Why OC Transpo optimization isn't just good--it's overdue

I'm sure just about everyone has heard, but this past week OC Transpo released a list of 100 bus routes which are going to be changed in some way under the "optimization project" they've undertaken to make service more efficient. If you haven't heard yet, check the OC Transpo website to see if your route is affected or to get a look at what the changes are going to look like.

The changes are sweeping and fairly expansive. Although OC Transpo says 90 per cent of riders won't be affected by the changes, that ten per cent could be affected fairly significantly, from longer walks to bus stops, limited hours of service, or more frequent transfers. It's not going to be a painless exercise, and I do think we will see at least some changes to the plans. But in theory, optimizing the service might end up being the best thing OC Transpo has done in years.

Frequent riders of OC Transpo know that there are problems with the system right now. Once in a while, the route you're waiting for is ridiculously late; sometimes it just doesn't show up. OC Transpo always seems to be hiring, and despite that, costs associated with overtime are ridiculous--and at their highest this year. Every year, fare increases far outpace the inflation rate, and despite those increases, revenue shortfalls at OC Transpo still force the city to pay more than budgeted (last year, it was a $4.7M revenue shortfall). In my view, the signs all point to one thing: OC Transpo is operating beyond its means. The service is trying to do too much, and hasn't critically examined the system map and made the necessary changes to clean up the spaghetti-like map of routes.

Take, for instance, a look at the image below, from a presentation by city staff via the Ottawa Citizen (click to enlarge):

The image at left is the current, pre-optimization structure of routes. It's a ridiculously complex map of meandering express routes (red) which, for the most part, follow streets that are already served by faster cross-town routes (black). The right image is the optimized map, with express routes bumped off community roads, and black routes moderately re-routed to find a best fit, cutting down on redundancies. This is a fairly small glimpse at a very large change, but serves as at least an example of what the city and OC Transpo are trying to do with the optimization project.

Are all the proposed route cuts appropriate? I doubt it. I do know that plenty of people are upset with routes they use frequently being changed, and I understand that. But I also understand that the system isn't working right now, and something does need to be done to fix it. This optimization project is a step in the right direction.

For those of you with input on the optimization, whether positive or negative, the city is holding a series of public consultations on the following dates at the following venues:

Tuesday, March 29th
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall, Jean Pigott Place, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Wednesday, March 30th
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Kanata Recreation Complex, Hall B, 100 Walter Baker Place

Thursday, March 31th
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Nepean Sportsplex, Halls C and D, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue

Monday, April 4th
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Jim Durrell Recreation Complex, Ellwood Hall, 1265 Walkey Road

Tuesday, April 5th
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Presentation will begin at 8 p.m.
Shenkman Arts Centre, Music Rehearsal Hall, 245 Centrum Blvd.

First western LRT consultation draws hundreds

Although I was out of town and unable to attend, CTV is reporting that Monday's public consultation on the Western corridor for the light-rail transit plan--the first in a series of consultations--drew hundreds of interested citizens.

General opinions were those which have been voiced before: A concern about appropriation of houses along possible routes (something which will almost always come up in the discussion of municipal mega-projects), and a widespread disinterest in running rail along the Ottawa River Parkway.

Public open house on Western Light-Rail Corridor

Just a heads-up for transit enthusiasts that the city will be hosting an open house for the western corridor of the city's LRT plan:

Monday, 29 November 2010

5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tom Brown Arena
Upper Hall
141 Bayview Road, Ottawa

For some great info on the western corridor options, check out Eric Darwin's series on West Side Action:

• West LRT, part i
• West LRT, part ii: Carling options
• West LRT, part iii, Ottawa River corridor
• West LRT, part iv, the Scott/Byron route
• West LRT – the Loblaws option

Helping developers help public transit at the Westboro Convent site

Following Joanne Chianello (@jchianello) on Twitter is probably one of the best ways to keep in the loop on city council meetings, and Tuesday's Planning and Environment Committee Meeting on Ashcroft Homes' proposed development on the grounds of the former site of the Les Soeurs de la Visitation convent was a perfect example.

