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Posted May 24, 2013, 5:19 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,057
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I know many here don't like double-barrel station names, but I'm quite partial to them, my favourite systems make frequent use of them, and this is my list!
Naming priorities: I like something that speaks to the surrounding area's history and/or future, I generally try to keep the existing name, and I prioritize names that work easily/smoothly in both languages. I think bilingual names are important for the system, and we have it relatively easy here given the possibility of small spelling differences, e.g.,: Central(e), Parl(e/ia)ment; compare that to say, Brussels, where everything needs a French and Flemish name, with almost no relation between the two!
- Blair-Innovation (or equivalent) cheesy, yes oh gawd, is it ever, but the idea is to capture the spirit of the cluster around it, one that should be further cultivated with the Spy Campus and CFB-Rockliffe redevelopment over time. It’s an aspirational statement for the futrue of the area. Bilingual and responds to place and context
- Cyrville Bilingual, established and clearly represents place and context
- Saint-Laurent ditto
- GareCentrale-CentralStation (co-locating the Coach terminal is critical to this nomenclature; unless we rename the Train Station, which would be a good idea, since we all know that it isn't central)
- Hurdman (though I've never really liked this name, I see no obvious alternative with a compelling reason for a change)
- Lees (ditto)
- Campus is fine, uOttawa looks good, but might be a bit odd on the ears, especially for the auto-announcement?
- Rideau (or Centrale-Rideau-Central if that's not used for the Train Station, which I like a little better than the mall-specific Centre-Rideau-Centre). All are bilingual and clearly represent place and context.
- Confēdēration is my preference, even though it’s a block from the Square; it’s the centre of the line of the same name. Use the bar for English-French simplicity, and rename Confederation O-train to Heron and commit to eventually making that a proper, integrated transfer station. Parlement-Parliament is also good (or doing something CP airlines-ish to substitute for the "e/ia" to make a one-word Parlment name), "Bank" would also be fine.
- In isolation, I would have nominated Mēmorial, but it's obviously too confusing with the Cenotaph, so I have to scrap that. I'd be good with any of Place-De-Ville, Lyon, Queen, Queen Victoria, Constitution, Escarpement-Escarpment, etc.
- LeBreton, with a sub-heading for the museum, just like there is now. Bilingual, established and clearly represents place and context.
- I would love, LOVE Bayview-Roundhouse, and incorporate a "roundhouse" theme into the major new building planned for immediately north of the station for contemporary+historical context, but I don't expect non-train-geeks to share my enthusiasm. In principle, I also like Prince-de-Galles/Prince-of-Wales but it risks confusion, I find surprisingly few people know the name of that bridge, but most know the road, so that's probably out, too. Reference to the Brown family is worthy but a little too parochial. Hintonburg, Dalhousie and Mechanicsville are all somewhat ambiguous given the station’s peripheral location to each of those three neighbourhoods. In the end, I guess I’m okay with just Bayview.
- Holland get the Dutch involved in design/decoration, commemorate the history of our two countries’ bilateral ties; and, most importantly, do not build a throw-away bus transfer station!
...soooo we keep going west! 
- Champlain new station at Island Park. I would also accept Samuel-de-Champlain/Samuel-Champlain
- Winston-Churchill (Churchill-Roosevelt would also be kinda cool, but the streets are too far apart. That was a fail at the time. I wish Ottawa did more, and more explicit, namings after important global figures, especially if/when they came to town, like Churchill did and made a very important speech. Quotes from Churchill's Cold War speech should be incorporated into the station artwork, along with pics of the Old Pug doing his thing) Obvi, station is moved west a tic or two toward Churchill.
- Westboro Dominion is moved to westward to where the line meets Richmond. If the ultimate alignment moves the station too far west to call it Westboro, then Kitchissippi, Byron, McKeller, and pretty much any of the North-South streets are good solid names that could serve for a station.
- The other 1-2 new stations along Richmond-Byron, I don’t care too much, but in principle I like Woodroffe for it's geographic and historic significance (big road, used to be the name of the village), and for the potential of a useful and straight N-S bus from Algonquin to Carlingwood, to the LRT station to the River.
- Lincoln Fields: I’m okay with this name in English, but it's not bilingual, and Plaines de Lincoln, is pretty terrible (on par with Pré Tunney"). FTR, I would like plain old Lincoln better. (It’s a “shame” this area wasn't abbrevo-portmanteau-ed, to “Richling”, “Carlmond” “Carlirich” or “Richcar” which was the style at the time ;-) )
- Iris is a nice name, few letters, irises are pretty, it’s the same word in English and French, etc.
- Algonquin would be my first choice, Baseline, Centrepointe or Baseline-Centrepointe, are all fine, too (although, I have to say that Centrepointe sounds terrible in French to my ears). Other obvi choices: Square-College-Square is clunky, and Nepean is a little ambiguous and confusion-begging.
... to be continued!
Last edited by McC; May 24, 2013 at 5:34 PM.
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