Bike-share may be coming back to Ottawa

After a pretty successful pilot program from 2009 was set back in 2010, some bike-share program may return to Ottawa for the summer of 2011, according to Centretown News. From their coverage:

[NCC Director of Communications Lucie] Caron says the NCC is working co-operatively with Ottawa and Gatineau and hoping for the program to be completed by the spring.

Media spokesperson Jasmine Leduc confirmed the NCC’s expectation for 50 stations and 500 bicycles to be available in Canada’s capital region and on both sides of the river by next year.

Ottawa's 2009 bike-share pilot program was supposed to set the groundwork for a permanent system, but in 2010 the NCC was unable to find a partner to manage the Bixi bike-share service, so it didn't get off the ground. Now, it appears the program is expected to move forward in the new year.

In the Centretown News article, Somerset Councillor Diane Holmes voiced significant support for the moving forward with the project. However, in a June 2008 interview with PTIO, new councillor David Chernushenko suggested the city needs to truly invest in building up a cycling infrastructure in order to make sure any bike-share program will work:

"We would start by saying every time a street or a sidewalk needs repair, we can seize that opportunity not just to replace the sewer infrastructure and the telecom cables and everything else that’s there. We’re actually going to redesign that street."

Many recent street redesigns have included measures to make them more pedestrian-friendly, particularly in the core, and a potential segregated cycling lane would only add to that.

Election leaves transit committee gutted

One interesting outcome from the municipal election just a few days ago: The City of Ottawa's transit committee has been absolutely gutted. Five of the eight councillors on the committee will not be returning, as Alex Cullen, Georges Bédard, and Christine Leadman were defeated in their wards by incumbents, Clive Doucet lost his run for mayor, and Jacques Legendre stepped away from political politics.

Bigger than the names that will be missing from the list? The fact that every councillor representing an urban ward will not return, while Marianne Wilkinson, the vice-chair, from Kanata North Ward, and Rainer Bloess, from Innes Ward, represent suburban wards, and Doug Thompson represents the largely rural Osgoode Ward (a ward which has about five OC Transpo routes running through it).

So there will be at least five new faces on the next Transit Committee. What might this huge change mean for OC Transpo, and for public transit in Ottawa?

Well, it's possible it won't mean too much for too long; part of mayor-elect Jim Watson's platform called for the establishment of an arm's-length transit commission, with five or six councillors and a few members of the public. But this transit commission, if it happens, won't happen right away. And when it does, most of the councillors joining it will likely be those people already on the Transit Committee, and familiarizing themselves with the transit ticket. So who might step up onto it?

It's obvious that there will need to be an urban presence, as transit issues are most pressing in urban areas. And of the new councillors to join the ranks, David Chernushenko, as likely the most left-leaning newcomer, seems like a natural fit for the committee. While we're all still getting to know some of the other new council members, the apparent prevalence of fiscally conservative members may make some individuals interested in joining the committee in an effort to bring down the operating costs of the city's highest budget item, transit services. Some longstanding councillors may also step up to the committee, as well, including Diane Deans. Deans has been outspoken on certain transit issues in the past, and has taken the lead on some items of the transit ticket, so there may be a fit there.

Whatever happens, though, there will be new faces on the transit committee, and there may be a learning curve. However you felt about Alex Cullen, he was the chair of the Transit Committee, and David Reevely thinks he'll be hard to replace. I suppose we will see.

Chernushenko running in Capital Ward

With Clive Doucet having announced his retirement from municipal politics (correction: from Capital Ward; Doucet is running for mayor), Ottawa's Capital Ward is going to have a new representative for the first time since 1997. Bob Brocklebank, Mano Hadavand, Ron Le Blanc, and Isabel Metcalfe have all submitted their candidacy papers, and today news has broken that David Chernushenko will be running in the ward, as well.

While Brocklebank doesn't seem to have laid out a platform beyond his opposition of Lansdowne Live, Hadavand hasn't revealed any plans, Le Blanc gave his opposition to the downtown tunnel a passing mention in his plan, and Metcalfe just has information about her public affairs counsel, Chernushenko has talked about transit in Ottawa on this very blog.

Back in 2008 when Ottawa was still deciding which plan to move forward with, Chernushenko suggested that the tunnel was "a waste of money":

"I think the subway alternative is a complete and utter waste of money. I think it’s the wrong approach, unless Ottawa is going to have a subway system—and I don’t believe we’re big enough to merit a subway system at the moment," he said.

