So the O-Train will run to Rideau Centre via Albert and Slater Sts., and will not initially go to the airport. What happened to the original first phase going to Riverside South?


No plans to run commuter rail to airport

$50M cost seen as too much; expert criticizes decision as shortsighted*

Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen


February 23, 2005



Ottawa's $675-million commuter train system won't stop at Ottawa Airport anytime soon, a decision that is being criticized as shortsighted.

"It's a mistake," David Jeanes, president of the lobby group Transport 2000, said yesterday after city officials nixed the idea of extending a commuter line from the main route to serve the airport.

In five or 10 years when demand is sufficient, Mr. Jeanes said, the area surrounding the airport might be too developed to put a spur line into the terminal. Connecting the commuter train to an airport station would free up parking for travellers, help employees get to work and help budget flyers get to and from the core. City planners, however, say a lack of customers, technical and access problems and up to a $50-million cost preclude extending commuter service to the airport.

Instead, Rejean Chartrand, the city's strategic projects director, said he envisaged a bus or trolley system in the near future that would connect the airport and commuter train. In the meantime, "the projected demand is quite low," Mr. Chartrand said yesterday at a City Hall news conference.

As expected, Mr. Chartrand confirmed the route through downtown will be from the Rideau Centre through Slater and Albert streets, and parallel the rapid bus transitway to Bayview.

The transitway will continue to use Slater and Albert as well, but the configuration is still undecided. The transitway and commuter rail could use one or the other of the two thoroughfares, or the east and west routes could be split between the streets, Mr. Chartrand said. Either way, cars will remain on Albert and Slater with at least one lane on each street, and loading and stopping bays for businesses.

Other elements of the project include:

- Expected ridership of 43,000 a day in 2011, and 63,000 by 2021;

- Five-minute peak-hour service from downtown to Leitrim Road, to 10-minute peak frequency west of Leitrim;

- 21 all-electric vehicles operating on double tracks in 2011;

- A private consortium handling the building, operation, design and maintenance of the project, with building schedule penalties and rewards applying to the firm that wins the competitive bid;

- Revenues coming from advertising, concessions and naming rights;

- Rising tax revenues because of increasing land values along the route;

- Possible city land sales and developments along the route;

- Job creation and economic stimulus for Ottawa;

- Operating costs of $16 million to $18 million on completion in 2009;

- Revenue of $12.9 million in 2011;

- Consultations with the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279, the bargaining unit for OC Transpo, concerning operation and staffing.

Capital Councillor Clive Doucet believes the city -- not a private consortium -- should operate the line. "It's our system," he said. If taxpayers paid for the line, they should own and run it.

The recommendations must go to committee and council before they can be implemented.

_______________________________________

New plan on track
Brings private sector on board
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun


THE EXPANDED O-Train system might be a public transit vision of the future, but the private sector will be in the driver's seat. Under a new plan for the $700-million expansion of the light-rail system, city staff are calling for a private company to not only design and build the system, but also to operate and maintain it for the city.

"This is a very, very significant first step. This is moving us forward from concept to construction," said Rejean Chartrand, the city's director of economic development and strategic projects.

At a briefing yesterday, Chartrand unveiled the plan for a public-private-partnership that will provide the city with an O-Train system from the Rideau Centre to south Nepean, for an estimated cost of $650-$700 million.

'MAINTAIN CONTROL'

The plan was criticized by councillors who worried about handing over a massive system to a private company.

"I think it's important for city council to maintain control over a system like this," said Coun. Alex Cullen.

Coun. Clive Doucet wants the city to avoid the labour problems experienced at ParaTranspo, which has endured service problems and strikes.

The plan also drew concern because a train link to the airport has been cancelled because of cost and technical problems.

"I think that's a mistake," said David Jeanes, of Transport 2000, a public transportation advocacy group.

Jeanes said all major cities have train links to their airports and the city should install the link sooner rather than later.

But the biggest concern revolved around cost, especially for councillors who have watched cost estimates for the Transitway expand.

"What I do question is the numbers," said Coun. Gord Hunter, adding he believed staff were "lowballing" numbers and worried that major construction projects, like a second tunnel under Dow's Lake, would run up the cost of the O-Train far higher than expected.

5-MINUTE WAITS

But Chartrand said the final deal with a consortium of companies would take extra charges into account and protect the city from rising costs.

When the new O-Train system is finally built, the city hopes it will have five-minute wait times for some of the 43,000 riders expected by 2011.

By using the private sector to run the system, staff believe the city will save as much as 10%, compared to a public system.

When all the concerns were addressed, it seemed clear many politicians were happy with the plan and the project's quick pace.

Construction is expected to begin in 2006 and end in 2009.

"I don't see any pitfalls," said Mayor Bob Chiarelli, who has been pushing the train for a decade. "I think it's a very good business case."

5 minute waits! Awesome! but it should go to the airport... maybe they are doing the Rideau Centre + Riverside South extensions at the same time.

Get it to the airport. you see the problems with not having a line to the airport in Toronto. its a horror story.

Commuter train will change Ottawa

Cost, value are just part of the issue

Randall Denley

The Ottawa Citizen


February 24, 2005

Two years after the city launched its light-rail project, we are finally getting an idea of what the north-south commuter line will cost to run, and what it will accomplish. In both cases, the answer is less than you'd think.


After all the hype we've heard about how commuter rail will prevent gridlock and change the way we live, the actual ridership projection is a bit of a shock.


The most surprising part of this week's presentation was what a small thing the train system will actually be. City staff says the new train will carry about 43,000 passengers daily by 2011. That would constitute about 10 per cent of the city's transit capacity. It's not inconsequential, but Ottawa's transit will still be 90 per cent delivered by buses. More, if you consider that 40 per cent of the commuter train customers will start their trip on a bus, or transfer to one. Of those 43,000 commuter train riders, only 16 per cent will be new.


The new system will mostly transfer existing bus riders to trains, while adding some riders. The most obvious question is, why is it worth $650 million in capital expense to achieve this modest goal? Consultants are doing an environmental assessment, not yet released, which has apparently concluded growth areas in the south must have transit, and they can be most cheaply served by train. Train transit costs more to build, but is cheaper to operate in the long term. This is a plan that will take many years to pay off.


The news on the operating cost is reassuring, if the city's numbers are accurate. City staff suggests the train will really cost no new money to run. That could be true, but it's not quite the same as paying for itself. Maintaining and operating the train will cost $16 million to $18 million a year. The city says this cost will be covered by savings of $5.2 million from ending the existing diesel O-Train, and a further $9.1 million in saving from removing 34 articulated buses that will no longer be necessary. The remaining cost will be covered by $2.9 million in fares from new passengers.


Before we think the new train will be free, we should remember the O-Train we have now, and the buses that are being cancelled, are both subsidized with property tax dollars. If the city's estimates are correct, the new train will bring in just under $13 million in fares, with the remaining $3 million to $5 million being a taxpayer subsidy. That's not bad by transit standards, and is similar to the cost recovery from major city bus lines.


The people working on this project at City Hall believe the train's merits are obvious, but they haven't done enough to convince the rest of us. Their presentation this week consisted of a 45-minute monologue by the fellow running the project for the city. There were no pictures of what it might look like and very little about how a system like this can change suburban development. City staff originally intended to release the report on the city website and leave it at that. With some prompting, they decided to hold a press conference.

Rejean Chartrand, the city staffer in charge of building the train system, says "the wow factor has to be pretty significant" to justify the capital cost. He says the city will be able to give us an idea of what the stations, trains and transit streets will look like at open houses next month. It won't be a moment too soon. These trains will significantly change downtown. Did you know they will run on overhead wires? It would be nice to know what that would look like before enthusiastically buying in.

One of the things that will be a controversy, but shouldn't, is whether the new train is built and operated by the private sector. City staff estimates the private sector approach will save about 10 per cent on building and operating the train. It also transfers risk to the private sector, making a corporation responsible for any flaws in the new rail system.

Councillor Clive Doucet was quick to say what an outrage it would be to have the new train operated by other than the highly efficient government bus company, but he ought to think about how many footbridges could be built across the canal with the saved money.

The questions about cost and bang for the buck are important, but the real value of the train, or of any transit system, is its ability to change the pattern of development at key transit points. Good, frequent transit ought to be tied in with higher densities near the transit stations, restaurants and stores people can easily walk to, and jobs close by. We haven't done a terribly good job of delivering that with our transitway. If the commuter train is to be a success, it must do better. More on that Saturday.

Opposition grows on council to private commuter system

So far there seems little chance of defeat
Carly Weeks

The Ottawa Citizen


Friday, February 25, 2005

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/otct/20050225/262349-83090.jpg

A growing number of city councillors may put up roadblocks to the multimillion-dollar commuter train system because they are concerned about a staff proposal to use a private company for the operation and maintenance of the new line.


While it's unlikely there'll be enough opposition to put the project on ice, six councillors said yesterday they have new questions following a statement by Rejean Chartrand, the city's strategic projects director, that the city may outsource the operation and maintenance, in addition to the design and building of the transit system.


"I think I need to be convinced of why it would be a good thing," said Kanata Councillor Peggy Feltmate. She said that before she makes a decision, she wants a guarantee that a private company would be accountable and provide proper service.


Councillor Alex Cullen agreed, saying the cost benefits of using a private company may hurt the city in the long run in terms of quality of service and maintenance. "I have yet to be convinced that giving that to a public-private partnership is the best way to go about it. I'm skeptical," he said.


Since the city will be receiving the complaints if service is poor, the city should control the transit system's operation so it can properly address the concerns of riders, said Somerset Councillor Diane Holmes.


River Councillor Maria McRae, while supportive of the commuter train project, has reservations about using a private company. One of the main issues that will decide Ms. McRae's vote is if the city reaches agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279, in terms of operation and staffing.


Combining those councillors questioning who will operate the would-be system, with those who remain opposed to even having a commuter train in Ottawa, opposition could be stronger than Mayor Bob Chiarelli originally anticipated.


Nevertheless, so long as those councillors questioning who operates the system are ultimately satisfied, there appears little chance the mayor will fail to get council's approval for the project.


Beacon Hill-Cyrville Councillor Michel Bellemare and Knoxdale-Merivale Councillor Gord Hunter have said the proposed plans for the train system are too expensive and that it would be better to look at alternatives.


Meanwhile, councillors Diane Deans, Clive Doucet and Janet Stavinga have also said they are undecided about whether the public-private partnership is a good idea. They said they will listen to the debates and ask questions before making any decisions.


While Mr. Doucet said at a news briefing on the commuter train project earlier this week that he was shocked the city would look to a private partner, he admitted yesterday he may have overreacted because there could be benefits to using a private company for maintenance and operation of the commuter transit system.


Other councillors said they will support the commuter train system, even if it means using a private company, to reduce the heavy cost burden on the city. "Why not let the private sector provide the service? Therefore the private sector absorbs all the costs," said Rideau Councillor Glenn Brooks.

Other councillors who said they will support the most cost-efficient way to get the transit system up and running include Herb Kreling, Rainer Bloess, Jan Harder, Eli El-Chantiry, Rick Chiarelli, Shawn Little, Rob Jellett and Doug Thompson.

But before council can even make a decision about a public-private partnership, the city has to approve a report that will allow staff to begin a process for selecting a private sector partner. That report will be discussed at the city's Corporate Services and Economic Development committee meeting on Tuesday.
________

Airport accused of blocking commuter train

'That's bunk,' president replies
Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen


February 25, 2005



Ottawa Airport rejected a link to the city's giant commuter rail project because it would slash its parking revenue, the president of Canada's transportation lobby group says.

