Orleans

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 15d

This fun family bike ride is also an advocacy event? 🚲 Our article highlights the fun of Kidical Mass on Sept 27th & shows how simple road changes can make our streets safer for everyone. 🚦 Join us to advocate for a more accessible Orleans! #KidicalMass #SafeStreets #BikeOttawa

The Kidical Mass is a Fun Family Bike Ride in Orleans, But It's Also More Than That - The New Orleans

Get ready to pedal and play! On Saturday, September 27, 2025, the streets of Convent Glen North will be filled with smiling families, colorful bikes, and a collective call for safer neighbourhoods to ...

theneworleans.ca

5 6

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 15d

This fun family bike ride is also an advocacy event? 🚲 Our article highlights the fun of Kidical Mass on Sept 27th & shows how simple road changes can make our streets safer for everyone. 🚦 Join us to advocate for a more accessible Orleans! #KidicalMass #SafeStreets #BikeOttawa

The Kidical Mass is a Fun Family Bike Ride in Orleans, But It's Also More Than That - The New Orleans

Get ready to pedal and play! On Saturday, September 27, 2025, the streets of Convent Glen North will be filled with smiling families, colorful bikes, and a collective call for safer neighbourhoods to ...

theneworleans.ca

5 6

Reposted by The New Orleans

It's Jamie @sjamieit.bsky.social · 18d

That watermain is from 1972.

Ottawa has 843km of watermains older than that.

Council just deferred $2 billion in identified water and sewer renewal work for the next decade.

You're going to see a lot more of this happening in the future.

CTV News Ottawa @ctvnewsottawa.bsky.social · 19d

Watermain break causes flooding on roads, sidewalks in Kanata

Roads and sidewalks in Kanata’s Bridlewood and Glen Cairn community were flooded on Monday following a watermain break.

bit.ly

2 4 14

Reposted by The New Orleans

Pat Bickerton @pbickerton.bsky.social · 18d

I mapped Ottawa’s 2023–2033 road renewal list against property tax data. Then I estimated the amortized cost of road renewals as a share of the property tax levy:

Inner greenbelt: 6%
Outer greenbelt: 10%
Rural: 40%
Villages: 50%

2 4 6

Reposted by The New Orleans

Bike Ottawa @bikeottawa.bsky.social · 24d

Do you like to…

Ride your bike 🚲
And have fun 🥳
With your kids 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒
On safe neighbourhood streets 🪖

Come to our next kidical mass ride in Orleans.

Info 👇 1/2

kidicalmassorleans2025.eventbrite.ca

Poster of kidical mass ride in Orleans, Ottawa, September 27

1 5 5

Reposted by The New Orleans

Laura Dudas @lauradudas.bsky.social · 28d

🚆 Big weekend for O-Train Line 1!

A full-line test from Tunney’s Pasture to Trim is happening Sept 13–14.

📅 No train service, R1 buses in place.

23 trains will run at full speed, up to 80 km/h.

A major step toward the East Extension launch!

3 4 10

Reposted by The New Orleans

Kidical Mass Ottawa @kidicalmassottawa.bsky.social · 28d

This change has happened so incrementally you might not have noticed, but cities, streets, and vehicles have made our children's world completely different from the one we grew up in.

Jon Owen @anotherjon.bsky.social · 29d

"I cycled to school when I was a kid, and we didn't need fancy cycle lanes."

Yeah, but there's three times more traffic than there was in 1973..

Twice as many cars as there was in 1982..

..36% more traffic on urban minor roads than there was in 1994..

..and cars were *way* smaller, and lighter.

A graph of long-term traffic levels in the UK since 1949. It's gone up. Lots.

