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  #761  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2023, 9:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Fading Isle View Post
The way those bike lanes have been set up is incredibly stupid: no protection for cyclists (flexiposts do nothing and just obstruct bike lanes after being hit), frequent points of conflict with large vehicles, random points where cyclists are thrown into traffic, missing links at both ends, slippery thermoplastic. With the multi-use path behind parliament closed for a long time, this is the main recreational bike route through the city and really needs to be better in every way.
Two directional bike lane on the north side, and actually connecting it to the Rideau bike lane, would have been ideal. I don't understand how the City didn't think if that.
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  #762  
Old Posted May 1, 2023, 1:26 AM
zzptichka zzptichka is offline
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Drove there today and there are indeed breaks in the bike lane for tour buses. Not to mention bike lane just disappearing for on-street parking opposite the Supreme court.
How are people supposed to navigate here?

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  #763  
Old Posted May 1, 2023, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Two directional bike lane on the north side, and actually connecting it to the Rideau bike lane, would have been ideal. I don't understand how the City didn't think if that.
It was hastily planned and not connected to any broader reconfiguration of Wellington/Rideau.
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  #764  
Old Posted May 1, 2023, 1:20 PM
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Drove there today and there are indeed breaks in the bike lane for tour buses. Not to mention bike lane just disappearing for on-street parking opposite the Supreme court.
How are people supposed to navigate here?

So cyclists have to dodge tour buses by veering into traffic. Brilliant!
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  #765  
Old Posted May 1, 2023, 8:42 PM
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Two directional bike lane on the north side, and actually connecting it to the Rideau bike lane, would have been ideal. I don't understand how the City didn't think if that.
Not to mention connect to the bi-directional bike lanes to the west into Portage Bridge. If the NCC wanted to make "Confederation Boulevard" work better for cyclists, the inner side of the ring route should have bi-directional bike tracks
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  #766  
Old Posted May 1, 2023, 8:54 PM
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Not to mention connect to the bi-directional bike lanes to the west into Portage Bridge. If the NCC wanted to make "Confederation Boulevard" work better for cyclists, the inner side of the ring route should have bi-directional bike tracks
Didn't even think about that. Gatineau also needs to get its act together and build bike lanes along Laurier instead of forcing everyone down to the NCC's Voyageur Pathway.
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  #767  
Old Posted Jun 24, 2023, 5:39 PM
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U.S. urban strategist says Wellington Street should not be left open as a ‘commuter rat run’

Mia Jensen, OBJ
June 23, 2023 12:47 PM ET


While conversations about the future of Wellington Street have been contentious around the city, one urban design strategist out of the U.S. argues that Ottawa would benefit more if the street were closed to traffic and re-designed as an extension of Parliament Hill.

Andy Clark, director of strategy at Massachusetts-based Toole Design, delivered a keynote speech Wednesday evening at an event about reimagining Ottawa’s downtown core, organized by Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi and the Trans Canada Trail.

In his address, Clark stressed the importance of recognizing and emphasizing a region’s most iconic cityscapes.

“The parliamentary precinct is an extraordinary place,” said Clark. “It’s a beautiful landscape with outstanding natural beauty. There are iconic buildings. It is the civic heart of the nation, a global capital in one of the G7 nations. And it’s the economic and social heart of a region that is thriving. That’s a lot of responsibility for a place, a relatively small place.”

As the primary buffer between Parliament Hill and the downtown core, Wellington Street, Clark argued, should be integrated into that iconography, rather than treated as a thoroughfare.

“I have heard that Wellington Street is a critical street for through traffic in Ottawa,” said Clark. “If that is the case, I have to say, why? Why would you have your most iconic street, in front of your most important civic buildings in the nation, be a commuter rat run for people scurrying from one side of town to the other?”

The idea of closing Wellington Street to traffic, as Clark suggests, has proven controversial in local circles, especially among the city’s business leaders.