David Jeanes said yesterday he was told in a face-to-face meeting two years ago the airport was reluctant to agree to a rail connection because of the effect on the parking bottom line. Parking, he said, is "a very significant revenue generator."

However, the airport's president disputes Mr. Jeanes' claim. "That's bunk," Paul Benoit said yesterday. "That's totally, totally false."

The airport has set aside a corridor for a rail line on its property "indefinitely" and has reserved space in the terminal for a station, Mr. Benoit said. Insufficient demand for the service is the overriding reason for no link to the airport, he said, adding that when demand warrants, the airport will consider commuter rail.

The loss in parking revenue to transit would be a very small part of the airport's $65-million annual revenue, Mr. Benoit said.

Mr. Benoit's position was backed by Mayor Bob Chiarelli, who said the city has a letter from the airport authority that it plans to proceed with a link at some future date.

"I have a comfort level that there is a business case" for a rail line to the airport, Mr. Chiarelli said.

The disagreement between Mr. Benoit and Mr. Jeanes comes two days after the city announced details of the much-waited commuter train project.

However, in a surprise move, the municipality said yesterday that the route would not stop at the airport. Earlier, the city had battled to build a line to the airport despite the objections of its funding partners -- the federal and provincial governments -- who felt there was not enough money for the link. In the end, because of a lack of potential customers, technical and access problems and up to a $50-million cost, city officials abandoned the airport link.

Jim Durrell, board chairman of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, concurred with Mr. Benoit saying that when passenger load warrants, the airport could build its own link to the commuter rail line.

The airport would need about double its current 3.7-million annual passenger volume to warrant a road or rail shuttle to the commuter rail line, said Mr. Durrell, a former Ottawa mayor. The airport would retain the revenue from the shuttle, he said, adding that a major reason for a commuter rail would be to alleviate traffic congestion on the Airport Parkway and Riverside Road.

But Mr. Jeanes said the unwillingness to proceed with a link to the airport is "shortsighted." "Airport transit systems are highly successful," he said, noting that numerous airports -- St. Louis, Philadelphia, Washington and San Francisco, for example -- have rail transit connections. "Mirabel airport (near Montreal) had to close down without rail."

While claiming that parking revenue was a major reason for the airport's reluctance to support the link, Mr. Jeanes also said the city was probably looking to drop the airport connection because the projected $675-million cost of a line from Rideau Centre to Barrhaven will be difficult to meet in any case.

The lack of an airport station on the commuter rail line is a huge setback to using the Prince of Wales Bridge to send the train to Gatineau, Mr. Jeanes said. Lac Leamy casino is along a rail line that a commuter rail could use, but the selling point to the casino is a link to the airport so that gamblers could travel straight to the site, he said.

But even on this issue, Mr. Benoit disagrees with Mr. Jeanes. "I'm not sure how many high-rollers take the train," Mr. Benoit said.

Claude Bennett, the former chairman of the airport authority, said he didn't recall the parking revenue issue being discussed in relation to the commuter rail link. He thought the link would help staff at the airport to get to work, but that passenger volume on the train would be "very light."

Light-rail project worth $1.4B to city

Only Queensway, Rideau Canal rival project's economic impact
Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen


Monday, February 28, 2005



Ottawa's north-south commuter rail project will create about $1.44 billion in business activity during its construction in what is likely to be the largest economic generator in the city's history.

"It will open up the downtown to the suburbs," Rejean Chartrand, the city's strategic projects director, said yesterday. "It will create excitement and employment in the international marketplace."

Mr. Chartrand said the project will produce about 8,400 person years of work over the five-year course of the project. As well, it will generate about 12,600 jobs indirectly related to the project, he said yesterday.

Only the Queensway and Rideau Canal would rival the commuter rail project in terms of the economic spinoffs, officials speculated.

Ned Lathrop, the deputy city manager for planning, doubts the Queensway was larger because it was built in phases, while the commuter rail project is one single effort. "I believe it is the biggest," he said about the rail undertaking.

It is certainly the largest Ottawa municipal project ever. It dwarfs the former leader, the

R. O. Pickard Environmental Centre in Gloucester, which handles the city's waste water. It cost $300 million when it was built in the 1980s.

The north-south route is expected to cost about $675 million, of which $600 million is related to construction, Mr. Chartrand said.

Using the standard multiplier effect of 2.4 on the construction spending, $1.44 billion would be the effect on the whole Ottawa economy.

In addition, Mr. Chartrand said city staff is assembling a report that will quantify the amount of development that will occur near the line. That report is expected in April.

In places such as Montreal and Toronto, "there is very, very significant development right along the line," Mr. Chartrand said. "This investment will create some density."

However, he cautioned that this growth must be tempered with economic reality. "You must be aligned with market conditions."

He said the condo market is showing signs of slowing and there is excess office space in the west end, signs of economic weakness. However, the office market is tight downtown, he said -- an indication of economic strength.

Nevertheless, the city will release a report today projecting a massive 52,000 population community in Riverside South that will include 25,000 jobs, said city planning director Dennis Jacobs. The 20-year project, largely by developers Urbandale and Richcraft, will put 32,000 people and 10,000 jobs within walking distance of the commuter rail line. The report will go to planning committee on March 8.

The commuter rail project was becoming an economic necessity, Mr. Chartrand said. The technology community was growing increasingly worried that congestion on the Queensway was ruining Ottawa's competitive position in the international marketplace, he said. Thus the move to the east-west and north-south rail projects.

"This creates the image of a vibrant, dynamic city," Mr. Chartrand said.

The project will also completely redesign Albert and Slater streets, making them not only rapid-bus and train friendly but much more attractive, he said. They will become pedestrian malls with one lane of autos for local access and through traffic.

Commuter rail will also boost downtown festivals, entertainment spots such as the National Arts Centre, and tourism, Mr. Chartrand said. And it will put south Nepean within easy reach of core attractions with fast, secure transportation.

And some Ottawa retail news (didn't want to start a new thread for this!):

Disney Store dumped for Banana Republic with Rideau Centre reno
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Feb 28, 2005 8:00 AM EST

Following the recent announcement that both Banana Republic and Old Navy are opening new stores at the Rideau Centre, significant changes are being made to the downtown mall to accommodate the new fashion tenants.


The Disney Store, located on the second floor and a tenant for 10 years, has reached the end of its lease and will not be renewed in order to make way for Banana Republic. Neighbouring store Bikini Village was also taken out of its current space to make way for Banana's new 6,800-square-foot store.


"The lease came up and we, as we do whenever a lease is coming up, we evaluate the tenant and opportunities to re-let the space and we make tough decisions sometimes," said Cindy VanBuskirk, director of marketing and leasing at the Rideau Centre. "This was a tough decision. We opted not to renew the Disney store, we were able to make a deal to relocate Bikini Village who did have some term left on their lease."


As for the Disney Store, now owned by The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. of New Jersey, there simply was not a suitable alternative space available. Ms VanBuskirk is unsure if it will reappear again in the shopping centre's expansion plans.


"When we got Disney here at Rideau Centre it was quite a coup, it was the first store in the market and very exciting but the cachet that Disney has, has been a bit diluted in terms of the videos and merchandise being available at mass merchants like Wal-Mart," said Ms VanBuskirk. "They were a solid performer...(we had) a long term tenant that we were very happy with (but) you've got a list as long as your arm of quality prestige tenants that you need in your shopping centre that you don't have space for, so you make a tough decision and the shopping centre is better served with Banana Republic than it is with the Disney store today."


Market Research Corp. general manager Barry Nabatian thinks it is a smart move on the part of the Rideau Centre to prioritize Banana Republic over Disney.


"I'm not at all surprised that they have not renewed Disney's lease because it really hasn't done well in our region. The capital region is a little bit too sophisticated, we have the highest level of education in Canada here and Disney in a way is passé," said Mr. Nabatian. "They need to bring Banana Republic, and of course, Old Navy will do very well there."


Old Navy will be occupying 24,000 square feet on the second floor. Some smaller tenants will be downsized or moved elsewhere in the mall, including Athlete's World.


Even the escalators from the first floor next to Shopper's Drug Mart that service customers travelling up to Athlete's World and HMV will be removed to make room.


"Two escalators in that area are coming out to facilitate this deal," said Ms VanBuskirk. "We did a lot of research and studies on escalator patterns and usage in the shopping centre before we made a decision to proceed with the Old Navy deal because our owners wanted to be satisfied about how people move and could the escalators at centre court handle the traffic. The escalators (in that area) were the least used in the property."


Mr. Nabatian agrees that eliminating the escalators is a smart move that will add much-needed space at the mall. However, despite all the work being done to accommodate Banana Republic and Old Navy, he believes they will soon be looking to the expanded portion of the mall for space.


"I don't know whether the location for those two is the best location within the centre. It is right now but I suspect once it is expanded the newer part is going to have so much better lighting, colour and design that maybe they will relocate them after a year – it is quite possible. It would seem to me that especially for Banana Republic they would want the best part of the mall."


Some more tenant movement will likely happen at the Rideau Centre before expansion plans get underway but Ms VanBuskirk was unwilling to disclose details at the moment.


Plans are still underway to make some announcements in the summer as to when construction on the expansion will begin, what the design will be and which tenants will be coming on-board.


"There are tenants that are coming to market that need to be accommodated. Our expansion and the timing of our expansion at present works very well for four or five very key tenants that are coming to the market," said Ms VanBuskirk. "They are on hold waiting to see when our expansion is actually going to take shape. If it delays, we run the risk of having them open somewhere else."

Its interesting to read that Ottawa airport claims it is not viable to have a rail link and passenger traffic needs to double, and that a link could only be operated by the airport. So we have to wait till Ottawa has 2M pop (2100AD?) to have a spur to the airport - nuts! Sounds like the airport is only interested in parking and taxi revenues and unless it can make more money from a rail link which it operates it is not interested. Is this the simple reason why virtually non of Canada's airports have rail connections (Is Dorval's connection in construction yet?) - how short sighted, yet it sounds true!!!!!!!!! This sounds like an area which the fed govt needs to take action on, but will we see it?

Let's not rush into rail plan
York region has the right idea: shape suburbs first, then the trains

Randall Denley
The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Ottawa could learn some lessons from York region about how to plan new suburban communities. We are in a mad rush to build a train line. They are taking the time to get suburban expansion right.

York is part of that vast suburban sprawl outside of Toronto. It already has a population of about one million people, and expects rapid growth over the next 20 years. York plans to give that growth focus by developing four "transit villages," suburban downtowns linked by rapid transit. Much like Ottawa's new community south of the airport, these are intended to be places where people can work, shop and live, but also get into the centre of the city using rapid transit.

York has used the same "smart growth" principles as Ottawa, and is aiming for the same 30-per-cent share of peak commuting trips to be delivered by public transit by 2021. Like Ottawa's Riverside South, its new downtowns will be built in areas where there is little or no existing development.

And there the similarities end.

Ottawa city planners expect city councillors to approve a plan for the new Riverside South community in the next few weeks. The first we saw of the details was the end of last week. In York region, the nature of their new suburban downtowns has been carefully shaped over years, with the heavy lifting being done by a committee consisting of city staff, developers, ratepayers groups and other public representatives. People in York were allowed to do more than take a last-minute look at a city staff plan.

After considerable persuading, developers have agreed to take a different approach, particularly in Markham Centre, one of the four downtowns that is just starting to develop. Acres of free parking won't be offered. It will be underground or metered. The streetscape will be like that of a real downtown, with shops up to the sidewalk.

The region is starting with buses in a transitway-type approach, but not ordinary buses. They have chosen higher-end Belgian buses that are physically similar to the cars of a light-rail train. By 2009, they will assess the market demand and dollars available before deciding whether to go light-rail, says Mary-Frances Turner, a former Markham planner who is now in charge of the region's new transit expansion.