The meeting will continue Wednesday (and possibly Thursday, as well), and has brought out a huge number of concerns with the site proposal, including those about the nine-story buildings proposed, the number of units (600 in total), traffic concerns with the new residents, and the disruption of a community "linear park" at the south end of the lot (in the image above, it's parallel to Byron Ave., and would be dissected to give the lot access from Byron).

One interesting possibility that came out as the city seeks some level of compromise with the developer, however, concerned public transit. As tweeted by Chianello:

Staff recommending that developer give free bus passes for a year to every new resident of the convent redevelopment. #ottcity

After first misreading the proposal, I realized the potentially positive effect of encouraging people to use public transit by offering them a complimentary bus pass (funded by the developer, of course). It would not only offer people a period of time to 'get the hang' of public transit, so to speak, but also may serve to mitigate the traffic concerns with this particular site. The Convent site is a 10-minute walk to Westboro Station, right on the Transitway, which would get riders downtown within only about another 10-15 minutes.

Obviously a lot of unfinished business remains in the city's discussions with Ashcroft (a lot of which could be for naught given that Ashcroft has already filed with the Ontario Municipal Board to fast-track the plan), but a partnership between the developer and OC Transpo to offer, for instance, a free bus pass for a year seems like something good for the city, and makes the homes even more attractive for new residents.

Recap of the interprovincial transit study consultation

On Tuesday evening, I stopped in to the public consultation on the National Capital Commission (NCC)-led interprovincial transit study. Attended by about 30-40 people (at least when I was there, from 6-7 p.m.), the consultation represents the fourth step in the overall process, the results of which will help the strategy team come up with a recommendation for integration of the national capital region's transit infrastructure--in short, better connecting Gatineau with Ottawa through public transit.

The consultation had a number of posterboards (images of which you can download in .PDF form here) and forms for attendees to fill out offering their opinions on the options presented. The options were largely broken down in short-, medium-, and long-term objectives, and dealt with the superficial (common branding and signage standards; shared transit maps) to the practical (compatible or common 'smart' payment cards; coordinated transfer-point route scheduling) and into the technical aspects of the transit integration (bus rapid-transit versus light-rail transit; crossing the river to the east or west of downtown, or a loop with both; and so on). And, naturally, there were forms for attendee comments about any other aspects--including those not presented on the posterboards.

Although an interesting exploration of the different options for interprovincial transit, it's unclear what this study will achieve, beyond the recommendation of an integration strategy. Although the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau are participants in the process, as are OC Transpo and STO (the city's respective public transit agencies), it remains to be seen who might pay for any such project. Ottawa's tied up with the current LRT implementation, which--from the first phase, including the downtown tunnel, to the further three phases--will take decades to build. Still, even if it is a recommendation, that does give the cities a foundation on which to plan future transit construction on either side of the river.

If you missed Tuesday's open house, you have still got the opportunity to attend one on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at Gatineau Maison du Citoyen from 5:30-8 p.m.

On to Baseline: Western Light Rail consultation begins

The City of Ottawa has begun the Western LRT Corridor Planning and Environmental Assessment project. This project is going to determine the route that light rail will take as it leaves Downtown (at Bayview station) and heads to Baseline Station. While the current Transit Master Plan (TMP) chose the Ottawa River Parkway, this study is going to "wipe the slate clean" and look at all the route options. Anything from the Parkway, Byron Avenue, O-Train cut, Carling Avenue, Churchill, and just about anything else conceivable is on the table for review and investigation.

The NCC has not said one way or another that they will permit light rail on the Parkway. But the NCC was a key contributor in designing the assessment, and has suggested a willingness to discuss options if the Parkway is indeed recommended under the Environmental Assessment. The feeling at city hall is that the NCC wants to make sure the City has really investigated alternate routes and is not choosing the Parkway simply because it's there and is the easy "status-quo" choice.

