University of Ottawa--some assumptions. If invalid, please let me know

[New Hampshire Battleship Lover]

University of Ottawa -- assumptions

I'm planning on having my protagonist be a graduate of the University of Ottawa, where she studied Handwavium at a doctoral level. I'm making some assumptions about the University, in case anyone else sets any scenes there as well. If the assumptions are contradictory to Fenspace overall, please say something and I'll adjust.

1. The University is actively researching the Handwavium phenomenon -- someone has to, and the University is a major research institution.
   
2. Rather than attempt to ban any waved vehicles, they prohibit any motorized flying craft around the campus. Thus, there are a few bicycles flying around -- probably quite a few. (Saoirse will be the one that introduced the ‘waved windsurfer -- with mixed results.)
   
3. These waved vehicles are only allowed to fly on campus.
   
4. Waved motor vehicles are allowed, with the appropriate government lisences, but can only fly on campus in designated areas.
   

Canada allows ‘waved vehicles in some circumstances, with paperwork -- and licensed for "Only on campus" isn't as tough to get as a normal license. I'm thinking that the government may even have authorized the school itself to allow Handwavium modified gear at its discretion.

Since I may set a story or part of one there, I wanted to insure that this works -- and also set a consistent background for that school.

It's study and permissive attitude with regard to Handwavium has distanced it from some American universities, but has its own compensations.
I'll be away from the net for a while after today, but will read the responces when I have net access agaion.

[robkelk]

There's a problem with an "only on campus" licence: the UofO doesn't have campus walls, so the school and the city have fuzzy borders on the north and east, and a minor arterial route (King Edward Ave.) runs right through the campus. Somebody might give Saoirse a ticket, just because he could. Better to get a full licence instead.

There are two good reasons for flying vehicles to be frowned upon at UofO:

• National Defence Headquarters (Canada's equivalent to the Pentagon) is right across the street from Tabaret Hall. (Despite NDHQ being so close, there are few if any military personnel on the University grounds at any given time.)
  
• Part of the local freeway (the 417) forms the southern border of the campus.
  

However, "frowned upon" does not mean "banned" - UofO takes academic freedom very seriously, and supervised experiments with handwavium would definitely be included there. Experimentation with flying vehicles is most likely to take place east of the campus. (While part of the Rideau Canal forms the western border of the campus, it's very visible; the other side of the canal is where "core downtown Ottawa" starts.) Strathcona Park is a bit of a hike from the campus proper (and on the other side of a couple of embassies and the Canadian offices of Amnesty International), but it is a large open space. Just don't fall in the river, or they'll be dragging for your body at the foot of the falls the next day unless you're a very good swimmer and you don't panic. (Needless to say, there's no beach at that park.)

(A bit of colour: UofO is fully bilingual. You're as likely to hear French as you are to hear English on campus. Students don't have to take courses in both languages, although a notable fraction do.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[New Hampshire Battleship Lover]

I was thinking of only unpowered vehicles to generate moderation, with some crazy students using ET-like bicycles--too bad that's not in the cards.  Or perhaps the area is clearly defined and restricted?  A standard licence is clearly better--but some sort of college student permit might work--but with hazards. 
Thanks for the detailed feedback!

[firvulag]

From my experiences while working on my Masters, getting permission to fly anything over the city of Ottawa, especially something experimental is tricky.  However, that being said, there are a lot of students at both Carleton and U of O who would certainly be interested in that sort of thing.  There was/is an undergrad UAV club at Carleton not to mention a couple of big projects that are part of the Mech & Aero department there, for instance.
The height they'd be flying at might be an issue.  I mean with a hand waved bike you wouldn't want to go too high, enough to avoid the power lines and houses maybe.  Which might not be as big a deal as flying an actual airplane over parts of the city.  I could definitely see some students at U of O using 'waved bikes and the like to hop over the canal and head to Elgin street, even though the pedestrian foot bridge is right there.
Another thought is the airport.  It's very easy to get to from either Carleton[0] or U of O[1], a lot of buses have folding two bike racks on the front during the summer and I've seen 8 bikes squeezed onto the O-Train at a time.  There are flying clubs at the airport, including at least one student sponsored one if my memory is not playing tricks on me.  Maybe permits could be obtained through them, depending on what the students want to do.
[0]  The O-Train runs right through the middle of campus.  Two stops to the south is the end of the line at Greenboro, which is on the transitway[2] and it is easy to get a 97X going to the airport, or hop on something that heads west down Hunt Club, which is where IIRC some of the flying clubs are based.
[1] The transitway runs along the western edge of campus, with stops at Laurier and Campus stations.  There are three buses that come by regularly and will get you to Greenboro and South Keys (one stop further and the southern end of the transitway).
[2]  The transitway is a series of roads reserved for buses. and has three major branches.  West from Hurdman station, heading through downtown and out to Kanata.  East from Hurdman station heading to Orleans.  And south from Hurdman station heading towards the airport, South Keys and Hunt Club road.  If you want to get somewhere in Ottawa via public transit, the transitway will get you fairly close.
--
Canada's 4 seasons, of course, being Almost Winter, Winter, Still
Winter, and Construction.
                         -- Rob Chanter, in the Monastery

[robkelk]

From my experiences while working on my Masters, getting permission to fly anything over the city of Ottawa, especially something experimental is tricky.  However, that being said, there are a lot of students at both Carleton and U of O who would certainly be interested in that sort of thing.  There was/is an undergrad UAV club at Carleton not to mention a couple of big projects that are part of the Mech & Aero department there, for instance.

Carleton also has the advantage of being right beside Dow's Lake - part of the Rideau Canal, but a perfect place to test a sailboard in the late-spring to mid-fall. Who cares if the sailboard is a few feet above the surface?

And there's the occasional boat race up the Canal from Carleton to UofO, somewhat like the more famous Cambridge-Oxford races but much shorter. I can see both schools taking part in 'waved-craft races...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012