Markham's plan is possible because of years of resisting pressure to develop the central Highway 7 corridor with uses like car dealerships and big box stores.

"If you go down that road, you are toast," Turner says.

In Ottawa, our city politicians have given in to these kinds of demands, again and again. The Kanata Centrum big box nightmare is the best recent example. It was supposed to be a downtown.

The concept for Markham centre was designed by noted American architect and urban planner Andres Duany. He is regarded as one of the leading proponents of New Urbanism, a movement that advocates a return to a more traditional style of development.

That traditional development features the sorts of streets one might see in the Glebe. While York chose to employ Duany, Ottawa brought him in for a day to give a talk.

One of the key flaws of Ottawa's Riverside South proposal is the idea that big box stores will fill half of the so-called downtown. City planners justify this by saying big box will eventually be phased out and will be replaced by something else.

That's wishful thinking, Turner says. Markham Centre makes no provision for big box retailing.

The Markham development "puts the urban in suburban," says Rudy Buczolits, vice-president of Remington Group, the company developing the downtown. What is being attempted in Markham is not being done anywhere else in North America on such a scale, Buczolits says. He acknowledges bringing retail and commercial development to the new downtown will be a challenge. Other developers have actually criticized his company for making the commitment to build a real downtown, rather than just put up houses and get out, but Remington has worked with the city for several years and believes in the concept.

Without the retail and the office jobs, the community's transit vision will fail, Buczolits says. Denser residential alone isn't enough to make the transit a success.

York is facing much the same problem as Ottawa, but officials have gone about solving it differently. They have given themselves the time for a proper community debate, a real public involvement. We certainly don't need a decade to plan Riverside South, but we obviously require more time than has been invested so far. It sometimes eludes those at City Hall, but development isn't just a matter between developers and city planners. This is our city they are building. We all ought to take an interest in what that city will be like. Especially when such a large public investment is required.

NCC sells key piece of light-rail route

City says 'inadvertent' sale of Bayview area parcel could cause problems for $675M project
Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen

Saturday, March 05, 2005



City officials are concerned that the National Capital Commission has sold a critical piece of land in the Bayview area through which one of three possible commuter rail routes must run.

Deputy city manager Ned Lathrop admitted yesterday the sale could cause land-acquisition problems for the $675-million project. "It may indeed. Somebody else owns it and I need it," he said.

The NCC sold a 1.4-hectare parcel of land on the southeast corner of the intersection of the current O-Train route and Scott Street to a company related to DCR/Phoenix Development Corp. a few weeks ago, Mayor Bob Chiarelli said yesterday.

According NCC spokeswoman Eva Schacherl, the property was sold for $801,000 to 2024644 Ontario Inc., a company used by DCR/Phoenix to buy property on its behalf. She said the offer to purchase was made in May 2003 and the deal closed two weeks ago,

The city's concern about the property surprised DCR/Phoenix's planning manager Bill Buchanan, who expressed puzzlement that city officials didn't know about the sale or his company's plans for the site.

Noting the deal closed last month, he said an application for subdivision approval and zoning amendments was filed with the city on Oct. 20, 2003.

The company also held a public meeting about two weeks ago to tell residents about plans for the land. DCR/Phoenix wants to build 56 units of condos and houses, as well as an 18-storey apartment on the land.

"The city knew that," Mr. Buchanan said, pointing out that the site in question conforms to the city's policy of trying to infill downtown land.

He said his firm has been dealing with senior city staff on the housing project, and that no one has contacted his company about the proposed commuter line route.

For his part, Mr. Buchanan expressed surprise that a commuter line might cut through the property. "That's news to us," he said, adding that if a rail line did go across the property, the company's develop plans would probably change.

Mr. Lathrop referred to the NCC action in selling the land as "inadvertent." The Crown corporation did not know the specific location of the three possible routes when the sale was made, he said.

The NCC and the city have been trying to co-operate on land issues that involve the commuter train project. But privately senior city officials are annoyed that the Bayview land was sold a developer and not to the municipality. They worry about the cost of purchasing the site and whether there might be delays on the rail project if the city has to expropriate the property. As Mr. Lathrop put it Friday, dealing with another government body on land acquisition is easier than dealing with than a private owner.

Michael Polowin, a lawyer specializing in municipal affairs, said the fact that companies want to buy land near the commuter rail route is a testimony to the confidence the business community has in the project.

"The intention of the city is that the light-rail corridor be well used," he said.

Land is likely to become much more valuable near rail stations, Mr. Polowin said. And that land will probably change hands quickly as development nears.

"The city better get used to it," Mr. Polowin said. "It is a possible indication of the success of the project. No one should be surprised."

Indeed, there are numerous changes in the offing for Bayview. For example, Mr. Chiarelli said there is "an outside possibility" that Tom Brown Arena in Hintonburg might have to be demolished to accommodate another proposed commuter rail route through the area.

However, if the old arena goes a new one will be built north of the existing arena's current location, the mayor said, noting that a new arena is in the budget of the commuter rail project.

The Bayview area has become a critical part of the commuter rail program. The line comes in from the east and makes a turn to move south along the current O-Train route. Because of the speed of the trains and the incline of the escarpment from downtown, the route will be tricky to build and could take up much land in a giant curve.

However, Bayview is not only important technically, but also developmentally. Already the Canadian War Museum is located near Bayview.

As well, the new central library is proposed for area, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum is pondering a site near the hub of the rapid bus Transitway and commuter rail line.

Large developments are also planned for nearby LeBreton Flats and Bayview, including office, commercial and residential developments in conjunction with the station and library complex.

Meanwhile, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP has been award the contract to handle the legal work on the commuter rail project, city solicitor Jerry Bellomo said yesterday. The firm beat out five other competitors.

The eventual look of the rapid transit network (BRT and O-train)

http://ottawa.ca/city_services/planningzoning/2020/transpo/images/map5.jpg

Light-rail on Albert and Slater will cause gridlock

business representative


*

Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen


April 2, 2005












The configuration of the commuter rail project on Albert and Slater streets is unworkable and will lead to gridlock and economic dislocation, the head of downtown Ottawa's largest business association says.

Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street Business Improvement Area, said yesterday that running the commuter rain line and the rapid-bus transitway down the two streets will disrupt traffic, hamper access to businesses, create problems for emergency service and snow removal and even cause accidents.

Mr. LePage's organization, which represents dozens of businesses, expects to produce a policy paper in about two weeks to address the potential problems of the commuter rail project. But in an interview yesterday, he offered a preview of what to expect.

"It doesn't look like it will work," he said.

With commuter rail running down one side of the street and the transitway on the other side, Mr. LePage says it will be difficult for customers and employees to enter businesses along the streets. "I don't believe there has been adequate analysis about how they will access their businesses."

That lack of access will result in a decline in business on those streets and force some firms to close, he said.

He said there is little evidence that more people will take transit even with commuter rail added as an option.

Mr. LePage also worries that emergency vehicles will be delayed because of congestion on the two streets. Auto accidents will also be more likely on the streets with only one lane for cars.

Deputy city manager Ned Lathrop said the city is looking for feedback and welcomes Mr. LePage's comments. However, Mr. Lathrop, who has met with area businesses, doesn't feel his views reflects those of most downtown firms.

Office owners believe the route will make it convenient for employees and customers to access their buildings, particularly since trains will pass every five minutes, Mr. Lathrop said. "That's not a big negative" for business access. A train every five minutes is not the end of the world."

So why is Ken Gray REALLY so opposed to the light rail projects? Sounds like typical lack of long-term vision. Isn't this exactly the sort of naysaying that in the 70s determined Ottawa would build a BRT system instead of LRT? And then promised when ridership warranted, they'd convert the whole thing to rail? So, why not simply do that now instead of building a whole new set of lines? Oh yeah, because that would cripple the system (shutting down the Transitway while it's converted would create commuter gridlock). Just bite the bullet and build it now before the price goes up. Funding is in place from the two upper levels of government. Or does Gray think the city's going to shrink?

I think Ottawa is particularly screwed up. With the different levels of government (Federal, 2 Provincial govts, 2 City govts, Parks Canada, NCC), everything takes forever, and nothing ends up as planned. This is exactly why Ottawa has the BRT and not the LRT that Calgary and Edmonton have, even though it is and was bigger. Someone bold needs to take that band-aid off, and give a proper solution. How and what that is, I'm not yet sure of.

I think priority one should redue the entire present transitway to LRT {except the Parkway}.
It can be done in stages so there is no major disruption.
One thing at a time.
The Transitway is already a great system, turning it to LRT would be even better.
Half the cost of rapid transit is land aquistion and station of which you already have both. AFTER that expand the OTrain.
It would be great to do both but if the money isn't there then upgrade the sections you have to LRT.

^Umm...the O-Train is LRT...

^Umm...the O-Train is LRT...
Yes, but the Transitway isn't.

Get it to the airport. you see the problems with not having a line to the airport in Toronto. its a horror story.
While getting the LRT to the airport would be great, I wouldn't use Toronto as a comparison. Firstly, there are way more passengers/people using Pearson versus Ottawa International. Calgary's LRT doesn't have a line to the airport and it handles more passengers than Ottawa and it is not a mess.

It should speed up service and reduce gridlock. It might grow slowly but just for those two reasons alone it should be built.
______________
Downtown group calls for pause in light rail plan
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Thu, Apr 21, 2005 8:00 AM EST

One of Ottawa's largest business organizations is warning city council against proceeding hastily with plans for a light rail commuter train system in the downtown core.

The Bank Street Business Improvement Association says the city should delay constructing a commuter rail link along the Albert-Slater street corridor, while it explores the possibility of using the current transitway with new environmentally-friendly buses.

Drawing on U.S.-based research, the association says commuter rail has failed to show significant increases in ridership, reduce congestion and cut pollution.

Gerry Lepage, executive director of the association, says the rail project should be delayed at least a year. He says the project is moving too quickly.

Previously, merchants and hotel owners along Albert and Slater have expressed concern about the rail system cutting off their businesses.

Mr. Lepage concedes the light rail plan cannot be stopped at this point, but his group makes a number of suggestions for changes. Among other things, he proposes putting the train and buses in the same traffic lane, allowing better access for cars in the downtown core.

The report contends that commuter rail costs almost $18 per person for each new rider, compared to $2.88 for car travel.

I thought the OTrain only ran a limited number of times a day, not every 6minutes or so like the TransitWay or Ctrain???.......if thats all it does that is NOT LRT but rather more of a commuter train.
BTW, Calgary is continuing to expand the CTrain, and with fresh new infastructure money from the Prove they are strting the expansion and new lines sooner than thought and they WILL have 6 different lines with one going to the airport in less than 20 years. It will have a total lenghth of about 80km.
With current growth projections for Calgary, the resounding success of Ctrain, and with the new extentions it will be carrying a MINIMUM of 600,000/a day.

I thought the OTrain only ran a limited number of times a day, not every 6minutes or so like the TransitWay or Ctrain???.......if thats all it does that is NOT LRT but rather more of a commuter train.
BTW, Calgary is continuing to expand the CTrain, and with fresh new infastructure money from the Prove they are strting the expansion and new lines sooner than thought and they WILL have 6 different lines with one going to the airport in less than 20 years. It will have a total lenghth of about 80km.
With current growth projections for Calgary, the resounding success of Ctrain, and with the new extentions it will be carrying a MINIMUM of 600,000/a day.

O-train runs every 15 minutes right now from early morning to midnight, so it's not a commuter train.
Nice :eek2: , I wish we had that kind of system in Ottawa!!