The City is engaging stakeholders by forming three different input groups: agency, business, and public. The "agency" group is composed of government ministries and agencies that are involved because they are a major employer, landholder or provide oversight to the Environment Assessment process. The "business" group is made up of the school boards, hospitals and BIAs in the area. Finally, the "public" group comprises Community Associations, advocacy groups, and members from the city's Advisory Committees.

Monday, June 21, 2010 was the first day of meetings between the City and the consultation groups. The agenda was to get the groups up to speed on how the process will work and to invite the groups to offer feedback on the process itself.

The next meeting in September is where everyone will get into the details of choosing an alternate route. Management consultant group Delcan will be preparing a number of options to be reviewed at that point. Both the City and Delcan have been very up front about the fact that all options are on the table. The process will initially "fan out" to explore the different routes (Parkway, Carling, O-Train, Byron, and so on) and designs (underground, below grade, overhead, etc) then whittle the options down until just one route is selected as the recommended alignment.

More reading:

• City of Ottawa's Western LRT Project information (http://ottawa.ca/westernLRT)
• Western LRT Corridor, Planning and Environmental Assessment, Study Design and Schedule Document (PDF)
• June 21 slide presentation and meeting notes.
  

NCC looking for input on interprovincial transit in capital region

As a part of the National Capital Commission (NCC)-funded project looking into an interprovincial transit strategy for the National Capital Region to integrate Ottawa and Gatineau, a series of public consultations are scheduled to solicit the public's opinions on what form public transit should take between the two municipalities.

The press release is available here (.PDF), but the real important stuff is really just the dates for the two events:

• Ottawa
  Tuesday, July 6, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
  Ottawa City Hall (110 Laurier Avenue West) – Jean Pigott Hall
• Gatineau
  Wednesday, July 7, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
  Gatineau Maison du Citoyen (25 Laurier Street) – Agora Gilles-Rocheleau

The meetings are the fourth phase of the NCC project, which started in mid-2009 and is hoping to establish something new for Ottawa-Gatineau transit--by 2031, anyway. Some of the options that will be discussed at the consultations are increased bus service, surface light rail across the Prince of Wales, Chaudiere, and/or the Alexandria Bridge, and a tunnel through Ottawa--whether the DOTT, or a new one.

The preferred option, according to McCormick Rankin engineer Sean Rathwell as quoted in Metro Ottawa, is a light-rail loop across bridges to the west and east of downtown, with a tunnel under Ottawa. Similar, perhaps, to the illustration at the top of the page, taken from a May 2010 column by Randall Denley talking about 'the loop' (as it's become known).

The loop above appears to run across the Chaudiere and the Alexandria Bridges, but also runs west to include the War Memorial--it might make more sense to run the western leg along the Prince of Wales Bridge, in order to link up there, serve more of Gatineau, and also connect with the O-Train. But time will tell; if the NCC is taking the lead on this, the presence of federal support is virtually assured.

I hope to be at the Tuesday open house, and will post information I find on the site shortly afterwards.

Grassroots campaign pops up in opposition to age limits for student bus passes

Five days ago, Carleton student Will Samuel was "cursing and swearing" at OC Transpo's policy that prohibits students over 27 years old from acquiring student bus passes. And he wasn't going to let Ottawa's public transit provider get away with it without a fight.

Indeed, the 32-year-old Samuel created a Facebook group five days ago that protests the decision. It took just a matter of hours to attract hundreds of followers and has since surpassed 1,000 members. The group is something of a focal point for like-minded students from various Ottawa campuses.

The policy passed city council as part of a much larger motion during budget deliberations last December, but it has just now mobilized a growing number of students.

Ottawa's Metro has taken the lead on mainstream coverage, running two stories in the past four days. The paper quotes student union presidents at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. They both oppose the policy and have promised to mobilize their student bodies.