Chernushenko added that although business support for the tunnel is currently high, the affected streets above ground are in for an overhaul that could affect revenue.

"It’s going to be one hell of a massive dig. It’s going to be a couple of years of major, major disruption. And I don’t think they thought through that," he said. "[Streets] are as blocked off above as they would be if it were entirely surface-length [rail] that was going in."

Of course, those comments were made two years ago, and before the elected council voted to support the plan. We'll surely find out how he feels about the plan as it stands today over the course of the election campaign.

Bike-share program to be tested on Ottawa streets

Ottawa is about to embark upon a trial bike-share program, according to the Ottawa Citizen. From the story:

This summer’s project aims to pave the way for a permanent bike-sharing service in 2010, the commission said. “This project lays the groundwork for a broader, progressive initiative that will see both residents and visitors in Canada’s Capital Region travelling in an environmentally friendly way, at little cost,” said Marie Lemay, chief executive of the NCC, in a written statement.

A spokeswoman for the commission said the details of the trial project have not yet been determined, but a feasibility study is about to begin to establish the launch date, costs, rental locations and how the service will operate.

“We’d like to launch 45 to 50 bikes in the coming biking season,” said spokeswoman Kathryn Keyes.

Here at TransitOttawa.ca, we spoke to renowned local environmentalist David Chernushenko about such a program a few months ago.

Chernushenko cautioned that if a bike-share system were to work properly, simply implementing a program is not enough.

In order for [a bike-share program] to work, however, the proper infrastructure must be built. Chernushenko suggested that if the City commenced work immediately, it would take 10 years to complete Ottawa's transformation into a bike-friendly city.

"We would start by saying every time a street or a sidewalk needs repair, we can seize that opportunity not just to replace the sewer infrastructure and the telecom cables and everything else that’s there. We’re actually going to redesign that street," he says, suggesting that residents from Nepean to Beacon Hill could conceivably cycle to work on a daily basis.

Chernushenko film screens again

As mentioned in an earlier post, David Chernushenko produced a film entitled Be the Change that screened at Carleton University last month. Well, the movie is back for another round. This announcement just came from the Chernushenko camp:

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BE THE CHANGE SCREENING & DISCUSSION

Tuesday July 29, 7pm, St. Paul University, 223 Main Street, Ottawa
Entry by donation (suggested amount of $10 or more) to the Living Lightly Project.
Producer-Director David Chernushenko will animate a post-screening discussion.
For more information about the film and to see the trailer http://www.livinglightly.ca/film

Chernushenko, part five: Subway is a "waste of money"

Ottawa's downtown core might soon brace itself for the construction of a tunnel that would accommodate the city's forthcoming light-rail system. Business support for the plan is high and many councillors are on board, but not all observers are on the same page.

One of Ottawa's leading green thinkers has doubts about the effectiveness of a downtown subway. David Chernushenko told Public Transit in Ottawa that there are better ways to approach light rail on downtown streets—even those as potentially cluttered as Albert and Slater streets.

"I think the subway alternative is a complete and utter waste of money. I think it’s the wrong approach, unless Ottawa is going to have a subway system—and I don’t believe we’re big enough to merit a subway system at the moment," he said.

Chernushenko added that although business support for the tunnel is currently high, the affected streets above ground are in for an overhaul that could affect revenue.

"It’s going to be one hell of a massive dig. It’s going to be a couple of years of major, major disruption. And I don’t think they thought through that," he said. "[Streets] are as blocked off above as they would be if it were entirely surface-length [rail] that was going in."

Businesses on Bank Street have complained about lower pedestrian traffic during the ongoing rehabilitation of that roadway. Albert and Slater are far less commercially intense, but those businesses that do exist on those arteries might be forced to weather some bad times.

Chernushenko cut the tunnel idea some slack and suggested that because a tunnel, if built, will be part of the larger light-rail project, it is still good news for Ottawa at the end of the day.

"Ultimately, whatever we do with our taxes and the inconvenience, we have to prepare ourselves to say it’s going to be a big inconvenience for a better future."