A graphic showing that cars have got wider, and this leaves less space for road users including cyclists

1 1

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · 28d

✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why good plans for our community seem to disappear into a black hole at City Hall? I took a deep dive into the bureaucratic roadblocks that stall progress and how we can build a more financially resilient and people-focused Orléans. #ottpoli #urbanism

The Long Road to Nowhere: Why Good Plans Die at City Hall - The New Orleans

There’s a unique sense of optimism that comes from getting involved in a major city-planning exercise. Whether it’s a review of a new Transportation Master Plan or a local infrastructure renewal proje...

theneworleans.ca

3 5

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · Sep 11

✨New Post✨A small park in Orléans is proving the "Field of Dreams" rule of community building: if you build good places for people, they will come. This is a small taste of the more vibrant future we can create. 🌳 #Orleans #Urbanism

If You Build It, They Will Come: A Small Park Shows the Future of Orléans - The New Orleans

For the past three days, something remarkable has been happening in my neighborhood of Convent Glen North. A newly updated park (‘The Sand Park’, as my kids have called it) just reopened on Monday in ...

theneworleans.ca

4 3

Reposted by The New Orleans

Village Bicycle Cooperative @villagebicyclecoop.bsky.social · Sep 4

Want to enjoy the beautiful weather but still have errands to run? Ride your bike to the grocery store!

The Advantages Of Biking To The Grocery Store

If you have been driving to the grocery store for most of your life, you have probably noticed how quickly the gas costs of your trips can add up. While taking a trip every so often isn’t likely to break the bank or accelerate climate change significantly, the negative effects of driving can really add […]

www.thepinnaclelist.com

1 4 15

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · Sep 4

✨New Post✨ How do we pay for the Orléans we love? We face a choice: drastically higher taxes, declining services, or welcoming more neighbours. In my new article, I break down the uncomfortable math of our suburban lifestyle and our three possible futures. #Orléans #StrongTowns

Paying the Bills: The Uncomfortable Math of Our Orléans Lifestyle - The New Orleans

I’m going to share a little about myself right off the top here before getting into this. My name is Rob, and I’m a husband, a father of three, and your neighbour here in Orléans. Like you, I chose…

theneworleans.ca

4 3

Reposted by The New Orleans

Bike Ottawa @bikeottawa.bsky.social · Sep 2

With back to school is behind us, have you thought about new ways of getting to school? How about biking? Whether solo or starting a bike bus, we’ve got you covered!

Plan your route with our new app. Download it now. 1/2

cyclingguide.org/download-the...

Cycling Guide app poster. Reads: Fond low-stress routes for safer, more enjoyable cycling.

1 5 7

Reposted by The New Orleans

Rob Attrell @robattrell.bsky.social · Sep 2

Good representation from the Vision Zero coalition in the replies here. We should be doing more than thoughts and prayers for the kids on our streets.

City of Ottawa @en.ottawa.ca · Sep 2

Be extra vigilant with kids back in school, #OttCity.

Between 2019 and 2023, there were 153 collisions involving pedestrians and 62 involving cyclists that resulted in a fatality or major injury.

Let’s work together to keep everyone safe.
More: https://bit.ly/4p4hdIc

A young child walks along a sidewalk while holding an adult’s hand

1 4

Reposted by The New Orleans

Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · Aug 28

“The bike bus has emerged as a beacon of change, connecting communities and schools while promoting active and eco-friendly lifestyles. Originating in European cities like Barcelona, this trend has now become a global movement, reshaping the way kids commute to school.” Via @momentummag.bsky.social

Everything you Need to Know About the Bike Bus and Why Kids are Loving it

In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable transportation for children, the bike bus has emerged as a beacon of change, connecting communities and schools while promoting active and eco-friendly li...

momentummag.com

11 31

The New Orleans @theneworleans.bsky.social · Aug 28

✨New Post✨ Community events are more than just a nice way to spend an afternoon. They are the invisible social infrastructure that combats suburban isolation and builds the trust we need to create a better, more resilient Orléans. #Orleans #Community #Urbanism

The Invisible Infrastructure That Holds Our Community Together - The New Orleans

Recently, within sight of my own front door, I watched as probably 100+ kids and their parents descended on a local park. The air was filled with the sound of laughter and conversation as neighbours…

theneworleans.ca

3