Carleton University Students' Association Erik Halliwell is the only student leader so far to get in touch with Samuel, but others -- including Student Federation of the University of Ottawa vice-president university affairs Ted Horton -- are members of the group.

Samuel told TransitOttawa.ca that he was shocked by the waves made by his initiative, which he expected to top out at about 100. But he had words of warning for council.

"The city is grossly underestimating the ability of students to band together," he said.

The city's pedestrian and transit advisory committee will speak about the issue at its meeting this Thursday. The citizen-led body could pass a motion advising council to repeal the policy, though councillors are in no way bound to honour it.

Committee vice-chair Shawn Menard, who is currently the president of the Centretown Citizens' Community Association, is also a past-president of CUSA. He didn't express an opinion about the discussion in the story, but he did acknowledge the opposition.

"It is becoming an issue, and legitimately so," he said.

Samuel hopes that the discussion at the advisory committee sticks to the age-limit discussion. He is worried that it could be at least partially swallowed up by the debate about a Universal Bus Pass for students, another transit issue that many students have pushed quite strongly over the last couple of years.

LRT Technology Forum on June 20

The City of Ottawa will be hosting a Light-Rail Transit Technology Forum at City Hall on Saturday, June 20, 2009, at some undetermined time (there's no time noted on the city's website, ottawa.ca/lrt-forum). From what I understand, the forum will be an informational session which will discuss the city's options with regards to electricicty distribution through the line, choosing between a drivered or driverless train, and other technological decisions to be made.

From the City's website:

Ottawa City Council approved the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) in November 2008, including a vision for achieving an integrated, citywide transit solution to better serve communities across Ottawa. The specific type of technology needed to achieve this vision has yet to be identified.

To address the technology issue, the City of Ottawa is hosting an LRT Technology Forum on June 20, 2009 that will bring together transit experts, technology providers and key stakeholders to identify the best transit technology options for the City’s new LRT system.

Residents are invited to take part in the Forum on Saturday, June 20. Presentations by staff and technology providers will be followed by small group discussions. There will also be an opportunity to visit displays and engage with other participants and technology providers.

Integrating Ottawa and Gatineau transit: Looking for an intevprovincial strategy

Recently the National Capital Commission (NCC), City of Ottawa, and Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) launched a joint-sponsored website at Interprovincial-Transit-Strategy.ca. The website was launched by a group of consultants solicited by the three above-mentioned groups to assemble public input into the future of transit across the provincial line in the national capital region.

According to the website, the site was launched with ambitious goals:

The Strategy was launched as a proactive step to improve interprovincial coordination and efficiencies within the STO and OC Transpo transit services in the downtown cores of Gatineau and Ottawa.

There are a number of key issues to consider, not the least of which is the needs of commuters from either side to the other. It is anticipated to come to an end in January 2010, at which point the data gathered will be assembled into a recommendation for the best possible solution for inter-provincial integration.

There is significantly more information available on the above-linked official website, including more background information on the undertaking as well as copies of associated documentation.

For those interested, the first two consultations, planned as "Café-style small group discussions", are scheduled for the following dates:

Thursday May 14 2009
3:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall – Jean Pigott Hall
110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa

Tuesday May 19 2009
4:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Gatineau Maison du Citoyen – Agora
25 Laurier Street, Gatineau

Tunnel Open House: Feb. 26, 2009

On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, the City of Ottawa will be making a presentation regarding the planning of the Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT). The presentation begins at 7 p.m. and is in City Hall (110 Laurier Ave. W) in Jean Piggot Hall.

Below is the City's description of the event. I would recommend you visit the City's website on the consultation to get a sneak peak at some of the documentation they will be presenting.

We want to hear from you!

The tunnel study is the first step in developing a world-class transit system that starts with a trip down an escalator. The tunnel will ultimately enhance how quickly and efficiently we move around Ottawa for generations. This is a groundbreaking project for Ottawa that will shape the city for generations to come and the City wants to hear from you.

All elements of this city-building project require careful consideration in order to
find the best possible solutions.