But Ottawa's transit numbers are still higher than Calgary aren't they (even for just the Ottawa side, which is 75% of Calgary's population)? The Transitway's good, but it's got much lower limits of capacity that LRT, which is why Ottawa needs O-Train to expand!

While some try to pause, the city pushes forward as a P3 project ..

City's integrated approach to light rail earns kudos
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff

Mon, Apr 18, 2005 12:00 AM EST

After years of political wrangling, the largest project in the history of Ottawa will be officially underway Tuesday when the City releases the terms, conditions and requirements for potential contractors for the North/South light rail transit corridor.
The release of the Request For Qualifications documents marks a new beginning for public transit in Ottawa and presents extensive economic opportunities for local contractors over the next few years.

"The interest in the marketplace for this project is very keen," said Réjean Chartrand, director of economic development and strategic projects for the City of Ottawa. "There will be lots of opportunities for Ottawa companies to work on this project."

The enormous scope and cost of the project, estimated at $700 million to $725 million, has sparked the interest of many high-profile Canadian and international companies. Speculation is that companies such as Siemens, Bombardier and The Washington Group have already begun to develop strategies and business plans to respond to the RFQ and the Request For Proposals.

The North-South line is just the first phase in the city's overall light rail plan. The environmental assessment process has already begun on an East-West line, although given the magnitude of the cost for that arm – pegged at $1.2 billion – it is still a long way from becoming reality.

Mr. Chartrand said that the number of qualified respondents is very positive for this competition process. Even if the prime companies involved are from outside Ottawa, the eventual workforce on the project will be about 90 per cent local as subcontractors will be hired from the area.

"We have a local base no matter who wins the bid," he said. "There will be a very competitive environment for local contractors with the light rail construction. Most of the international companies bidding already have ownership or association with Canadian companies."

Ben Redd, vice-president of project development for The Washington Group (named after founder Dennis Washington, not the city), acknowledges that his company will be bidding on the Ottawa project. He said his company views Canada as a very attractive place to do business and the City of Ottawa has been very proactive and impressive in setting up a sophisticated procurement process for the light rail project.

The Washington Group, based in Boise, Idaho, has 25,000 employees in 30 countries. It has completed 24 major projects in Canada over the past 30 years, including work on PEI's Confederation Bridge and a phosphate mining operation in Kapuskasing.

Mr. Redd confirmed that The Washington Group will be maximizing local content in its workforce if it is awarded the light rail contract. The company does have a Canadian subsidiary – Washington Group Northern Ltd.

"We are in the process of establishing contact with companies we believe will make good partners," said Mr. Redd. "We believe it is important to have local companies on-board and we will have local representatives working with us."

Councillor Peter Hume, chair of Ottawa's planning and environment committee, has one of six spots on the light rail selection committee. He says the city is looking for companies that can ensure stability and accountability.

"This is not a learn-as-you-go project. It's too much money and it's too important for there to be mistakes," Counc. Hume said.

Mr. Redd believes his company is the right choice for the project and can provide the turn-key option that the city is seeking – design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM). He says Ottawa light rail is a unique opportunity because the city is seeking a public/private partner (P3) to fully integrate everything from construction to technology initiatives to facility design and program management – a comprehensive approach that The Washington Group has worked with before.

In 1996, the company was awarded a US$1.1-billion contract by New Jersey Transit to form a public-private partnership for the design and construction of a light rail commuter train corridor. The project, known as the Hudson-Bergen Line, was considered the largest and most successful DBOM light rail system in North America, according to Mr. Redd. He said the project was completed on schedule and opened for business in 2000.

Mr. Redd has been impressed with how Ottawa has managed its project. He believes that the procurement process allows every company to compete on a level playing field and the city has heeded the advice of people with experience in the light rail field.

"We believe The Washington Group has a legitimate opportunity to compete for this project," he said.

That is the key for Mr. Chartrand and the city – to ensure every company has a legitimate shot at winning the bid. "This competitive environment will ensure we get the company that has the most stability, expertise and management potential for such a large project," Mr. Chartrand said.

BY CHRIS GILLCASH

I didn't know the OTrain ran every 15 minutes, my mistake.
Its ridership is still quite low is it not? Its only one one single rail, not twinned for more frequent service.................I think.
Yes, Calgary's system is something to be truly jealous of and will double its length and have a underground subway all within 20 years, and a total of 6 lines.

Main LRT Expansion Site: http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/index_en.shtml

New System Map: http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/map/index_en.shtml

Detailed Diagrams (Will be finalized in July):

ftp://data.mmm.ca/OLRTRFP/

Wow, detailed plans are awesome! Lots of stations!

I didn't know the OTrain ran every 15 minutes, my mistake.
Its ridership is still quite low is it not? Its only one one single rail, not twinned for more frequent service.................I think.
Yes, Calgary's system is something to be truly jealous of and will double its length and have a underground subway all within 20 years, and a total of 6 lines.

yep, it's about 8,000 a day right now! It's single rail almost the entire length except at Carleton, where the two trains meet in the middle. The plan is to be double tracked the entire way, except potentially not under Dow's lake. There is a single-rail tunnel there right now, and the consultants ideal plans call for another one to be made, but it may be too expensive.

Wow, that's pretty sweet for a Canadian city! Hopefully Ottawa's will eventually reach that kind of length and overall coverage.

Also, in the detailed plans, you can see the proposed link to the airport, which is interesting. I guess in that plan some trains would be direct-to-airport ones, while the majority would be on their regular routes. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, though.

Thankfully Ottawa won't need six lines. It's a much older and denser city than the cities out West. Meaning there can be a larger segment of the population reached with less lines.

^^^^^^^^
True but Calgary has planned its CTrain extensions so they saved many of the ROW and now their planning has payed off.

^I'd prefer to have denser cores to planned sprawl anyday (to save money on ROWs);)
______________________
Wed, April 27, 2005

City firms up O-Train pact
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun


THE ANNOUNCEMENT of a formal agreement on the expansion of the O-Train is expected to come in early May, City Hall sources said yesterday. The deal would formalize a memorandum of understanding (MOU) just as the minority government of the federal Liberals appears headed for collapse.

"We were able to put the finishing touches on the MOU," city manager Kent Kirkpatrick said yesterday. He said the agreement has now been passed on to the federal and provincial governments and is awaiting approval.

A media event to announce the signing is also being planned.

While the O-Train expansion deal was announced last year city, provincial and federal officials have been working on the MOU for months.

The deal outlines the timelines and other details surrounding the $675-million project.

So far, the city has only a news release promising the funding. That has MPs such as Nepean-Carleton Conservative Pierre Poilievre crying foul, alleging that no money is coming and the entire deal is just another Liberal broken promise.

City officials hope that with an MOU, it will be harder for someone like Poilievre to cancel the deal should the Tories take power.

COUNCILLOR 'NOT WORRIED'

Several city councillors say they're not worried that it has taken so long to get a formal deal.

"I'm not worried about it whatsoever because I know that it's happening and there will be an announcement in the very near future," said Coun. Jan Harder. "We've been working on this for 10 months now."

While the city tries to get the first MOU signed, questions linger over a 1992 memorandum signed between Bombardier and the province of Ontario.

Bombardier maintains that the MOU guarantees the province will do its best to guarantee contracts for light rail vehicles built with provincial funding. That would include the roughly $100 million in rail cars the city needs to buy for the O-Train expansion.

Kirkpatrick tried to sort the issue out with Bombardier in a telephone call last week, but no agreement appears to have been reached.

"I've had a discussion with Bombardier, but there's not much I'm going to to be able to tell you," said Kirkpatrick. "They are trying to arrange a meeting with provincial officials."

I'm not sure having buses on the street at the same time as LRT is going to relieve much congestion. The LRTs are going to be tied up the same way as the Transitway buses are...I think they should have a ROW or underground tunnel downtown. Think BIG, Ottawa!
_____________________
Sat, April 30, 2005

O-Train planners want biz onboard
Hope new plans will please core shops
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
O-TRAIN consultants and city staff are trying to quell opposition from downtown building owners with new plans that would have trains and buses one day share a lane on two streets.

"It's a good balance," said Viv Chi, the city's manager for transportation infrastructure. "Some parking would be lost, but it's not a huge amount."

Chi said the details of the route are being worked on.

"This is a work in progress," she said. "We expect the businesses to be a little more pleased."

Under the revisions to the future downtown route of the light rail service, the train could run west on the north side of Albert St. and east on the south side of Slater St. The trains would run in one lane, which would be shared with OC Transpo buses.

FEWER BUSES

On Albert St., the lane would be located on the north side of the street with train and bus pickup platforms alternating on every block. A similar system would be set up on Slater St., with trains having right-of-way.

The city is also looking at a reduction in the number of buses on the roads with that traffic moved to other streets, such as Laurier Ave. or Queen St.

The goal is to achieve a 25% reduction, but no plan as to how that will be accomplished has been released.

Many of the store and business owners on the south side of Albert St. complained the train lane would cut off access to their businesses. By moving the platforms to the other side of the street, all accesses to garages and office buildings and a small amount of on-street parking would be reduced.

Rick Furano, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Ottawa, said he hadn't yet seen the plans, but noted the city had been discussing the concerns of building owners.

"Our members who are on those streets are obviously very concerned about having both buses and trains on the streets and taking up two lanes," he said.

PARKING FEARS

The building owners were concerned the train would block access to buildings. The group also fears the possible loss of on-street parking spaces.

Coun. Diane Holmes, who represents the area, said she was happier with the new plans, although she believes the city needs to address some key issues in regards to urban design and beautification.

Holmes also wants to see a reduction in the number of buses that will travel on Slater and Albert streets.

Transitway will be 'scrapped'
Mayor says light-rail will vastly reduce downtown buses by 2009

Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen

Sunday, May 01, 2005

The transitway will be dismantled through downtown with the introduction of commuter rail on Albert and Slater streets in 2009, Mayor Bob Chiarelli says.

"The transitway as we know it today will be scrapped," Mr. Chiarelli said. "One of the benefits of light-rail is to reduce significantly the number of buses downtown."

With a hub-and-spoke system planned for transit throughout the city, fewer buses will be required to travel downtown, the mayor said. Instead, the system will see frequent neighbourhood service linked to the transitway and commuter rail system.

Passengers would transfer from neighbourhood buses to rapid bus and rail to travel downtown. As a result, there will be fewer buses. Those that remain will be large buses, such as the articulated No. 95 and 97. They will continue to travel to the core.

Business owners along the Albert-Slater corridor have expressed concerned that allowing cars, buses and rail along those streets will cripple accessibility to their stores and businesses. They fear that the corridor will result in the same kind of decay that occurred on Rideau Street when the bus mall was built.

However, Mr. Chiarelli said buses could be moved to Laurier Avenue or use the same lane as commuter rail.

"There has been some concern expressed in having buses and light-rail in the two proposed rights of way, Albert and Slater," he said. "The system will have to be adjusted for light-rail."

The mayor said the final configurations of bus routes and rail lines are still being worked out. But he emphasized that the current volume of bus passengers will be significantly reduced with the introduction of rail.

"We're looking at a greatly reduced number of buses. It's not keeping the transitway and the trains at the same time."

Mr. Chiarelli's comments are the first indication the city is looking at moving buses from the Albert-Slater corridor to Laurier Avenue.

Deputy city manager Ned Lathrop said there are a number of possibilities for bus travel through the core, including configurations on Slater and Albert. As well, there is the possibility of moving buses to Laurier Avenue.

Rejean Chartrand, the city's director of strategic delivery, said there has been talk at City Hall about reducing the number of bus routes through the city.

