On June 17th, 2007 we set off on an expedition. We had recently seen the suburb-slagging documentary Radiant City and wanted to see for ourselves what the new housing developments in our city looked like. We decided to head to Riverside South, a development that has been in existence for some time but is currently expanding.
We especially wanted to see the transportation requirements to live there, including whether you can do your shopping near home or have to drive to get groceries. As gas prices continue to climb that will be an issue for remote suburbs like this one.
We thought the quadracycle would be the perfect means to see the area as it gets you right into the scene, rather than just looking at it through a sheet of glass as in a car. It also gives us some exercise and doesn't use any gas!
The trip was 29.7 km total and ended with a grocery shopping trip and coffee at South Keys on the way home.
Ruth has writen an account of the trip and what she saw, which is in the on-line diary.
Click to enlarge
Enroute we stopped for a break at the south end of the Ottawa International Airport.
Going early in the morning on a Sunday meant very little traffic.
You know that you are getting close to Riverside South when you see this sign. It sounds rather ominous, doesn't it?
Ruth enjoyed the billboards.
Adam takes a break on North Bluff Road. The name is odd since the area is totally flat. It seems that the developers took some liberties in the naming of the streets to make them sound more attractive.
One of the many sales centers.
More advertising, this time showing interior details, rather than happy customers.
Typical suburban street scene in the completed portion of Riverside South.
New "model house" in a newly completed area. Real houses have driveways instead of flower beds in front of the garage.
The area has two local bus routes that wind through it, although the street layout meant that we passed the same bus a couple of times.
The new area under development. Any resemblance to the Somme will pass in time, I am sure.
Construction materials cached in the area.
Ruth in the under development area. It was bit of a lunar landscape.
Another sales center and another billboard showing happy smiling people of the type they are trying to attract.
After leaving the development we stop in a rural area, just a few blocks away.
Ruth checks out the spray gear.
At South Keys the quadracycle fits nicely in a standard car parking spot.
As usual we answered lots of questions about the vehicle. We seem to do this every time we stop and park!