For that reason, we are looking for your input in developing the design of the Tunnel project.

• Where do you think the stations should be and what should they look like?
• How should the stations integrate into the surrounding area?
• What design features - such as public art - are important to you?

Consultation venues will be offered throughout the duration of the Tunnel study. Outreach activities will include public consultations, agency and interest group meetings, as well as open houses and information will continue to be updated on ottawa.ca.

The study team will be available at the open house to discuss the study findings to date.

Public initiatives: Keep The 23

In response to budgetary recommendations for OC Transpo route cuts, a group of interested individuals started up a website campaign to preserve the service of bus route #23.

The group, calling themselves Keep The 23 (www.keepthe23.ca), have launched an official website and are asking any sympathetic fellow riders to get involved by offering feedback to the city and/or distributing mini-flyers (which are available for download on the website) door-to-door in the neighbourhood.

Route 23 is an express-fare route that serves the communities of Chapel Hill South in the east end of Ottawa, bringing commuters directly through the downtown core. It is unknown whether or not the city would compensate for a cut of the 23 by re-directing another route through the area.

To get involved, visit the group's website to sign up for distributing flyers or offer encouragement, or offer your feedback directly to the city. For a map of Route 23, click here.

Clashes over Parkway LRT

Some Ottawa residents have made their dislike of plans for rail on the Ottawa River Parkway well known, as reported in the Ottawa Citizen and Metro. The Save the Parkway coalition rallied some citizens outside of the Nepean Sportsplex to protest the current transit plans' inclusion of the Parkway as a light-rail corridor.

Not many of the protestors quoted were able to convey their reasons for protesting, only that they were staunchly against rail on the Parkway. Resident Patty Walker, as quoted in the Citizen article, said:

"We love the parkway. ... I think it is a matter of a quality of life and I don't think the cheapest way is the best way to make it happen."

Mayor Larry O'Brien, also quoted in the Citizen story, said that he's been happy with the directions the open houses have gone to date. He has discusses beginning rail to the south and the east, allowing more time to explore the Parkway and other westbound options.

"All in all, I think we are starting to reach a pretty good consensus that we have to start with the downtown core, solve the downtown problem first," the mayor said.

"Now, I am starting to get some pretty good feelings that we will be able to solve some of the problems for people in the east and we should be able to solve problems for people in the south.

"The west, they have got a pretty reasonable transportation system set up, (so) we are going to be able to work around that for a while."

I'm not going to editorialize on O'Brien's comments, but I think he may be leaving out what residents of the west communicated his way in the Glen Cairn open house.

Finally, Transit Committee Chair and Bay Ward Councillor Alex Cullen, quoted in the Metro, tried to ease some of the concerns of the Parkway rail opponents:

“There is a misconception that light rail along the parkway would bring fences and gravel roadbeds, but that’s the last thing the city wants. We want to retain as much of the greenery as possible, but you just can’t ignore the public investment at Scott Street and Lincoln Fields,” he said.

Kanata councillors rail against beginning LRT to south and east

At the Transportation Master Plan Open House in Glen Cairn on Thursday night, all three Kanata councillors--Shad Qadri of Kanata West-Stittsville, Peggy Feltmate of Kanata South, and Mariannce Wilkinson of Kanata North--spoke out against the favoured implementation scenario of city staff and council's Planning Committee.

The third implementation scenario outlines a first phase which would see light-rail transit (LRT) east to Blair Station, south to Riverside South, and west to Tunney's Pasture, as well as bus-rapid transit improvements in Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orléans. As the Ottawa Citizen reported on Sept. 12, Scenario 3 (S3, for brevity's sake) "got the quick endorsement of some influential city council members yesterday, including Mayor Larry O'Brien, transit committee chairman Alex Cullen, planning and environment committee chairman Peter Hume and River Councillor Maria McRae."