The street was closed to vehicles for 15 months starting in January 2022, after the area was overrun for weeks by the “Freedom Convoy.”

In April this year, the street reopened to traffic, but ideas about how it could be modified to improve safety, security and foot traffic have been floated across various levels of government.

Among business leaders, the idea of closing the street permanently has been ill-received. In recent conversations with OBJ, several local businesspeople suggested that a hybrid model with widened sidewalks or reduced lanes would be more appropriate than blocking the street off to cars completely.

Sparks Street, a pedestrianized stretch in the downtown core, is often cited as an example of why closing Wellington would fail. Storefronts along the pedestrian mall are increasingly empty and foot traffic has gone down, especially since the pandemic.

In an interview with OBJ last month, Darren Fleming, CEO of Real Strategy Advisors, argued that Wellington Street would meet the same fate as Sparks if it were to close, while also deterring visitors from both sites.

“Closing it would make crossing the city even more irritating and the last thing we want is to have people who want to come downtown to find it irritating,” he said. “You want people to be drawn downtown. We want to make it energized and fun and exciting.”

Clark said he doesn’t buy those arguments.

“I have heard it said that people will be frustrated and confused if they are not able to use Wellington Street as a through street and will therefore be discouraged from visiting,” he said. “You can’t stop or park or do anything on Wellington Street except go somewhere else. Ottawa has 6,000 kilometres of street and this is about a kilometre-and-a-half. The city will survive without having it as a through street.”

He added that the problem with Sparks Street is not that it lacks vehicle traffic, but that it lacks economic diversity. Repurposing office space, introducing more mixed-use buildings, and building residential apartments are more appropriate ways to reanimate the area, Clark said.

“Adding cars is not a way to animate streets,” he said. “It isn’t anywhere in the world and it won’t be here.”

If Ottawa decides to completely modify Wellington Street, it wouldn’t be the first major city to do so, Clark pointed out.

The historic Grand-Place, or city square, in the heart of Brussels was open to car traffic well into the 1990s and has since transformed into a pedestrian plaza right outside the city hall. In Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was closed in 1994 and has remained closed since as both a tourism and security measure.

“All the arguments you see happening with Wellington happened 20 years earlier in Washington, D.C.,” said Clark. “People thought the sky was going to fall. Pennsylvania Avenue is a major corridor so this one connection was a major gap in the city’s street network.

“Within a matter of weeks, people adjusted,” he said.

Other, similar changes have been made in D.C. near the Capitol Building, with more measures planned to increase security since the events of Jan. 6, 2021. It’s a situation similar to Wellington Street, Clark said, with governments here searching for ways to improve security after the convoy took over the area right in front of Parliament Hill.

“All over the world, security and emergency service access is only improved by restricting large vehicles and creating places that are made for people,” said Clark. “You’ve probably seen footage of crowds parting like the Red Sea to get out of the way of an ambulance. You can’t do that on a street with cars.”

During a panel discussion after Clark’s keynote presentation, Benjamin Gianni, an associate professor of architecture and urbanism at Carleton University, agreed that Wellington Street would benefit from pedestrianization.

“I think we’re going to have a lot more people living downtown (in the coming years),” said Gianni. “It’s a transition period from a place where people work, to a place where people live. It’s going to take years but I’m optimistic about it.”

Gianni argued for reconceptualizing the street as an extension of Parliament Hill, potentially turning it into a plaza. Regardless, he said Wellington Street should not be considered a second Sparks Street.

“If Wellington Street were primarily a plaza, it would have to be complementary to, as opposed to competing with, Sparks Street. I really see them being fundamentally different.”

The goal, he said, should be to turn Wellington Street into a “place” or a distinct destination, rather than a throughway.

