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Lou 💞

@catlouuu.bsky.social
443 followers 788 following 523 posts

29 • agender lesbian • Ottawa-Gatineau • AuDHD human • 🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦 I think/talk about human rights, car dependency, and public transit (and how those things relate to each other) way too much. Slowly learning French!

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Reposted by Lou 💞
Jim M @hockeyinottawa.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
May I see it?
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 02/10/2026
It's time to vote for better transit! Jeff Leiper is the only mayoral candidate with a serious plan to fix OC Transpo and get our transit system working again. Early voting is October 1st to 4th, and October 16th. The main election day is October 26th. Visit ottawa.ca/vote for more information.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Roads in poor shape? Late for work bc of transit or congestion? Can’t register your kid for swimming or skating bc there aren’t enough spots or the arena closed bc of poor repair condition? Business struggling bc city red tape? Here’s why: decades of underfunded tax base, unsustainable investment 1/
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Kim Moir @kmoir.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Me every time an Ottawa municipal candidate brags about low property taxes. *taps the sign*
Venn diagram of stable services low density and low taxes in municipal government - it does not exist.
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Lou 💞 @catlouuu.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Car supremacy is when pedestrians are legally only supposed to cross on the white light, but the white light is only on for 20 seconds or so at the start of the cycle, and the traffic light takes 3 minutes to cycle. Then when you cross anyway, drivers literally try to run you over out of anger.
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Jim M @hockeyinottawa.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"Increasing investment" is a fascinating way to say "didn't increase funding, banked on upper level funding that never came, and raided the transit reserves" as you can see in this handy graph. The E-Bus pilot launched in 2021, before Mark became Mayor, and the plan was for 450 buses...
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Symphony System @voxsymphonia.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
you can't just cut out random sections of protected bike lanes and expect it to still be usable. it's like trying to leave every other mile of a highway unpaved dirt and claiming you can still technically use it
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Brian Straw @brianstraw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"A street that is only safe when every driver is careful every single time isn’t safe. It’s lucky. And you can feel the difference, even if you’ve never had a crash. It’s the parent on the parkway who says 'car!' every 90 seconds. It’s the kid who isn’t allowed to bike . . . alone."
oakpark.com
Safe streets or lucky ones? - Wednesday Journal
I have a confession many Oak Park drivers could make. More than once, driving north on Oak Park Avenue at night, I have rolled through the crosswalk at Thomas Street with someone standing at the curb,...
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Research – Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) @researchtmu.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Across Canada, School Streets projects boost safety by temporarily halting vehicle traffic around schools. New research by @torontomet.bsky.social professor Raktim Mitra found that such projects don't increase traffic congestion or the risk of accidents. Read more in @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social:
cbc.ca
No cars dropping off or picking up kids? Why there's a push to clear the street in front of schools | CBC News
As the school year starts, the non-profit environmental association Green Communities Canada is continuing its efforts to implement pilot projects clearing regular student dropoff zones of cars.
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It's Jamie @sjamieit.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Today at PWIC, Councillor @stevedesroches.bsky.social was the sole vote against removing a small section of Gladstone Avenue from the Urban Truck Route network. Here's what the truck network looks like downtown (with the section to be removed marked) vs. his ward of Riverside South. Same scale.
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Lou 💞 @catlouuu.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Sometimes I walk along a congested street that has both buses and cars on it and I count the number of cars and do my best to count the number of people inside the bus(es)... Usually the number of people on the bus far outweighs the number of people in the cars, even on a road with multiple lanes.
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Jack @kuuga.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
the fantasy that crashes are caused by Bad Drivers who lose control over their vehicles, rather than by average drivers behind the wheel of too-fast vehicles who physically cannot react in time to a sudden change of circumstance, new obstacle, or erratic behavior from others.
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This is a related and expanded graphic which emphasizes an important point: Higher speeds reduce your visibility and reaction time, making it more likely you'll hit someone or something, and then when you *do* hit them, it's more likely to be fatal.
A graphic that says Why Speed Matters

Below that are two stats:

Drivers yield 75% of the time while traveling 20 mph
Drivers yield only 17% of the time when traveling 37 mph

The next line shows that drivers have a much wider field of vision at 15 mph as compared to 30 to 40 mph.

Finally, there are three stats:

9 out of 10 pedestrians survive when hit by a car traveling 20 mph
5 out of 10 survive at 30
1 out of 10 surive at 40
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It's me @justmeinottawa.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Cities in #canada are the most capable of reducing the need to own multiple cars to live and work. If we elected serious people capable of moving beyond ideology, the tariffs are actually the best time to shift on mass people from needing to buy expensive cars. But no. Political theatre only
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Daryl Marez @darylmarez.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Accidentally shipped two of my characters who weren't supposed to have a thing, and now it's all my brain can focus on writing 🌈✒️ #AuthorSky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity
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Charlie Angus @charlieangus104.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The war has begun. They will come at us with everything they have to try and make us break. Ain't gunna happen. This song from a great Canadian is on my car stereo this AM: youtu.be/fwuhk5W3_q0?...
youtu.be
Neil Young Rockin In The Free World SNL rehearsal 1989 JHs f063EzQ x264
YouTube video by Artists & Business STG
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Alexis @alexisg.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Schitts Creek has given us so many gifs which are appropriate today. This one goes out to the Canadian trade negotiators 😂
static.klipy.com
David Rose: That's A Hard Pass
Alt: David Rose: That's A Hard Pass
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Mango Tango Official @unboxedcrayon.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Ryan Gosling… #CanadaMade
static.klipy.com
Barbie: Ryan Gosling's Ken Wink
ALT: Barbie: Ryan Gosling's Ken Wink
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Krista D Ball is Canada's Spooky Potato @kristadb1.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Canadian culture is announcing how we're better than the US before devolving into regional insults, then a loud, unified FUCK YOU to an American engaging in those same Canadian regional insults. Canadians: fuck Alberta America: yeah fuck Alberta Canadians: SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH HOW DARE YOU
Bluesky users celebrate Canadian culture
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
On this day in 2003, a blackout hit Ontario, and several US states. The blackout left 10 million in Ontario without power for up to four days. While American politicians blamed Canada initially, it was discovered the blackout was caused by a software bug in Ohio. 📸Global News
Several people sit and stand on a city sidewalk at dusk, near a curb with traffic passing by. One man sits in a chair under a streetlight or small spotlight, while another sits nearby holding something to his mouth. Water bottles, bags, and small items are scattered on the pavement around them, with storefronts, trees, parked cars, and blurred headlights visible in the background.
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Sean Devine @seandevine9.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I'm concerned to hear about this idea from my Councillor Tierney. During a debate on "no right turn on red" earlier this year, we learned that these restrictions are put in place on a case-by-case basis, and only when safety concerns merit the restriction. 1/ www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
ctvnews.ca
Councillor wants Ottawa to explore more options to keep traffic moving downtown this fall
An Ottawa councillor wants the city to explore more options to keep commuters moving this fall as public servants head to the office four days a week, including allowing right turns on red lights at s...
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 05/08/2026
You could do things like invest into more efficient modes of transportation, like our transit system. You could advocate for creating more options for people to get around like safe cycling infrastructure so we get fewer cars on the road. Instead you want to add to traffic deaths and injuries...
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 05/08/2026
Hey councillor Tierney, please focus on actual improvements to transportation in our city rather than suggesting we should be endangering pedestrians so you don't have to wait a couple more seconds at a red. Those right turn on red bans are there for a reason. www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
ctvnews.ca
Councillor wants Ottawa to explore more options to keep traffic moving downtown this fall
An Ottawa councillor wants the city to explore more options to keep commuters moving this fall as public servants head to the office four days a week, including allowing right turns on red lights at s...
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Mayor of Gastown @mayorofgastown.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Speed cameras work, red light cameras work, but god forbid that we should try to keep drivers from their dangerous behaviours, right?
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ScarletCoral @scarletcoral.ca · 04/08/2026
"Officials in cities like #Toronto, #Ottawa and #Guelph are reporting steep increases in drivers exceeding posted limits, often by more than 15 kph [...] (in Guelph) The proportion of drivers exceeding the posted limit by 11 to 15 kph more than tripled, rising from 3.9% to 12%" #onpoli #streetsafety
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yimbyalexandriaken.bsky.social @yimbyalexandriaken.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Yup. The alternative is road diets and similar, but those take time.and resources - and many who oppose speed cameras, like the PM of Ontario, also oppose road diets.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
But many drivers loathe the cameras, claiming they restrict driving “freedom” (although speeding is illegal, but definition). As I wrote last year, critics are loud, but they are a minority. Surveys show that most people in cities and suburbs support the cameras b/c they understand their benefits.
bloomberg.com
Automated Traffic Enforcement Is More Popular Than You Think
Cameras that ticket drivers who run red lights and speed are effective and widely popular with city residents. So why are they banned in so many places?
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Research consistently shows that the reliability of speed safety cameras compels drivers to slow down. In comparison, police-based enforcement is spotty and biased. NHTSA awards the tactic 5 stars, declaring it has been “demonstrated to be effective by several high-quality evaluations.”
sfexaminer.com
New report: SF drivers slowed down around cameras
Pilot program’s first year a success, transportation officials said.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A story of cause and effect: Last November, Ontario banned cities from using speed safety cameras to issue tickets. Reckless speeding immediately surged in Toronto, Ottawa, Guelph, and cities throughout the province. A 🧵 about my latest in Bloomberg (gift link)
bloomberg.com
What Happens When Speed Cameras Get Shut Off
In 2025, Ontario banned automated traffic enforcement. Now the number of drivers exceeding the speed limit has surged, according to traffic data.
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
One more lane, bro. Just one more lane and traffic will be fixed forever.
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 09/07/2026
Send an email to your Councilor and the Mayor to make your disagreement with the service cuts known so that we can make sure OC Transpo provides the service we deserve
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 09/07/2026
Last week, OC Transpo implemented huge service cuts on weekends OC Transpo says that "A summer preventative maintenance program” is a reason But, we’ve been tracking every bus in operation by OC Transpo for the past several months, and there is no significant decrease in buses used on the weekend
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/07/2026
We forgot to take group pictures of the social last night, so please enjoy the only one taken. A selfie from Ajay of @bettertransitottawa.ca
Selfie of Ajay from better transit Ottawa with a thumbs up.
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Daniel Munro @dkmunro.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Tired: Ottawa is the city that fun forgot. Wired: Ottawa is the city that actively ran fun out of town so a bloated police department wouldn’t have to handle people watching pretty lights.
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David Reevely @davidreevely.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Aside from warning about the racket, they might’ve announced the plan *so people could go watch.*
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Michael 🚲🚲 @ballstonbakfiets.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
This 2000 Honda Odyssey was considered a big car when my family used it to haul four kids. It's absolutely dwarfed by the big SUVs of the current era. Pay special attention to the hoods.
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Justine Underhill @justineunderhill.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
New video out today! Two neighborhoods, both full of million-dollar homes, a mile apart-- one has paved streets and the other has dirt roads. The dirt road neighborhood reveals the American Dream scam... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1G3...
youtube.com
This Dirt Road Explains the 'American Dream' Scam
YouTube video by Justine Underhill
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
“Just put the bike lanes on side roads where there’s less traffic.” If the side roads are just as convenient, why can’t drivers use them?
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 26/06/2026
Hi Councillor Gower, Why is there little mention of the service cuts on weekends? It's not "some routes [operating] less frequently", it is pretty much every route having random trips cut throughout the day There will be 2 hour gaps throughout the day on many routes bsky.app/profile/bett...
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 06/05/2026
The City of Ottawa released a report regarding compensation for transit users. One of the main ways they identified to make the service better in the short term was transit priority measures, one of the cheapest ones identified was continuous bus lanes! This is cheap and easy, do it now!
Illustrative option A2 – Implement additional transit priority measures