Councillors Wilkinson and Feltmate, however, felt that this third scenario was simply reliving the old argument about whether to begin rail by moving east-to-west or by moving north-to-south. Much of the southern leg of the third scenario, critics say, is a reflection of the rejected North-South Line was such a huge issue--possibly the biggest--in the last election. (You can read a bit more about that debate in a previous blog post here.)

Both Feltmate and Wilkinson supported implementation Scenario 4 (S4), which includes in the first phase LRT east to Blair Station and west to Baseline as well as an extension of the O-Train southwards. The estimated cost is $2.4B, compared to $2.6B for Scenario 3.

One issue Wilkinson outlined specifically is the cost-effectiveness of S3 compared to S4: according to the City's own Evaluation Summary (PDF), S3 meets 'fewer' of the city's cost-effectiveness goals, whereas S4 meets 'more' (their words, not mine). Wilkinson predicted an 8-9% increase in property taxes to pay off the deficit S3's operating and capital costs per passenger-mile would, according to Wilkinson, bring about. Wilkinson also suggested that the time it would take to complete the downtown tunnel and east portion of the plan would be more than enough to answer the NCC's concerns with development on the Ottawa River Parkway, and to explore other options (Wilkinson suggested the Byron option as one alternative).

Feltmate had similar arguments to Wilkinson. She suggested that "bringing back the south plan is wrong at this point in time" because the last election was fought over whether to start with north-south or east-west transit. Something in favour of S3 is the Ease of Implementation (as outlined on the City's Evaluation Summary once again), in which S3 achieves far more goals than S4. Feltmate countered, however, suggesting that "just because it's ready doesn't mean we should be throwing good money away [on it]."

Although I didn't speak to Qadri personally, he was very vocal at the open house. He has also released e-mails and circulars stating his opposition to S3. You can read Qadri's stance on his website, but I think an e-mail that he sent to constituents sums up his position well:

I cannot support such an endeavour, as it closely resembles the original north-south proposal drafted in 2006, which I campaigned on defeating.

While the proposed third implementation scenario is the first phase in a long-term transit vision, it is imperative we properly capture the needs and demands of our entire City.

The west-end of Ottawa is growing at a rapid rate, both in terms of residential units, as well as employment. With this in mind, a reliable, fast and efficient transit system is vital to maintaining, and advancing, the infrastructure needs in Ottawa’s west-end.

--Shad Qadri

To learn more about the implementation options, I highly recommend you visit the City's Transportation Master Plan website, especially the section on Implementation, and look at the graphics on the various implementation scenarios. Although it seems to be a two-scenario race at the moment, there are certainly dfferences worth examining. And that Evaluation Summary is a great synopsis of the numbers behind the options. Feel free to e-mail peter@transitottawa.ca with any questions, or offer your comments in the comments section below.

Light rail on the Parkway: The Issues

Emerging as one of the most contentious issues in Ottawa's transit planning is the use of NCC land along the Ottawa River Parkway to run light-rail alonside the river. The NCC has expressed a reluctance--to put it mildly--and have implored city planners and councillors to explore other options before committing to the Parkway option.

Pros:

1. Scenic route allows for a pleasant train ride.
2. Arguably less environmentally damaging than buses.
3. Least disruptive to current roadways and residences.
4. Likely most cost-effective (due to lack of residential and road disruptions).
5. Possibly a shorter distane travelled.

Cons:

1. Difficult to cross when walking to river.
2. Low population density, so people need to walk to get to train stations.
3. Arguably disruptive to greenspace.
4. More banked curves for rail car to negotiate.

There are obviously opinions on both sides of the debate. Recently in the Ottawa Metro, columnist Nadine Doolittle argued in favour of running rail along the Parkway:

I’m assuming the only “buffer” residents will accept is the four-lane strip of tarmac affectionately known as the Ottawa River Parkway. Originally designed as a scenic route, it now functions primarily as a downtown commuter artery for west-end residents, where speed limits are routinely ignored and the air is always scented with exhaust fumes.