The transitway, a bus-only road that runs through Ottawa, has been the backbone of the city's mass transit system for three decades. Along Slater and Albert streets and across the Mackenzie King Bridge, it consists of one lane dedicated to buses. About 200,000 riders use the transitway through the city core each day.

Wed, May 4, 2005

NCC switches transit study to fast track
By LAURA CZEKAJ, Ottawa Sun
The National Capital Commission is hoping to bridge the gap -- the Ottawa River, that is -- by pitching in $350,000 for an interprovincial rapid-transit study.

The announcement was made last night at the annual meeting between the NCC board of directors and interest groups. The funding is for a joint study of the integration of interprovincial rapid-transit systems in the capital's core area. The City of Ottawa and the Societe de transport de l'Outaouais, on behalf of the City of Gatineau, are also partners.

"The NCC recognizes the importance and the value of this study that will propose concrete and effective solutions to the problems of the interprovincial transit facing the core area of the national capital," said NCC chairman Marcel Beaudry.

Meanwhile, transportation interest groups prepared to broach the issue of the study with the NCC were pleasantly surprised to learn of the funding decision.

'DEFINING STUDY'

"This is going to be the defining study for transit between Gatineau and Ottawa," said David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000. "We hope it will be started by this fall by the latest."

The study will also examine the use of the Prince of Wales rail bridge spanning the Ottawa River as a way to expand the light-rail system.

The City of Ottawa is taking part in a $600-million deal with the federal and provincial governments to expand rail service.
______________________________________________________
Downtown group suggests tunnel for O-train
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Tue, May 3, 2005 8:00 AM EST

Some downtown Ottawa business leaders are urging the city to bury the O-train through the downtown core.

A group of business and hotel owners along Albert and Slater streets say the city should build a tunnel through the core, rather than run the commuter rail system along the surface of Albert and Slater. They fear the combination of trains and buses on the surface will drive away commuters and hurt business.

The group – which includes Morguard Investments, Metcalfe Realty, Canril Corp. and several downtown hotel properties – has written the Mayor to express its concerns about the current plan for commuter rail in the downtown.

The group suggests if a tunnel can't be built, the existing bus lanes should be used for either buses or trains, but not both.

City staff are working on the issue, but deputy city manager Ned Lathrop says the projected $700-million cost of a tunnel can't be justified at the present time.

Mayor Bob Chiarelli says he's sensitive to the concerns of downtown business, but says the tunnel idea is not on.

Awesome!
_________________________________________________
'It's a done deal': Governments sign on to light rail
Federal, provincial levels pledge in writing $200M each in funding
Carly Weeks
The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

The federal and provincial governments signed a memo of understanding with Mayor Bob Chiarelli yesterday on Ottawa's light rail plan, signalling that their commitment to investing up to $200 million each in the commuter rail project is a "done deal."

"The commitment is there so it's a done deal," said federal Infrastructure Minister John Godfrey.

Yesterday was the first time that the two senior levels of government have committed themselves in writing to invest in Ottawa's commuter train project. That's a victory for Mr. Chiarelli, who has promoted the project for years.

Mr. Chiarelli dismissed speculation that the memo of understanding was signed as politicking on the part of the minority Liberals amid speculation that a federal election could soon be called. Besides the mayor and Mr. Godfrey, Ottawa Vanier MPP Madeleine Meilleur, Ottawa South MP David McGuinty and Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely -- all Liberals -- attended yesterday's event.

"It took a lot of champions to get to where we are today," said Mr. Chiarelli. "This project is the largest ever in the city of Ottawa."

Mr. Chiarelli said signing the agreement is a key step in the city's quest to complete the $675-million expansion of the O-train through downtown and into Riverside South and Barrhaven. The provincial and federal governments have pledged to spend up to $200 million each on the project, with the city picking up the rest of the tab.

Fears of an upcoming election have raised concerns in recent weeks that federal funding might not be forthcoming if the Liberals fail to hold on to power. But Conservative leader Stephen Harper has said in an open letter to Canadian municipalities that he will honour all agreements made between the three levels of government if his party forms the next government.

Those assurances were echoed yesterday by Pierre Poilievre, the MP for Nepean Carleton, who was also present at yesterday's signing ceremony. "We're going to honour the agreement," said Mr. Poilievre. "I support any infrastructure investment in my constituency."

Despite assurances from the Conservatives, it remains unclear what will happen to the commuter train project if the Liberal government's budget fails to pass in the House of Commons.

"My biggest concern at the very least is that we'd lost out on 2005 funding," said Mr. Chiarelli. "I see mixed messages coming from the Conservative party and I'd like to see stronger statements with respect to the budget."

Mr. Chiarelli warned that if the Conservatives do vote down the budget, the party will have to answer to angry municipal politicians. "If they defeat that portion of the budget, there will be a lot of mayors from across Canada who will be very unhappy."

Also on hand at yesterday's announcement were nine workers from the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay, who flew to Ottawa for yesterday's announcement. Bombardier is angry that Ottawa is seeking proposals for the project from other vendors because of a deal signed with the province that is supposed to give the company exclusive rights to mass rail contracts. Workers marched silently during the signing ceremony.
_________________________________
Tue, May 10, 2005

O-Train deal on track
Mayor, local Liberals gather to ink $600M funding agreement for system's expansion
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun


MAYOR Bob Chiarelli and a group of Liberal politicians celebrated the signing of a key funding document for the expansion of the O-Train at a campaign-style event yesterday.

Under the shade of a white tent set up along the banks of the Rideau River, Chiarelli was joined by federal Infrastructure Minister John Godfrey, Ottawa South MP David McGuinty, provincial Francophone Affairs Minister Madeleine Meilleur and Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely.

"It took a lot of champions to get to where we are today," said Chiarelli as he and the other politicians marked the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the $600-million O-Train deal.

The event was similar to one held about a year earlier before the last federal election, when a similar group of Liberals announced the original deal for the expansion of the light rail system.

"With today's announcement we can see our government's deal is the real deal for residents of Ottawa," said McGuinty, who joined Chiarelli on stage.

The O-Train will cost the city approximately $675 million, with $400 million coming from the federal and provincial governments.

'ELECTION TIMING'

Chiarelli assured the crowd the event was not influenced by any pending federal election but only minutes later he said he was concerned cities could lose promised federal funding in 2005 if the current Liberal budget doesn't pass.

"You can certainly tell it's election time," said Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre, who wasn't invited to the event held in his riding but showed up anyway.

"It's clearly motivated by election timing."

Poilievre and other Conservatives had refused to commit to keeping the train expansion alive if they take power but now that there's a deal, Poilievre said he would support the project if a Conservative government is elected.

The event was held near the future site of the Strandherd-Armstrong bridge, which will be used to carry trains and cars over the Rideau once construction on the system begins.

The agreement reaffirms the commitment of funding from each government to build the O-Train and also affirms that the bidding process for the contracts will be open and fair.

NO PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT

That came as bad news for the Bombardier workers who had gathered with Canadian Auto Workers flags calling on the politicians to give preferential treatment to their employer.

Chiarelli said there will be no preferential treatment for any companies bidding on the O-Train.

Houston's Light Rail a model for Ottawa's future?
__________________________________________
Light rail lessons from south of the border

Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen

May 14, 2005

In the land where cars are king, light rail offers great hope of rebirth and rejuvenation. Only 15 months in service, Houston's MetroRail is being credited with increasing development and employment in the downtown core, fostering an optimism that would make W.P. Kinsella smile. The Houston experience seems to whisper, 'If you build it, they will come.' Ken Gray reports from Houston, Texas.

Connie Kemp is staking her financial future on Houston's commuter train, the MetroRail.

She recently opened Stallone's, an upscale diner, near the showplace of the line, Main Street Square Station. Her business is just a block from the $150-million Reliant Energy Plaza office building -- a tower that might not have been built if not for the MetroRail line in its shadow.

"I love it," Mrs. Kemp said about the commuter train system. Just three days after opening the doors of Stallone's, she declared that "business has been very good."

Her location beside the station, a few blocks from Minute Maid Park, home of baseball's Astros, gives her hope for financial success.

Ms. Kemp's attitude is characteristic of the optimism that Houston has for the ability of the MetroRail to stimulate business along its route.

In Ottawa, it's a different story.

The municipality is planning one of the largest construction projects in its history: a $675-million north-south commuter rail line, between the Rideau Centre and Barrhaven, certain to alter the city's economic landscape.

(The plan is a large step closer to reality following Monday's confirmation that the provincial and federal governments will each contribute $200 million; the bidding process is under way, and work is to begin next year, with service to start in the fall of 2009.)

Ottawa's downtown business community seems to share little of Houston's rail-generated optimism.

The Bank Street Business Improvement Area, in particular, has repeatedly warned that its dozens of members will suffer from traffic gridlock, poor access for emergency vehicles, suppliers and customers, and a bad pedestrian environment -- mostly around the rail line's proposed Albert and Slater streets corridor.

Whether for or against this city-altering project, though, Ottawans stand to learn a few lessons from the Houston example.

Although it is much larger in population, Houston shares some key characteristics with the Ottawa region:

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S.; Ottawa is the fourth-largest city in Canada, based on 2001 Census data. Houston, with its car-based culture, spreads for 100 kilometres from top to bottom, held together by freeways and suburban developments; Ottawa is also a sprawling metropolitan area, contained somewhat by the Greenbelt, but still spreading over a vast landscape of 2,800 square kilometres.

And both Houston's system and Ottawa's planned commuter rail line are intended to ease the crush on the cities' overloaded roads, now and for the years of growth to come. Houston's car-generated air pollution is already so bad, scientists say, that it has increased lightning strikes on the city.

Although the $324-million U.S. MetroRail system, built by German-based Siemens, hit the tracks only 15 months ago, Ottawans might want to look south. Despite the early days, MetroRail's impact is already being felt at many stops along the line.

- - -

Andrew Icken may be an executive vice-president of the world's largest medical institution, but most of his administrative time these days is spent, essentially, directing traffic.

The 60-year-old former Exxon executive is consumed by the problem of having to transport 70,000 employees and volunteers -- and thousands more patients -- to and from the Texas Medical Center each day.

Only one in 10 employees takes public transit to work, with the rest driving. As a result, parking is at a premium, and the roads are jam-packed in the south end of Houston's downtown.

With its workforce expected to grow to 100,000 within a decade, Mr. Icken realized it was time to take action.

He joined Houston transit officials in implementing the commuter-rail system, ultimately helping to bring the 15-kilometre MetroRail line right through the medical centre's campus.

For Mr. Icken, the question is not whether to build public transportation, it is "how much do we put" into it.

"We can't handle that many cars," he said, referring to the centre's expansion plans. "It is absolutely vital that we find an alternative way to

get here." MetroRail will not have achieved its full potential until it expands into the suburbs, he said. "More is better, as far as I'm concerned.

"This community can't prosper without a mass transit system."

Indeed, downtown Houston hasn't seen prosperity in a long time.

The city, a tangle of wide roads and 16-lane freeways, is a prime example of North American urban sprawl. With few natural barriers to curb expansion, and a dearth of zoning bylaws, shopping and living is mostly done in the suburbs. The downtown was left to rot.

But the run-down tenements and crumbling historic buildings of Houston's slums are being turned around, thanks, in part, to MetroRail.

"It was an armpit along its entire length," Guy Hagstette, of the Central Houston business group, said of the former Main Street, now occupied by commuter rail.

North and south of the Main Street Square Station -- the stop near Stallone's -- there are still pockets of slums. But the improvements are clear to see: New businesses have moved in, replacing many old, outmoded stores and offices, pedestrians have rediscovered the area, and developers are buying land and making plans to build.