Some of the transit priority measures identified in the Transportation Master Plan – Part 2 (ACS2025-PDB-TP-0012), or measures identified through other work, could be introduced through one-time funding. 

To improve travel times and reduce variability of bus service, funding could be invested in transit priority measures, such as:Excerpt from the staff report : 

Continuous bus lanes, at $20,000 to $100,000 per kilometre, if done by lane conversion. As examples, continuous bus lanes through lane conversion are currently being studied for locations on Carling Avenue.
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Free Transit Ottawa 🇨🇦 @freetransitottawa.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"Cities encourage what they accommodate. Designing streets for cars ensures more driving. More bus lanes would make transit an attractive option, improve access to the city, lower emissions and save people money on the ever-soaring costs of car ownership." ottawacitizen.com/opinion/grov...
ottawacitizen.com
Grover: Dedicated bus lanes in Ottawa would be a win for everyone
Giving half the road to idle cars is bad for business, the climate and transit.
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 25/06/2026
Send an email to your Councilor and the Mayor to make your disagreement known so that we can make sure OC Transpo provides the service we deserve bettertransitottawa.ca/tracker/sche... (2/2)
bettertransitottawa.ca
OC Schedule Changes
Track which trips have been added or removed due to a schedule change
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Better Transit Ottawa @bettertransitottawa.ca · 25/06/2026
OC Transpo weekend service is about to be decimated starting this Sunday in the upcoming summer schedule. Check out our new tool at bettertransitottawa.ca to see the extent of the cuts and if a trip you rely on will be affected. (1/2)
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Jeff Leiper @jleiper.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Imagine just missing this train by a minute, then just missing Line 2 by a minute. Frequency matters.
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Jim M @hockeyinottawa.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This picture is misleading, here. This is a better indicator of the opposition to Alto. And of course, there are polling numbers that show how many people actually support this.
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
This is exactly it. The work is the point.
When I assign analysis, I am not trying to extract a polished product; I am trying to put the student’s mind through resistance in order to make it stronger. Offloading the struggle to a chatbot does not “free students up for higher-order work.” It deprives them of building the strength to do any substantial cognitive work at all.
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Jim M @hockeyinottawa.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Alto would be a massive benefit for Quebec, but yeah lets nuke it because PSPP only knows one word to respond to every problem.
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Lou 💞 @catlouuu.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
PSPP CANNOT get elected this fall.
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Laine Johnson @lainejohnson.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
The rest? That's the question before us. Staff have raised several ideas: selling existing assets; adding an "infrastructure levy" to the tax bill; or not building new facilities in new neighbourhoods. None of them will make Ottawa residents happy. Doing nothing won't make us happy, either.
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Laine Johnson @lainejohnson.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
And with inflation, the capital spending deficit gets worse year after year. This report shows that we need to spend about $229 million more than our current taxation allows. So what happens? First, facilities won't get the maintenance they need when they need it.
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