But hey, this is NCC land and it’s their call. For its part, the commission wants every other option exhausted before they’ll consider giving permission to run light rail along the route.

Apparently they can accept 250 diesel buses per hour currently bombing down the parkway, but a clean, quiet train has them puzzled. Which means three years of environmental assessments, consultations, studies, open houses, possible expropriation, and so on—all at a cost to the city—before the NCC can render its verdict.

Doolittle also mentions a number of Federal politicians in opposition of rail on the Parkway. Ottawa Centre candidates Penny Collenette (Liberal), Brian McGarry (Conservative), and Paul Dewar (NDP) all suggested that they wouldn't stand for it. Ottawa West-Nepean Conservative candidate and incumbent John Baird has been quoted as being strongly against the idea. Without federal will, it might be difficult to secure the permission of the NCC to go ahead. Difficult, but not impossible; it would be a shame if the Parkway turned out to be the best option, but political posturing forced the city into other alternatives.

On this blog, we have explored two other options: One running rail along the Queensway, and the other running rail along Carling. Both of these solve the cons, but have negative aspects of their own. There are likely more options, too, and I'm sure some of them are good ones. Any and all are welcome in the comments section. It is up to the city to determine which is the absolute best, taking all variables into consideration.

Reliving the North-South/East-West transit debate

A story that appeared in Nepean This Week on Sept. 12 summed up the current debate of where to begin the current transit plan, with the north-south leg of the rail or the east-west leg, so check it out or read an entry I wrote about it a while ago here.

The issue is difficult. In favour of beginning with the west-to-east leg:

1. Ridership from the west is significantly higher than that from the south.
2. Population in the west (especially Kanata and Stittsville) is already much higher than in the south, and that gap is expected to increase significantly in the next two decades.
3. The last election was based on cancelling the previous North-South Transit Line after significant public outrage; Mayor Larry O'Brien made it the chief issue of the election.

The chief problem with beginning in the west, however, is that the plan in its current state calls for rail along the NCC-owned Ottawa River Parkway, and their assessment of whether to allow it to proceed could take up to three years. Even then it's not certain they'd allow it. So the risk is waiting up to three years in the hopes of starting the plan where it should, realistically, begin and then having those plans rejected by the NCC.

The mayor and members of the planning committee are suggesting that construction begin heading east and south from downtown. Critics, including West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry (as quoted in the Nepean This Week article), are suggesting this is simply presenting the old plan all over again:

“You’re going back to the original plan basically,” he said. “You have a goat dressed like a sheep now.”

--Eli El-Chantiry, in Nepean This Week

The difference is that this new plan has a much higher price tag, and stops short of the suburbs to the south of the city--namely Barrhaven, wheremost riders heading into town from the south would begin their trips.

This issue will not go away. City open houses, which have already begun and will continue this week, will generate feedback from citizens on their preferences (click here to see the schedule; I plan on attending the meeting tomorrow in Glen Cairn). Time will tell what citizens say, but I have a feeling that many will agree with El-Chantiry.

What seems obvious is that the only obstacle in the way of beginning with the downtown-bound west leg of rail is the NCC considering whether or not to allow rail along the Ottawa River Parkway, and whether or not citizens want the main rail line moving down a sparsely-populated, bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly greenspace. If the answer to either of these questions is no, then the city planners and council will need to find a new route for the west-to-downtown line. An interesting take on the NCC debate was presented in a letter published in the Ottawa Citizen by Ottawa resident Gerald Fiori last week:

I am wondering just what is the national mandate of the National Capital Commission?

Is it to allow pollution of the national capital with policies that encourage more and more cars? Is it to destroy the other rail locations so that its sacred ground is not touched?

Do the NCC officials think the only way to enjoy the parkway and the Ottawa River is to drive on it?

I am sure hundreds of thousands of commuters and public transit riders could enjoy the parkway from a train. In my mind, it is unfortunate that the current Transitway cuts off the parkway at Dominion station going into downtown rather than continuing along the river.