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Part Four of David Chernushenko's Reflections on Ottawa Transit, a TransitOttawa.ca exclusive:

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Cycling
Part Three: Inside the Greenbelt
Part Four: Serving the suburbs
Part Five: Ottawa's subway

Cycling: The other public transit

Image courtesy Wikipedia.org

Cycling has the potential to be an incredibly huge role in an automobile-free city. They serve to complement bus or light-rail systems, allowing for commuters to get from their homes to transit corridors without having to resort to automobiles. Fittingly, it has come up in transit discussions a few times recently.

Right here on TransitOttawa, Nick published part of his interview with prominent Ottawa-based environmentalist and former Green Party Deputy Leader David Chernushenko, focussing on the role that bicycles can play in city transit planning. Chernushenko suggests a rent-a-bike program with drop-off points around the city, so bikers could get to the bus, drop off their bike, and then pick up a new one once they're off the bus. First off, though, Ottawa's got to become a bike-friendly city. (Make sure you read the rest of Chernushenko's thoughts on cycling--it's a great read--as well as the rest of the series on public transit in Ottawa.)

As an effort to get Ottawa's transition kick-started, just last week the Ottawa Citizen reported that the city's transit committee suggested that council's cycling plans get underway in five years, rather than ten (as originally planned). The committe also suggested a bike rental system, similar to Chernushenko's proposed rent-a-bike program. The article offers some insight:

The city's $24.6-million plan for cycling includes about $8 million for more bicycle lanes, $9 million for paved shoulders and $6 million for multi-use pathways.

Bay Councillor Alex Cullen proposed spending $5 million a year on cycling, rather than the proposed $2.5 million, as a modest acceleration, given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on roads each year. Mr. Cullen said the city needs to improve riding conditions for both commuters and recreational cyclists as a safety measure and to encourage more residents to cycle.

Cullen's suggestions are certainly progressive. Cycling is beneficial for the city not only for resident's health reasons, but it's also significantly easier on roads and general transportation infrastructure. Considering we're prepared to accept plans to spend $4B over 30 years (or roughly $133M per year) to convert to a light-rail infrastructure, I think that upping our expenditures to encourage cycling to $5M per year is pretty justifiable.

Finally, Hamilton Centre MPP Andrea Horwath has recently introduced a private members bill into Queen's Park amending the Public Vehicles Act to allow buses with bike racks to cross municipal boundaries--which is, apparently, not allowed now. This seems like a pretty straight-forward amendment, although I'm uncertain how Ottawa system (which often has buses moving from Ontario into Quebec and vice-versa) is affected.

Ottawa is already a pretty good city for bikes, the Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bike Days along the Parkway being one prime example, but there is still much that can be done to foster a cycling culture in the city. And there is a lot to gain for doing so.

Chernushenko, part four: Suburban light rail a long-term project

Suburbs will have to wait their turn to receive light rail, says David Chernushenko, but a sustainable plan can still utilize more traditional modes of public transit.

"You get started by serving certain communities -- yes, some are going to be missed. The others become jealous, and then want theirs. That’s great," he says.

But improved service within Ottawa's outlying communities is key, says Chernushenko.

"We’re going to have to really, really improve the bus service that not only brings people from their suburb or rural home to that transit point where they can finish their trip on the train, but you actually have much better circular bus service that serves that village."

At the end of the process, suburban populations could be spending more time closer to home, although the option would be available to get downtown via a rail link.

"You can have people doing more within their community; not necessarily feeling like they always have to go downtown."

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Part Four of David Chernushenko's Reflections on Ottawa Transit, a TransitOttawa.ca exclusive:

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Cycling
Part Three: Inside the Greenbelt
Part Four: Serving the suburbs
Part Five: Ottawa's subway

Chernushenko, part three: Light rail won't intensify growth

Should Ottawa develop the greenbelt? Has development inside the greenbelt been as intense as initially hoped, or have Ottawa's suburbs simply been pushed away? Is it worth it to extend light rail to the suburbs, or should it remain inside the greenbelt?

David Chernushenko suggests that light rail is only part of the solution to a denser urban core.

"The choice of an approach to rail—an Ottawa rail plan—will not on its own result in densification. That has to come through a series of other decisions, all of which are part of a common approach," he says.

"I can’t come down one way or another about whether extending the line to the suburbs or not doing so beyond the greenbelt is or isn’t going to have an expected result."

Chernushenko did say, however, that more established communities ought to be served by light rail before it is extended to budding developments.

"I’m inclined to say, though, that available money should be spent on taking the rail lines out to existing communities, which are already there," he says. "We may not want them to grow in size, but we would love for them to be able to become denser."

