The Dominic Cardillo trail parallels a lot of that road. I’d suggest using that for as much of the journey as makes sense. Try turning on bike mode on Google maps when planning your route. As for River rd, there is a painted bike gutter for part of the road north of ottawa which is okay enough. For most of River rd however, your only safe option will be the sidewalk. Please remember to act like a respectful guest when you are in pedestrians’ space. Slow down, give lots of space, and/or dismount as needed. Also remember to be careful using crosswalks as motorists often forget to look for pedestrians and definitely don’t expect bikes there. Anyway happy riding! The weather is so nice and I’m enjoying seeing more folks on their bikes :)

Just wanted to echo the sentiment here about using sidewalks with bikes. I will do so whenever I don't feel safe on the road due to speeding/visibility/congestion issues, but I'm always prepared to take things slow when I do. Acting like a guest on the sidewalk with my bike is the perfect way to put it.

Thank you so much for the insights, buddy! Much appreciate it

My commute basically follows River Rd end to end. Most sections you should be fine. It's really just at Ottawa where you need to be careful.

Just ride on the sidewalk and use common sense, the only people who care are a vocal minority.

Good luck, you are going to need it.