Whatever your opinion of rail on the parkway is, Fiori does make an interesting point. Something for Parkway rail critics and the NCC to consider, at any rate, and I'll leave it at that.

Open houses about Ottawa's Transit Master Plan

Just saw a notice announcing a number of open houses where interested citizens can attend to learn or discuss the city's Transportation Master Plan. Here are the dates and places, all events are from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.:

• Thursday, September 11: Ottawa City Hall – Main Floor Rotunda Area, 110 Laurier Avenue West (at Elgin Street)
• Monday, September 15: Jim Durrell Recreation Centre – Elwood Hall, 1265 Walkley Road (near Bank Street)
• Tuesday, September 16: Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex – Orléans, 1490 Youville Drive (near Highway 174)
• Thursday, September 18: Glen Cairn Community Centre (Upper Hall), 186 Morrena Drive (near Castlefrank and Hazeldean)
• Monday, September 22: Nepean Sportsplex – Salon A, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue (near West Hunt Club)

You can also visit Ottawa.ca/tmp beforehand to brush up on some of the finer points of the plan. The website has a pretty good breakdown of the components of the TMP, including the section on public transit, talking especially about the recently-approved light rail transit plan (Option 4). It's certainly worth perusing, and it might be interesting to head out to one of the open houses. I'm certainly going to try to get to one, so I will offer an update of what I see and hear there.

Public consultations unimpressive

Ottawa's recent round of six public consultations came and went with little fanfare, and few people even bothered to show up to most of the sessions. I feel a little guilty because I failed to get out to even one, but I simply didn't have the opportunity.

The final consultation was in Kanata at Holy Trinity High School, and the Ottawa Citizen says it was about par for the course with the other ones. Some people hated it, others liked it, but most people in the suburbs felt it wasn't fast enough. The main contention is that transfer from bus to train, which isn't going to be pleasant--especially in the dead of winter. There's also the price, which a lot see as a big issue, and it is. $4B is nothing to scoff at.

Click here for a synopsis of the second consultation at the OC Transpo headquarters, or here for one of the fifth one, at the Nepean Sportsplex.

More mixed transit feedback

The most recent public consultation, this on at the Nepean Sportsplex, resulted in more mixed views on the City Council's recommended transit plan (number four), according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Some attendees were heavily in favour:

Another resident, Hector Ewing, said the proposal was better than what Ottawa currently has and said "no plan is 100-per-cent perfect. I think this plan is feasible in the foreseeable future."

Leslie Shand was also a fan of the plan, saying Baseline Station would only be a four-minute walk from his home.

"It would be perfect for me."

While some weren't so optimistic:

"Barrhaven, Kanata and Orléans are where most of the riders originate. The rail doesn't provide any connection for them, and Kanata is left out in the boondocks," Ottawa resident Vic Johnson said at the consultation that attracted more than 20 people to the Nepean Sportsplex.

The next--and final--public consultation is for the Kanata area on May 6, 2008, at Holy Trinity High School. It runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

Mixed views in latest consultations

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting "a lukewarm reception" during the most recent round of public consultations on the City of Ottawa's new transit plans. Proponents of the plan were excited at the speed of the light-rail system, while opponents thought that adding a transfer into the commute was counter-productive. A couple of opinions, from the story:

Andrew Easton said the underground tunnel is too expensive and the downtown core can't handle the pressure.

"It's garbage," he said of Option 4, adding he'd like to see O-train service from Eagleson Station to Trim Station.

But others, including Anthony Finch, were fans of the plan.

"I believe it's going to a lot faster going east and west," said Mr. Finch, who has lived in Ottawa for 28 years.

Earlier consultations had mixed results, too. (Stop the presses, this just in: you can't please everyone.) In the first round of consultations, the first three sessions were relatively positive, while the fourth--in Barrhaven--wasn't as positive.

Most concerning was the low showing at the sessions. If you're intereste, there are still four left, and you can see the time, date, and venue of each here.