The area around Minute Maid Park has been restored to its former glory. Called the Heritage District, the neighbourhood buildings have been sand-blasted, painted and, as is the case with the Houston Cotton Exchange, given new life as offices or retail space.

MetroRail "was the best solution we could find" to bring business, shoppers and a street scene to downtown, Mr. Hagstette said.

The statistics available so far on Houston's first year with commuter rail show that development has increased by millions of square feet along the route, according to Eric Laube, a senior planner at the City of Houston. And employment is up 12 per cent.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which runs the train, expects commercial, residential and retail development in the corridor to reach between $500 million and $1 billion U.S.

Housing, however, has failed to follow the commercial development. Only 302 people moved into the train corridor from 2000 to 2004. Total population along the line is about 15,000, in a metropolitan region of more than four million.

Still, people are coming downtown. Arts venues have seen a 10-per-cent increase in attendance during the first year of commuter service, said Susan Young, president of a business group at the south end of MetroRail.

Her organization, the South Main Center Association, represents the Museum District, the Theatre District, universities and Reliant Park, home of the NFL Texans, conventions, livestock exhibitions and rodeos. There were five million admissions to those places last year, and many of those people took the train.

Similarly, Ottawa's proposed rail system would serve many of the city's premier institutions, including the National Arts Centre, the new War Museum, the proposed municipal library, the National Gallery, Parliament, and summer music festivals.

"You can take it to the theatre or the museums," Ms. Young said of MetroRail. "You can take the grandchildren to the zoo."

Among those benefitting from the system are older residents who want to downsize and move to the core for a different lifestyle, she said. "Houstonians are just discovering light rail."

Andrew Icken, for his part, says he has seen the future of Houston's long-abandoned downtown -- and it is on the end of a leash. "I actually saw someone walking their dog."

It's a small sign of progress that suggests the downtown streets, currently vibrant during the day but fairly deserted at night, might yet come back to life.

- - -

Eighty-one times in the 15 months since MetroRail began operation, a train and vehicle have collided on city streets.

This may be cause for some concern to Ottawa residents, since part of the capital's proposed rail line -- the downtown stretches along Slater and Albert streets -- will share the road with cars, trucks and buses (the majority of the line will be separated from traffic).

Last year, Houston's collision rate was 25 times the U.S. average for light-rail commuter trains. While no one has been killed, a few people have been seriously injured. Fifteen drivers have even driven into the fountain at Main Street Square station.

But Houston's "wham-bam tram" experience has turned out to be less the fault of the rail system and more a result of what people call "frontier drivers." Only two of the 81 crashes have actually been blamed on the train.

Houston police spokeswoman Johana Abad attributes the collisions to inattentive drivers. "They just don't pay attention and they're going too fast ... They don't use common sense."

The rail line is, simply, built on a stretch of road that drivers have turned dangerous. In a two-year period in the late-1990s, before the line was laid, 8,000 car crashes were recorded along its route. An independent study by Texas A&M University found that high traffic volume and drivers unaccustomed to the mix of road and rail were largely to blame. But there were no substantial problems with the line itself, the study found.

Still, passengers are often delayed, or sometimes even stranded, as a result of the troubles. And there have been a few other small growing pains felt by the new system.

A seven-centimetre rainfall in June caused a one-hour delay; debris and sand filled the rails and destroyed caution reflectors (the Houston line stops when 10 centimetres of water covers the tracks). And during big events, such as last year's Super Bowl, Houston's system was overcrowded and unable to handle all the passengers. So packed was the stadium area that MetroRail stopped service on the south end of the line near Reliant Stadium for three nights; officials feared pedestrian-train collisions.

These troubles are seized upon by vocal anti-rail, pro-car lobby groups, which have been fighting the project from the start.

Michael Stevens, who runs one of the largest real estate firms in Texas and is a leading opponent of commuter rail, says that, of 17 million daily trips in the Houston area, only 34,000 of those are by rail.

Public transit doesn't carry enough people and is expensive, said Mr. Stevens, whose group, Texans for True Mobility, spent $1.5 million U.S. opposing a 2003 referendum on commuter rail.

"None of these systems is cost-efficient ... It's not a transportation mode. It's more of a novelty," he said.

More freeways, and improvements to existing roads, are Mr. Stevens' answer to transportation woes. He suggests staggering times for work hours to spread out rush hours and charging for use of roads, as a way to cut traffic.

David Hutzelman, of the lobby group Business Committee Against Rail, says that with its stops, MetroRail travels at an average of only 32 km/h and causes delays on 32 cross streets over the 15-kilometre route.

As well, he says, 70 per cent of riders are low income. "They use transit until they can save enough money to buy a car." Studies have shown that commuters don't like to walk, transfer from buses, or stand and wait, Mr. Hutzelman said. "Light rail fulfils all these problems."

Buses are more flexible than trains, he says, but cars are king. The car "is one of the most liberating factors in the last 500 years. People have an enhanced quality of life with the car."

The pro-car lobby may not have won its battle against MetroRail, but, in the end, the line was limited to only 15 kilometres.

With the City of Houston planning to have MetroRail cover 200 kilometres by 2025, the battle over the expansion of the system will no doubt remain on the rails for a while to come.

- - -

Just a few blocks from Connie Kemp's Stallone's restaurant, by the exit of the Main Street Square Station, sits a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts franchise.

Michelle Dennis, director of operations for Krispy Kreme, isn't as convinced as Ms. Kemp about the instant success of commuter rail. Ms. Dennis has come to Houston to find out why this outlet is underperforming; so far, she's not sure.

At noon one recent day, her store had three patrons. Asked if she was expecting more customers, she said: "Well, you'd think. I feel like handing out free samples."

Still, like other downtown businesses, Ms. Dennis has confidence in the ability of the commuter trains to deliver customers to her door. "Business should build as ridership builds."

It is a leap of faith that many downtown Ottawa businesses, judging by their association's opposition to the rail project, are not ready to take. Small businesses on Slater and Albert worry about how their customers will gain access to their stores.

By meeting with stakeholders, Ottawa planners must take into account the needs of each business along the route to ensure they remain viable, said John Sedlak, executive vice-president of Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Houston solved the access problem by running two rail lines down the middle of Main Street, while expanding sidewalks and stopping areas so that trucks can deliver goods to businesses, Mr. Sedlak said.

As for why not many people appear to be spending time downtown after office hours -- a scenario sure to evoke images of Sparks Street for Ottawa residents -- Houston rail proponents urge patience. The project needs more time to convince people to leave the suburbs for downtown, both to visit and to live, in the process reshaping the city's economy, said Mr. Hagstette, of the Central Houston business group.

"It will take time for people to rediscover downtown Houston," he said.

Another challenge that may be echoed in Ottawa is that property values around the rail line, especially in midtown Houston where derelict buildings dot the streets, have risen sharply. In Ottawa, there is already speculation over the effect the rail project will

likely have on development in Riverside South. The rising real estate values in Houston -- from $5 per square foot last decade to about $60 now, according to a city planner -- mean that developers could choose not to build until market conditions assure them of profits.

In the end, argues businesswoman Susan Young, Ottawa must build commuter rail if it hopes to compete with other cities for talent.

The MetroRail line is not only a means of moving people, but is a way of attracting talented professionals to the community, she said.

"We're competing for tourism, sports events, doctors and researchers," Ms. Young said. "Light rail is considered as an amenity in itself and conveys the feeling of a grown-up city." Commuter rail has contributed to Houston landing some of North America's largest events, she said, including the Super Bowl, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and many industry, educational and medical conventions.

Connie Kemp, standing behind a long counter in Stallone's ordering food for what she hopes are next week's hungry hordes, doesn't need to be convinced.

"I moved here because of rail."
_____________________________________
How the MetroRail works; passes $1 a day
Fewer stops than a Transitway bus and the ride is smooth

Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen

Saturday, May 14, 2005

So for $675 million, what kind of ride will Ottawans get when they step onto their commuter rail line in 2009? The Houston experience suggests that the answer is: smooth.

The MetroRail train is no bus No. 95 on the Transitway. Long welded rails mean nary a bump for passengers. And it has fewer stops than Transitway buses.

A much better comparison is to Ottawa's O-Train. Seats face each other in the centre of the cars, promoting contact with fellow riders. The trains are clean, with windows and walls in the Houston trains spotless and graffiti-free. Like the O-Train, MetroRail announces each stop in two languages (English and Spanish in Houston, English and French in Ottawa). The stations have security cameras, announcements and electronic tickers to keep passengers informed.

Houston's rail system links key destinations in the city: the NFL Texans' Reliant Park, the Astros' Minute Maid Park, Rice and Houston universities, plus parts of the University of Texas, the Texas Medical Center, the Museum District, downtown, midtown and the Heritage District. Ottawa's proposed commuter rail tracks will link the Rideau Centre, Parliament Buildings, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, South Keys and Barr-haven, among other spots.

John Sedlak, executive vice-president of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, says one MetroRail train equals the capacity of 10 buses, so there are efficiencies of scale, particularly in labour.

As well, MetroRail eliminates about 1,000 bus trips a day, he said, taking traffic off the roads and improving air quality.

The walk to the south terminus of MetroRail is vintage Houston. Sixteen lanes of Interstate 610 and its service roads roar by. No pedestrians for miles. Big-box stores, and big parking lots. The modest Fannin South MetroRail station is dwarfed by its surroundings. Just a tiny translucent roof with no sides, a slightly raised platform and an electronic ticket machine.

The sleek, German-built Siemens MetroRail rolls to a stop, bell ringing and electronic imitation steam whistle tooting.

Like on the O-Train, the doors open at platform level, making wheelchair-accessibility a breeze. With a $1 day pass, you're riding the rails.

Here's a snapshot of how the MetroRail works:

The Operator

There are controls at either end of the train so it does not need to be turned around. In that respect, its controls are much like the diesel

O-Train in Ottawa. The driver is in a locked cabin so he won't be bothered by riders. The operator views images from six video cameras so he or she can get a complete picture of traffic and passengers loading and unloading. There is a phone to contact the train's central station and a stick shift to control speed.

The Train

Called the S70, it is built by the German firm Siemens, expected to be a bidder for the $675-million Ottawa commuter rail project. The top speed is about 100 km/h but, in Houston, it averages about 40 km/h when stops are taken into account. Eight substations provide electricity for the line, which is delivered to the trains through an overhead contact. The current runs back to the substations through the rails. No more than two trains can be hitched together in Houston because longer trains would block cross-street traffic downtown.

Rails

Most of the train runs on rails set into the street with rubber beneath them to eliminate current from travelling outside the line.

Cabin

The trains are wheelchair-accessible since they are at the same level as station platforms. Each car has 72 seats and can hold 200 riders with standing room. Two trains joined can hold 400 passengers. About 34,000 passengers ride the line each day.

Tale of the Tape

Length, 30 metres; width, three metres; height, four metres. There are 15 working trains with three spares; cost, $324 million.

Final build-out

Houston will have 144 kilometres of rail line built over the next 20 years.

I would love to see an East-West link once the North-South route is up and running.
____________________
Wed, May 18, 2005

Push for new O-Train route
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun


A local transit advocacy group wants the city to consider a limited east-west light-rail service as soon as the expanded north-south O-Train is opened in David Jeanes, of Transport 2000, says the city should look at a plan to run the O-Train on existing east-west tracks.


With the city planning to purchase new electric vehicles for the north-south O-Train route, the diesel engines currently in use could be put on the east-west line, he said.

"It's a simple technology and we own the trains," said Jeanes. "You just use the existing track."

Jeanes said there's a demand for light-rail service in the east and west ends and that a train route could relieve pressure on existing transportation systems and provide a faster link between the east end and Kanata.

