This June, Ottawa Climate Action Fund (OCAF) is proud to once again support EnviroCentre’s Let’s Bike Month, a city-wide challenge to get around by bike and be part of a growing climate solution.
Transportation remains one of Ottawa’s largest sources of community emissions, accounting for 44%, and it is one of the only sectors still trending in the wrong direction. At the same time, cycling continues to rise in Canada as a cost-effective mode to get around. Here in Ottawa, the percentage of residents cycling for transportation has doubled over recent years (based on data collected in 2011 and 2022). Let’s Bike Month is an opportunity for Ottawans to demonstrate their commitment to cycling and attract more long-term cyclists, especially as gas prices skyrocket. More than 2,700 residents logged their rides during Let’s Bike Month last year, logging over 600,000 kilometres, replacing more than 13,600 car trips, and averting 77,000 kg of greenhouse gas emissions. Thousands more participated through the newsletter, social media, and at in-person events.
For those who care about reducing air pollution and climate emissions, these are meaningful numbers. For those looking for an alternative to paying steep prices at the pump, Let’s Bike Month provides an opportunity for newbies to ease into the pedals, and recreational riders to try out two-wheeled commuting, along with supporting more seasoned cyclists.
What is Let’s Bike Month?
Throughout the month of June, EnviroCentre hosts Let’s Bike Month, a campaign which encourages those who live or work in Ottawa to switch their car keys for bike rides. Let’s Bike Month participants can win thousands of dollars in prizes, access free resources, attend events and meet new people! You can sign up to participate as a team or individual, log your rides and be part of the fun. Participation is completely free.
Reducing Tailpipe Emissions with Better Neighbourhoods
Cycling is one strategy to cut emissions associated with transportation. OCAF supported a recent study that estimates that an initial Bike Share system of 1,200 bikes in Ottawa-Gatineau could support more than 450,000 trips annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.2 kilotonnes of CO₂ every year. Improved transit and curbing car-dependent urban expansion are other solutions that make sense for a sprawling city like Ottawa. OCAF’s program priorities include promoting gentle density and fifteen-minute neighbourhoods as well as affordable low-carbon housing, improving livable neighbourhoods where people can meet their daily needs close to home without relying on a car.
This is where cycling, and the infrastructure that supports it, becomes essential.
Safe and accessible cycling networks are a key ingredient in enabling gentle density. They support more homes being built in established neighbourhoods that are closer to shops, schools, and services. When communities are designed this way, cycling becomes a practical, everyday transportation option rather than just a recreational activity. This also reduces the pressure for outward expansion, helping to limit urban sprawl and protect the natural areas that store carbon and support biodiversity.
These choices have real impacts on affordability and equity. Transportation is one of the largest household expenses, and car dependence disproportionately affects lower-income residents. Expanding cycling options, alongside other forms of active and public transportation, helps create more inclusive and climate-resilient communities.
Let’s Bike Month is a reminder that change is already happening, as thousands of residents are choosing to ride, reducing emissions, improving their health, and saving money.