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Part Three of David Chernushenko's Reflections on Ottawa Transit, a TransitOttawa.ca exclusive:

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Cycling
Part Three: Inside the Greenbelt
Part Four: Serving the suburbs
Part Five: Ottawa's subway

Chernushenko, part two: City should expand cycling infrastructure

Europeans take cycling very seriously, says David Chernushenko. Several cities have integrated their cycling infrastructure not simply into their roads and parks, but also into their vision of public transit.

In Ottawa, suburbanites would balk at the notion of riding their bikes into work -- and justifiably so, according to Chernushenko. But he says that there are a lot of "closet cyclists" that would jump on their bikes if the appropriate system were in place.

"With the right system, we could be doing it much more of the year and we could have way more people doing it," he says, acknowledging that winter months often make it far too difficult to feasibly face the roads.

Referencing existing systems in Paris and Lyon, France, Chernushenko suggested an adopt-a-bike program that would see commuters from outlying suburbs be able to ride their bikes to the nearest train station. Upon stepping off the train somewhere in and around downtown, they could then gain access to rented bikes at locations throughout downtown.

In order for that system to work, however, the proper infrastructure must be built. Chernushenko suggested that if the City commenced work immediately, it would take 10 years to complete Ottawa's transformation into a bike-friendly city.

"We would start by saying every time a street or a sidewalk needs repair, we can seize that opportunity not just to replace the sewer infrastructure and the telecom cables and everything else that’s there. We’re actually going to redesign that street," he says, suggesting that residents from Nepean to Beacon Hill could conceivably cycle to work on a daily basis.

Instead of building infrastructure on the existing roads, Chernushenko recommended finding room on existing sidewalks -- a tough task, he says, because pedestrians are already short on space throughout downtown. The paths would be dedicated to cyclists, though, and it would mean expanding sidewalks at the expense of road width.

"Imagine Bank Street, where the two lanes of traffic right now are going to be half a metre narrower than they are now in order to create a metre-wide bike lane without making the existing sidewalk even narrower," Chernushenko says.

It would be a long-term project, but Chernushenko is fine with that.

"In a way I think that is a good thing. Gradual conversion often allows naysayers to see this isn’t so bad after all. You drop something new on people all at once and you’re going to have a lot of critics who are going to fight it," he says.

Copenhagen, Denmark, is moving even further than integrated cycling paths. Chernushenko says that city is developing "bicycle highways" exclusively for cyclists riding to work.

"Maybe you’ll have to stop once or twice on the entire ride in from the suburbs. Imagine getting on in South Keys or Kanata and not having a stop sign or a red light between there and downtown. What a concept!"

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Part Two of David Chernushenko's Reflections on Ottawa Transit, a TransitOttawa.ca exclusive:

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Cycling
Part Three: Inside the Greenbelt
Part Four: Serving the suburbs
Part Five: Ottawa's subway

Chernushenko's reflections on Ottawa transit: Part One

David Chernushenko is one of Ottawa's best-known environmentalists. Just last year, he completed a stint as the federal Green Party's deputy leader. In 2004 and 2006, Chernushenko ran in federal elections in Ottawa Centre and, buoyed by support in his neighbourhood of Old Ottawa South, finished a respectable fourth in both campaigns.

Recently, Chernushenko set off on a European odyssey that took him to cities primarily in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden, but also in Italy. His mission was to treat each destination as a case study in successful sustainability policy. He wrote a blog for the Ottawa Citizen's website and is in the process of putting together a film chronicling his findings.

[Chernushenko is also screening a film about sustainable living in Ottawa entitled Be the Change (You Wish to See) at Carleton University's Minto Theatre on June 20.]

Like many Canadians, Chernushenko had heard Cinderella stories of European efforts to live much more sustainability than North Americans.

"(I wanted) to see if these places are all they’re cracked up to be, see if we really can look to Europe for great leadership on a range of environmental and sustainability questions," he says.

This is the first in a series of posts that features Chernushenko reflecting on his observations in Europe and suggesting how Ottawa might benefit from several overseas examples.

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Part One of David Chernushenko's Reflections on Ottawa Transit, a TransitOttawa.ca exclusive:

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Cycling
Part Three: Inside the Greenbelt
Part Four: Serving the suburbs
Part Five: Ottawa's subway