KEY LINK

It would be an especially important link if the Department of National Defence relocates to the west end, he said.

The idea has already been discussed by city staff and the mayor and a new environmental assessment on the east-west line would consider the plan, said deputy city manager Ned Lathrop.

The terms of reference for that assessment contract will be debated at a city transportation committee today.

"(The east-west line) is something that will be evaluated with the environmental assessment process," said Lathrop. "What's interesting about the east-west corridor is it has some extensive rail in it."

TRACK UPGRADE

Lathrop said it remains to be seen whether the city could use the tracks to run light-rail vehicles and whether it could get co-operation from other companies already using the tracks.

The tracks would also likely need upgrading with train stations and double tracking in some areas.

The east-west line would offer a similar limited service as the current O-Train did when it was launched years ago.

Coun. Rainer Bloess said he likes the idea of more transit service but worries such a line may not be the answer.

"If you can run something and get some people off the roads, obviously it's good but you have to serve the population, you can't say 'we've got a track here, let's run a train,' " said Bloess.

"We have got guys who want to run trains, they don't care (if) there are any people on them."

An underground tunnel doesn't look likely now, with Mayor Bob Chiarelli thinking spending money on East-West link is more important.
______________________
Fri, June 17, 2005
Biz pushes tunnel vision
Downtown property, business owners pan train plans, want light rail to go underground
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
A GROUP of downtown business and property owners want the city to take the O-Train underground in a twin tunnel that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

More than 30 businesses along Albert and Slater streets have become increasingly concerned about plans to add light rail vehicles to the same streets already jammed with buses.

"Our group supports the light rail train. We're all for a good transportation system," said local property owner John Toth of Toth Equity. "We'd trade buses for the trains in a few seconds but that's not the deal."

Toth said area businesses have organized themselves, hiring a lawyer, a public relations firm and even an engineer to challenge the city's plan.

UNDERGROUND STATIONS

The engineer that was hired by the group was brought to town recently and roughly estimated the cost of boring out two tunnels from Lebreton Flats to the Rideau Canal at $75 million.

According to the engineer, it would cost about $350 million just for the two 1.5 km tunnels and to build three underground stations under Albert St. Essentials like rails would be extra.

"All we're saying is we might not be right but study and take a look at it. Why has (the tunnel) been dismissed out of hand?" Toth asked, adding that the tunnel was only a "preferred option."

Though it is completing a major assessment of the corridor, the city has never estimated or studied the cost of a train tunnel but a proposed bus tunnel floated during the 1980s carried a price tag of roughly $750 million.

Even at a fraction of that price, the city wouldn't build the train tunnel because it isn't yet a priority, said Mayor Bob Chiarelli.

"If we had (the money to build the tunnel), we would put that money into east-west light rail. We would not put that money into the tunnel," he said.

Instead of focusing on the tunnel, Chiarelli said the businesses and property owners should look at the opportunities the O-Train will bring to the corridor.

The city plans to begin running the expanded O-Train on Slater and Albert streets by 2009 in one lane shared by buses and light rail vehicles.

Businesses say the area is already overflowing with buses and there is no way trains could be fit into the mix.

They fear that once the O-Train arrives, cars will soon be banned or relegated to just one lane.

OC Transpo has made a vague promise to begin reducing the number of buses on the streets by up to 20% or 30% when the trains begin running.

A list of routes that will be removed with a schedule has not been released.

Chiarelli said traffic models of the area show that even under current conditions, the train can fit into the core and will be an effective transit system bringing thousands more people downtown.

'HELL OF AN ASSET'

"This is one hell of an asset for them," he said of the O-Train.

Standing in front of Arc The Hotel, general manager Guy Luzy doesn't see an asset when he looks out onto Slater St.

Where the mayor sees opportunity, Luzy sees a liability.

Buses roar past his guests as they try to unload on the narrow sidewalk in front of his hotel.

"We know already we have too many buses," he said.

"The situation today is already a problem. We're just increasing the problems."

WHAT A RUSH:

Morning rush hour

- 6,300 people dropped off on Slater St. using 160 buses

- 8,000 people dropped off on Albert St. using 222 buses

Afternoon Rush Hour

- 6,600 leave Slater St. on 170 buses

- 5,300 leave Albert St. on 140 buses
______________________________
Fri, June 17, 2005
Less than model sales pitch
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
The blue dashes are buses and the red dashes are trains and in a computer generated world, the O-Train seems to be a perfect fit on Albert and Slater streets.

On the screen of a city consultant's computer the dashes move effortlessly down the virtual streets weaving in and out of one another in their daily quest to deliver commuters to their offices on time.

SMOGGY CANYONS

The computerized traffic model is designed to prove the city can add the O-Train to the same streets where OC Transpo buses are now king without causing gridlock.

But staring at a computer model in a Hunt Club Rd. engineering office just isn't the same as standing on Slater and Albert streets in the morning and afternoon rush when diesel, traffic and noise take over.

The computer can't tell the story of two streets overtaken by transit and turned into smoggy canyons by hundreds of OC Transpo buses.

The city has shown the model to some of the downtown property owners but they say it's far from the reality they know.

"It hasn't been a great persuader," said Hume Rogers, general manager of the Capital Hill Hotel and Suites on Albert St.

Rogers has sat and watched the computer modeling but he says he doesn't understand what data the city is using to develop the system.

It's what he doesn't see that concerns him.

"We sat there and had this model playing in the background and at no point did we ever see more than four or five buses lined up behind each other," said Rogers.

LINED UP 10 DEEP

Outside his hotel, buses can line up 10 deep during rush hour.

"The current situation is never reproduced on that model," said Rogers. "How do we understand that model is going to reflect reality?"

Rogers said he expects increased traffic problems if even more transit is added to the area in the form of the O-Train.

Edmonton's LRT a good example
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jun 27, 2005 12:00 AM EST

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

During the 1970s, one city's municipal planners had a vision for public transit: amidst an economic boom and unprecedented growth, they predicted that by the early 1980s the city's brand-new LRT line would extend far south.

Twenty years later the line has barely moved. Plans to continue further south are the subject of fierce debate. The move is regarded in some corners as utterly wasteful and in others as entirely necessary. Later this month, the issue comes before city council, which could choose to spike the ambitious $600-million extension.

The scheme is a political minefield. The matter was supposed to go before council in December but was deferred after the mayor publicly suggested that going ahead with the first leg of the project could be a waste of taxpayers' money.

Sound familiar at all? This is from an article by Richard Cairney printed in the University of Alberta's Express News in March of 2002, and it's all about Edmonton's own LRT expansion quagmire.

That debate has since ended in favour of the expansion, expected to be complete by the fall of 2009, but controversy once ruled the day.

Edmonton serves as a template Ottawa can use as it navigates its own course toward light rail expansion. Edmonton currently has 13.3 kilometres of north-south LRT track with a possible increase of another eight kilometres south. Thus far, the system has cost $357 million with a 2003 operating budget of $14.2 million and a capital budget of $7.2 million.

It must be clarified, however, that much of that $357 million is in 1970s and 1980s dollars. The true cost today would be far higher.

In all, there are 10 stations, four aboveground away from the downtown area, five underground in the downtown core, and another underground station south across the North Saskatchewan River close to the University of Alberta.

From the beginning of construction to the latest extension, the time elapsed was 18 years, which consisted of four separate extensions.

Edmonton city councillor Bryan Anderson, whose ward will be directly affected by the latest growth, said the only real debate was over financing. After years of successful service, initial concerns of environmental chaos and low ridership evaporated. "This is my seventh year on council. In my first year, we debated a complete transportation master plan, a part of which was to move the LRT (south) to 23rd Ave. The concern then was debt and the municipal government borrowing the money to build it," he said. "It kept getting delayed waiting for the three levels of government to come up with the funding. There was no real opposition other than that."

Once the provincial government announced that it would dole out $3 billion in infrastructure payments to Alberta communities - which comes to $700 million for Edmonton over three years – and the federal gas tax kicked in, the debate ended then and there.

"Boo-birds always interfere with a 50-year master plan in Year 1 because they only want things to start in Year 40. They don't believe in laying the foundation," Counc. Anderson added.

He said the LRT has been embraced and extensively used. In fact, as many as 5,000 new residents are going to live near the southern end of the extended line simply because the LRT is going to be there.

So why do people there like it so much?

Travel time from one end of the system to the other is a flat 20 minutes. Thanks to the tunnels, concerns about traffic snarls don't apply, as they surely would here in Ottawa where Mayor Bob Chiarelli and council have ignored requests from merchants for a dual tunnel beneath downtown streets.

Terry Cavanagh, who has twice been mayor of Edmonton and has served on council for 27 years overall, said their decision to dig was an easy one. He was mayor when the LRT project was given the green light and he was among those who agreed it had to go underground in the downtown core.

"We decided that very early on," he recalled. "It cost probably twice as much, but we get pretty cold in the winter and people like to go underground for the train."

Aside from the warmth, Mr. Cavanagh said businesses in the area approved of the plan. "The stores were quite happy. There are stairs and escalators that go up and down through those stores. And they don't have to deal with the congestion that the train would cause above ground."

Given a second look at the project, he said he and council would once again vote unanimously to take it underground.

That should leave Ottawa authorities with something to think about. As the years pass, there will be more people living here and more cars fighting for the same space. Do we really want them fighting with trains, too?


By Scott Taylor

Here's a plan I saw on an OCtranspo yahoo group (by moderator JCL)

Introduction

On the city's website, the map illustrates their plan on the O-Train expansion. In my opinion, it is basically going from nowhere to nowhere. People who are from the Downtown area would have to take 2 O-Train routes just to go to Orleans-Kanata and then transfer to another bus for their connections. Which would mean extra traveling time. The following below is my idea of the proposed O-Train expansion.

URL: http://ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ew/images/map.jpg

Routes

In my opinion, OC should create 5 O-Train routes (as described in words).

The first O-Train route shall be called 701. 701 would go from Orleans to Kanata via downtown. It would use today's existing route 95 (from Orleans to Downtown), and today's existing route 96 route (from Downtown to Kanata).

The second O-Train route shall be called 702. 702 would go from Fallowfield to Airport. It would use today's existing route 95 (from Fallowfield to Lincoln Fields), and today's existing route 97 route (from Lincoln Fields to Airport).

The third O-Train route shall be called 703. 703, an express train, would travel exactly identical as 701, but it would only operate during rush hours from Trim Rd to Tunney's Pasture. The train would serve these following stations/stops: Trim Rd, Place d'Orleans, RR174/Jeanne d'Arc, RR174/MontrŽal, then non-stop until we get to Hurdman, Campus, Laurier, MacKenzie King, all downtown stops at Albert/Slater, Lebreton, Bayview, and Tunney's (as being the last stop). During the AM rush hour, Train B would only go westbound, and vice-versa during the PM.

The fourth O-Train route shall be called 704. 704, an express train, would travel exactly identical as 701, but it would only operate during rush hours from Terry Fox to Hurdman. The train would serve these following stations/stops: Terry Fox, Eagleson Park & Ride, Hwy 417/Moodie, then non-stop until we get to Tunney's Pasture, Bayview, Lebreton, all downtown stops at Albert/Slater, MacKenzie King, Laurier, Campus, and Hurdman. During the AM rush hour, Train C would only go eastbound, and vice-versa during the PM.

The fifth O-Train route shall be called 705. 705, an express train, would travel exactly as 702, but it would only operate during rush hours from Fallowfield to Hurdman. The train would serve these following stations/stops: Fallowfield, Nepean Sportsplex, Woodroffe/Knoxdale, Woodroffe/Meadowlands, then non-stop until we get to Tunney's Pasture, Bayview, Lebreton, all downtown stops at Albert/Slater, MacKenzie King, Laurier, Campus, Hurdman.

