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Interprovincial bridge crossing discussion
Of course of the major issues of transportation here is bridge congestion during the morning and afternoon on the Ottawa River bridges and especially the Gatineau River bridge crossings not to mention the truck traffic in the downtown core causing further congestion at times.
There are 3 bridges only connecting the Gatineau and Hull sectors, one of them where half of it was under fully reconstruction (Lady Aberdeen Bridge), another will need some major refurbishing and structure work (Des Draveurs Bridge) and the third one will eventually have to need repairs soon (Alonzo Wright Bridge). For many and many years there are calls for a sixth bridge which will likely be in the east end as there is almost a unanimous political opposition for a west end crossing and there is no need for a west end crossing now. The east end crossing is much more important for now as to divert the trucks away. If the bridge is across the Kettle Island, I think it would be another possibility to add a connection between the Rapibus and Transitway with an OC or STO line that would run from the Rapibus to St-Laurent Station (or Hurdman - perhaps downtown) via the Aviation Parkway in a designated bus lane. I think with new crossings, transit should also be considered there. |
All new major bridges in the urban area should have a reserved transit lane or a separate transit ROW. All new major bridges should be designed to be architecturally attractive. Make it a positive to have a house with a view of the bridge.
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I'm going to have a field day with this one when I get off work.
Until then, consider these O-D numbers for all trips leaving the Quebec side in the morning (taken directly from the O-D survey trip database). Ottawa Centre 12669 Ottawa Inner Area 5403 Ottawa East 2041 Beacon Hill 1566 Alta Vista 3677 Hunt Club 857 Merivale 2487 Ottawa West 3426 Bayshore 1242 Orleans 860 Rural East 47 Rural Southeast 68 South Gloucester 156 South Nepean 159 Rural Southwest 398 Kanata/Stitts 1112 Rural West 117 Gatineau (internal) 41844 |
I guess these figures would include the whole area from Quyon and Luskville in the west to Buckingham in the east.
For the purposes of a new bridge in the east, we’d have to narrow things down to see where people in the old city of Gatineau are going to work, as I suspect most of the people going to Ottawa West, Kanata and Bayshore probably live in Aylmer and the Plateau de la Capitale area instead. |
Yeah...(also from the OD survey)
Work Trips from Aylmer and Plateau. District Total AM Work Trips Ottawa Centre 2987.443294 Ottawa Inner Area 1347.371181 Ottawa East 342.9849204 Beacon Hill 425.1611223 Alta Vista 1123.956996 Hunt Club 362.5809178 Merivale 774.0538366 Ottawa West 1253.623001 Bayshore 509.5938909 Orleans 178.0614634 Rural East 17.5528886 Rural Southeast 17.97923161 South Gloucester 29.66074405 South Nepean 39.47742006 Rural Southwest 170.1921906 Kanata/Stitts 342.9544667 Rural West 20.21954511 "Quebec Side" 6473.758207 These queries can even be broken down by what bridge was used by the respondent...but that gets a little messy. I'm starting to question why I'm providing this info when I'm whole-heartedly against the bridge serving as a commuter corridor. |
Considering that few people in Gatineau had interest in the consultation process and that many in Ottawa seems to be against the project because of the NIMBY effect and the fact that it is not real problem to them (at least the suburbs say so). Maybe we should concentrate on the transit bridge from now on.
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It really seems to me that the bridge would primarily benefit Ottawans. Certainly some Gatinois who work in the eastern end of Ottawa at Montfort, for example, would likely take advantage of a new bridge in the east end; however, I have a hard time believing that Quebec commuters would use the 417 to get to downtown Ottawa when there are excellent connections on the Quebec side.
The prime reason to build this bridge seems to be to direct truck traffic off of King Edward. In that respect, the bridge almost entirely benefits Ottawans, or more specifically, those living in Lowertown and Vanier. |
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The francophone media is stirring shit because they want the bridge at Kettle Island and they think they will make their case stronger by shedding light on a supposed anglo anti-Gatinese conspiracy. The anglo media is studiously skirting the issue that the bridge is needed FIRST AND FOREMOST for truck traffic. Let's all keep our eyes on the ball here. Commuter bridges, transit bridges, all the rest of the philosophical re-invention of the wheel, will only serve to distract, delay, and procrastinate. WE NEED A BRIDGE AT KETTLE ISLAND, LINKING THE AVIATION PARKWAY TO THE 417, SPECIFICALLY FOR TRUCKS SO THEY CAN BE REROUTED FROM DOWNTOWN. All other considerations are secondary. |
Actually, from what I read from Le Droit, the issue from the Ottawa people is that they don't want to pay one cent for this bridge, and it's not their problem if Gatineau people want to work in Ottawa. They can't have both, low mortgage and fast ride.
Well, people are going to decide at some point once and for all if we’re going to be one region or not. A lot of people like to talk a good game on “Ottawa-Gatineau” but then when there’s talk of improving links between the two sides of the river, there’s always a big hue and cry in Ontario about people from Gatineau coming over to work in Ottawa. On the other hand, other than from the urban planning crowd, there is interestingly enough very little public controversy when new roads and bridges (that will of course funnel more traffic into downtown Ottawa) are built on the Ontario side. Last time I checked, people in Gatineau are still Canadian citizens (some of them fiercely loyal in fact) who are fully entitled to work pretty much wherever they wish in Canada, and their needs are no less valid than those of people living in Carleton Place, Manotick and Arnprior, no matter what language either group primarily speaks. In Gatineau, there is already a buzz about how the “improvements” on King Edward (with fewer, narrower lanes) are actually meant to make life more difficult for people from Quebec coming into Ottawa and, more broadly, how Ottawa cops supposedly take their sweet time cleaning up rush hour accident scenes on any of the interprovincial bridges’ approach roads. |
The RCMP routinely set up morning checkpoints at Wellington/Portage bridge, nabbing single-occupant scofflaws that fly down the bus lane... but I've never seen cops at the other end in Gatineau doing the same thing in the evening...hmmmmmm....
.. ah, what do I care, I take the bus! |
Hey, you should care! Those bozos who illegally use the bus/HOV lane jam it up for those of us who play by the rules by taking the bus or carpooling!
I’ve never seen any police anywhere patrolling the dedicated lanes in the evening rush. I regularly see Gatineau police enforcing them in the morning rush however, especially along Fournier and Maisonneuve. |
:previous: Good for the RCMP to do this... now if only our city's boys in blue could get serious about enforcing the downtown Transitway. I can't count the number of times I've seen cars trying to turn right from Albert onto Bay, and clogging up the Transitway when they get backed up. Basically, they cancel rapid transit service across the core for the benefit of one or two light cycles' worth of their time. :rant: That, and the frikkin' bike lane on the Laurier Bridge, which apparently is really just a parking lane for people picking up their spouses at DND - and if you happen to be biking across the bridge then that's TMFB for you.
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Further west, I don't get why the Champlain Bridge HOV lane is only 2 people when it's 3 on Portage. Why is that the case? Maybe because of the alternating lane it's more efficient? I'm trying to think if the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges in Montreal are 2 person HOV lanes too, they have the same setup. |
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Public consultation round 3
includes more detailed drawings of some of the alternative alignments if you're interested, in the reports section there's a memo regarding a possible downtown tunnel (and why that option was discounted). it also has some alignments/cost info |
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According to the Sun, the choice has been made: It's Kettle Island. Maybe not a shocker for most of us here.
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