“From a design perspective, it’s challenging, but it’s a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “It can’t be simply a closed road. It has to be aspiring to something else. I think it needs to be a ceremonial extension of the central block, rather than trying to be a less successful Sparks Street.”

https://obj.ca/urban-strategist-says...-be-left-open/
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  #768  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2023, 4:46 PM
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Vehicle traffic down, bicycle traffic up on Wellington Street following reopening

Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa Digital
Aug. 30, 2023 6:53


Four months after the city of Ottawa reopened Wellington Street to vehicles, new statistics show vehicle traffic is 35 per cent below pre-pandemic levels on the road in front of Parliament Hill.

The debate on the future of Wellington Street continues, with the federal government saying it is still interested in buying a section of the road in the Parliamentary Precinct.

Wellington Street reopened to vehicles between Elgin and Bank streets on April 28, 455 days after it was closed to vehicles at the start of the so-called 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.

The newly reopened Wellington Street includes a segregated bicycle lane with flex posts separating the bike lane and the single traffic lane.

Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show that during a 12-hour period in July, there were 7,992 light vehicles and motorcyclists using Wellington Street between Metcalfe and O'Connor streets, compared to 12,362 during a 12-hour period in July 2018.

The number of heavy vehicles on Wellington Street was down 85 per cent in 2023 compared to 2018.

Meantime, the city of Ottawa is reporting a 758 per cent increase in the number of cyclists using Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill. Statistics show 849 cyclists on Wellington Street during a 12-hour period in July 2023, compared to 99 in 2018. The National Capital Commission's Ottawa River Pathway behind Parliament Hill is closed this summer due to construction, with cyclists being detoured from the pathway to Wellington Street.

In April, the federal government offered the buy the section of Wellington Street from the city with the goal of keeping it permanently closed to vehicles. A letter from the former Public Works and Procurement Minister asked Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to explore the possibility of establishing an "interim care and control agreement" to keep the road closed.

Chair of the city's transportation committee Tim Tierney defends the city's decision.

"It has been terrific. Looking at the pre-pandemic levels we are at about 65 per cent of what that is, which is good. We see a lot less people travelling through Quebec to get to the other side of the city which reduces greenhouse gases, gets people home to their families much quicker," Tierney says.

Tierney says fewer vehicles are using the road than pre-pandemic, but points to hybrid work and a recovering downtown economy. He adds more cyclists are using the road than ever before after flexi-posts and bike lanes were painted along the street.

"It has been used very well and we are going to continue to monitor it. The other big news is a massive reduction of heavy vehicles, leaving us with beautiful parliamentary scenario in the background for residential vehicles, cyclists and walkers," he says.

"It has been a total success, working collectively as a council, and the local councillor Ariel Troster, we have made this successful. You see the cycling increasing, it is massive, cars and bicycles can work together. It is not a binary decision, you can actually make things work together if you actually put the effort into it."

But the federal government says the debate isn't over. The federal government is still interested in buying the section of Wellington Street from the city of Ottawa. A spokesperson from the Minister of Public Services and Procurement's office says the Minister is looking forward to speaking with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on this issue.

"Wellington Street is crucial to our parliamentary precinct, and at the centre of Canada’s democratic life," said a statement from the Office of the Minister of Public Services and Procurement to CTV News Ottawa on Wednesday. "Our government continues to work constructively with the city of Ottawa to find the best long-term solution for this emblematic road. The safety and security of everyone visiting and working in the parliamentary precinct is a top priority that will be taken into consideration in the future plan."

Tierney says he has had no conversations with the federal government since the road reopened.

"(The federal government) was pretty anxious when we said we were going to open the street but it has been crickets since. I don't know where the federal government's heads are at this point," he says. "My phone is available anytime … and that goes to the National Capital Commission too."

Yasir Naqvi, the Member of Parliament for the area, says the data highlights the fact that Wellington Street has become a popular street for cyclists.

"I believe this underscores the potential of transforming Wellington Street into an active transportation corridor and national pedestrian mall that is open for residents and visitors for generations to come," Naqvi says.

"Wellington Street is not just a regular city road, as demonstrated by last year's illegal occupation. I remain committed to advocating for the reimagining of Wellington Street for the better — an active transportation corridor for people to walk, run, bike, or roll. I envision a future where Wellington is a meeting place for Canadians to celebrate their democracy as well as a place to safely and peacefully protest their government."

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque and Hannah Berge

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/vehicle-tr...ning-1.6541201
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  #769  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2023, 5:28 PM
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I am pleased with the success of the modified Wellington Street. I am sure we can make better and more permanent cycling infrastructure, that will even better allow coexistence of cyclists with regular traffic.

I heard a comment on radio yesterday that a restaurant that has opened has been interfered with by protesters (noise etc.), which demonstrates potential problems of a full closure. Restaurants are better situated on Sparks Street.

The article also puts into perspective that regular traffic still outnumbers cyclists by more than 9 times despite the closure of the popular cycling path behind Parliament Hill. Regardless, I am very supportive of a cycle track on Wellington, part of what I call a win win plan.

I still contend that Wellington is a bad choice for a tramway, given the regular probability of interrupted service due to protests and public events.
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  #770  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2023, 8:09 PM
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Cycling facilities, even temporary, could have been thought out better than this. As I've said many times, having two way on the north side of Wellington would have been better to connect with Rideau cycling track.

Whether it's open to cars, I can take it or leave it. I come Downtown by transit or by car regularly. When it was closed, I didn't find the traffic was much worse, though it is convenient when it's open.

If/when a tramway is built, Wellington certainly offers the easiest option for a loop. If there's a protest, or Canada day, whatever, trains can be short-turned at Lyon and Rideau (wherever a station ight be in the vicinity). A tunnel would be extremally expensive and would most likely lose the potential for the loop (which means lower capacity, ironically). Sparks is too narrow. Queen has too many private entrances. Albert-Slater would add a lot of trackage in a dense area for the loop.
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  #771  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2023, 6:14 PM
Uhuniau Uhuniau is offline
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If/when a tramway is built, Wellington certainly offers the easiest option for a loop. If there's a protest, or Canada day, whatever, trains can be short-turned at Lyon and Rideau (wherever a station ight be in the vicinity). A tunnel would be extremally expensive and would most likely lose the potential for the loop (which means lower capacity, ironically). Sparks is too narrow. Queen has too many private entrances. Albert-Slater would add a lot of trackage in a dense area for the loop.
All of the surface streets suck, in other words. Might as well go underground.

I am trying to determine the business case for a loop. If there's the demand for a loop, why isn't there already a loop in bus format?
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  #772  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2023, 6:33 PM
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All of the surface streets suck, in other words. Might as well go underground.

I am trying to determine the business case for a loop. If there's the demand for a loop, why isn't there already a loop in bus format?
For me, the biggest argument for the loop is capacity. If the trains terminate at Elgin, as proposed, they have to turn back, so we'll say 30 trains an hour can go in and out. With a loop, you have two entry points, so that's 60 trains an hour. That will be especially important when the Rapibus is converted.

The loop also serves the Market, two National Museums, Maison du Citoyen. So it's useful for capacity, commuting, tourists and day to day services.

The loop doesn't exist because the STO and OC only do the bare minimum to serve commuters, they minimize service in the other City, and don't consider anythign beyond commuting. Of everyone here, you should know that.

Underground, with a direct connection to Confederation, and a loop, would be ideal, but I highly doubt anyone wants to invest in that. We have to look at what's realistic. At this point, I have my doubts about even a dumb down version of what's currently proposed.
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  #773  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2023, 6:47 PM
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I am trying to determine the business case for a loop. If there's the demand for a loop, why isn't there already a loop in bus format?
If you google STO bus map you'll see a nice loop.

A bunch of STO bus lines come into Ottawa by Macdonald Cartier and leave on Portage, the other bus lines just dead end at Rideau and turn around.
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  #774  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2023, 11:11 PM
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A transit loop demands that it be shared by STO and OC so that there is equal access, but with the current rail mess, Ottawa has no appetite to build more rail that might serve urban neighbourhoods.
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