I should also mention that there should be a sixth O-Train route. It shalled be called 706. That route is basically today's O-Train service (route 750). 750 would run more frequently during the academic year at Carleton than it would at other times.

Issues to Address

So what does this mean? It means that the existing Transitway, that has served us good over many years, should be converted for the O-Train so that the proposed routes could be properly constructed. It should be done in stages so minimal delays would be caused to customers during the construction.

Albert and Slater Issue. If trains are running through there, they city would have to construct a tunnel so the trains would be able run through that corridor without any delays caused by the traffic lights.

MacKenzie King Bridge. Around Albert/Slater and Elgin, there is an underground parking garage for people who goes to the National Art Centre. The underground parking garage should be eliminated in order for the O-Train to go through MacKenzie King Bridge, and it would also force people who want to go to NAC off their cars and on to public transit (as a result of no parking space).

With the conversion of the Transitway to O-Train, all the express buses from Downtown to sub-urbs should be cancelled and be replaced by 703, 704, and 705. Express buses would run locally during rush hour. Even though route 703, 704, and 705 are express trains, they should still be charged as regular fare.

With express buses from Downtown to sub-urbs being cancelled, will that mean overcrowding? If everything is planned properly, it shouldn't. With all the extra buses not used as express buses from Downtown to sub-urbs, OC should be able to create express buses that run locally and provide limited stops to speed up service.

How are trains going to be able to operate on highways? On Regional Road 174 and Hwy 417 (between Hwy 416 to Eagleson Rd), there are big fields that act as a median. OC Transpo should place tracks over the median. The only tricky part is Hwy 417 between Hwy 416 and Queensway Station. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure this part out yet.

Conclusion

My O-Train proposal route isn't suppose to be light rail friendly. In fact, I think that the O-Train SHOULDN'T be light rail friendly. The O-Train should be more like a heavy rail or commuter rail. OC Transpo should consider purchasing trains like Bombardier Talents, or something that is equivalent or better. Yes, my way is going to be VERY expensive, but I believe it is more practical when it comes to the route itself, and passengers may agree with my route suggestions too.

Chamber of Commerce joins O-Train debate
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Thu, Jun 30, 2005 10:00 AM EST

The head of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee has jumped into the debate over the preferred route for light-rail transit through downtown.

The Chamber favours a surface route, but says it would be a mistake to mix buses and trains in the Albert Street/Slater Street corridor.

"We favour a single transit system above ground, either rail or bus," says committee chair David Glastonbury.

The Chamber of Commerce says it believes the optimum transit model would utilize one form of transit – either buses or trains, but not both – along Albert and Slater streets. Both streets, it says, must facilitate cars, trucks and public transport for commercial and commuter use.

Mr. Glastonbury dismissed the fears of some people that forcing commuters to transfer from bus to train and back would decrease overall transit ridership.

"Fears of losing transit riders if they must transfer are unfounded," says Mr. Glastonbury.

"Many O-Train passengers already take a bus to connect to the train."

Businesses and property owners along the two streets are worried they will suffer if the O-Train has to share the street with buses. They've been actively promoting the idea of a tunnel through the downtown core, and urging the city to delay the project until all options have been thoroughly studied and evalauted.

Councillor Clive Doucet is one who favours eliminating buses from the downtown routes, suggesting commuters transfer at Bayview and Hurdman stations before travelling through the downtown by train.

City officials have rejected the tunnel idea for now, saying its too expensive.

The Chamber says it's sympathetic with the members of the Albert/Slater coalition, and also urges further study of all the options.

"We understand why businesses on Slater and Albert are concerned, as this decision will have a huge impact on their future success," the chamber says in a statement.
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June 30, 2005
Plans falling off rails?
Questions arise over future of the O-Train in the downtown core
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
THE O-TRAIN expansion has run into its first major speed bump.

Yesterday, councillors of all stripes and a downtown business coalition attacked new plans for the system's expansion, arguing they could hurt transit ridership, clog the downtown core and were simply uncreative.

Demands were also made that the city investigate whether a new light rail tunnel should be built under Slater and Albert streets to ease traffic congestion.

"I don't think they have it right," said Coun. Diane Deans. "This is the biggest decision this council, or any council, will be faced with and it is absolutely imperative for us to get it right."

CRITICAL CONDITION

Deans and others were criticizing the details of an environmental assessment of the north-south train route. The study, which is supposed to be a blueprint for the future, left many councillors feeling that all the options for light rail in the core had not been examined.

Hume Rogers, general manager of the Capital Hill Hotel and Suites, was also in attendance pushing for the city to investigate construction of a tunnel.

Rogers is part of a coalition of businesses calling for a tunnel.

"We wanted this to be a genuine consultation," said Rogers, adding that many downtown businesses feel they have been ignored. They're worried the city's plan to bring light rail to the same lanes that buses use on Slater and Albert streets will end in disaster.

The coalition, which represents several businesses and property owners on Slater and Albert streets, has already hired an engineer who has roughly costed a tunnel at more than $350 million. The city has never studied a light rail tunnel, but pegs the cost of a tunnel for buses at more than $700 million.

Those costs would only add to the cost of the O-Train, which carries a price tag of $675 million.

Rogers said the group is not stuck on the idea of a tunnel, but believes proper consultation has not taken place.

"It is being rushed through," he said, adding the group has also hired a lawyer. "We don't want it to go to legal action."

Rogers found support from some councillors, but some felt the plan was too rich.

"I think the tunnel is dead because it's just too expensive," said Coun. Diane Holmes.

OTHER OPTIONS

Several councillors said they were in favour of an option to remove most bus traffic from Albert and Slater streets and leave the area for trains alone.

"I want buses out of the downtown," said Coun. Clive Doucet. "The fact the tunnel has any traction at all shows you how bad the plan is."

Doucet and others proposed a plan to have the Bayview and Hurdman Transitway stations act as transfer points for bus riders who would then ride light rail into the core.

Staff has now been sent back to answer some questions before the study is brought forward to be discussed once again next week.
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Thursday » June 30 » 2005

Major expansion of commuter rail would cost $275M
Project's proposed Phase 2 would extend service to Barrhaven, airport

Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen

June 30, 2005

Ottawa's north-south commuter rail plan just got bigger, and about $275 million more expensive.

Municipal staff yesterday unveiled a proposal for Phase 2 of the project that would, if approved by council, include adding 44 new cars and extending the rail project into Barrhaven and to the airport -- at a total cost of $950 million.

"This is the best way to proceed," said deputy city manager Ned Lathrop as he released the plans for the north-south system. The staff proposal has yet to be approved by the transportation committee or city council.

Currently, the municipality has funding to build the rail line from the Rideau Centre to just across the Rideau River at Woodroffe Avenue.

To be completed in 2009, the current phase is expected to cost $675 million. Construction is to begin next summer.

Three levels of government -- federal, provincial and municipal -- have chipped in $200 million for the first phase of the north-south project. However, the city had to come up with an extra $75 million to cover additional costs.

Mr. Lathrop declined to say when he would go to council for the extra money, or when the second phase could be started.

Documents that outline the environmental assessment, or detailed plans, for the project show Phase 2 as being completed in 2021.

But Councillor Alex Cullen expressed concern at the prospect of city taxpayers having to come up with even more money even for Phase 1.

"Who believes it will stay at $675 million?" he said. "The city is on the hook for overruns."

He said he doesn't see the other levels of government providing money for Phase 2.

"We should go back to talk to our funders," said Mr. Cullen.

Meanwhile, the environmental assessment shows Phase 1 with 18 stations, three new park and rides, 21 vehicles, a maintenance and storage yard, five-minute trip frequency between the Rideau Centre and Leitrim Road and 10-minute times between Leitrim and Woodroffe.

The assessment, which will be discussed at transportation committee Wednesday, also shows the configuration of the project through the downtown area along Slater and Albert streets. Buses and trains would operate on one or two lanes on the right side of the one-way streets.

The plan maintains that 92 per cent of parking, loading and taxi zones will be retained on the two streets -- a question that has concerned area business owners.

The assessment touches on the need for a tunnel, which a coalition of affected businesses has supported.

It estimates that two bus tunnels would cost about $720 million with the train remaining on Albert and Slater streets.

The report said the tunnel is too expensive, and Mr. Lathrop said there is no funding for it.

"We don't think it is needed now," he said.

Instead, the deputy city manager said he expects a 25-per-cent cut by 2009 in the 170 peak-period buses that use the two streets now.

That will come with a major reconfiguration of the bus system and passengers taking rail, he said.

"We are going to work to decrease the impact" of transit congestion downtown, Mr. Lathrop said.

Hume Rogers, of the Albert-Slater Coalition, a group of 24 downtown businesses, was disappointed by the tunnel rejection.

His group would like to see the city consider a $300-million tunnel proposal it is touting for the train downtown.

Mr. Rogers, the general manager of Capital Hill Hotels and Suites, said the city has long-term plans to put transit underground, so why not do it now and save $20 million a year in surface maintenance costs.

The coalition, which is considering a legal challenge of the environmental assessment, is concerned that the city is rushing into the project without giving interested parties an opportunity to express their views.

Mr. Rogers said his group was only notified of the biggest infrastructure program in the city's history on March 7.

"It is being rushed through."

If Ottawa is going to use Edmonton's LRT as an example then god help them. Edmonton has actually spent more money on their LRT than Calgary but Calgary's is 3times the length and carries a whopping 6times as many passengers.
Some of this, of course can be contributed to the design of the cities and Calgary's VERY high employment concentration downtown.
The main reason, however, is that Calgary didn't blow its money on a downtown tunnel like Edmonton but instead use a transit only street thru the core.
Tunneling is a big time expense and in Ottawa it would be even worse because downtown Ottawa is built on solid rock.

The first thing Ottawa should do is transfer the entire Transitway to LRT and then work on the rest of the system.
A tunnel downtown may look nice but does nothing for ridership. Make the system citywide first and they will come but not if the lines are not extensive.

July 1, 2005
Biz group to talk tunnel with mayor
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
Mayor Bob Chiarelli will meet with a group of downtown business and property owners early Monday morning to discuss their call for a light rail tunnel through the city's core.

The group of businesses are located along the Albert and Slater streets corridor and are angry at the city's plan to run the expanded O-Train vehicles in the same lanes as buses.

"We would like every possible solution studied," said John Toth, a downtown property owner who wants to see only one form of transit on the streets. "None of us is objecting to a sound, viable, good efficient transportation system."

The businesses are worried the city's plan will only add more vehicles to the current congestion on the two downtown streets and eventually block out private vehicles and cars.

The group has hired an engineer who has estimated the tunnel would cost more than $350 million to install between Lebreton Flats and the Rideau Canal. That's more than half the cost of the first phase of the O-Train, valued at $675 million.

The downtown businesspeople were buoyed by support from councillors who attacked a plan for the O-Train route released Wednesday.

"They are now sitting up and listening and taking notes and asking questions for themselves, which is what we very much needed rather than simply rubber-stamping a report that is put in front of them," said Toth.

While some councillors have agreed both buses and trains cannot run on the same lanes, they don't necessarily want to see a tunnel or want to accept the cost.

"It's just not reasonable to think we're going to blow half a billion dollars on a tunnel. It's just not on," said Coun. Clive Doucet.

UPSET WITH PROCESS

Toth said the group will tell Chiarelli and city staff they are upset with the consultation process and don't believe their concerns have been addressed.

Not everyone on the streets is unhappy and some businesses have supported the city's plan. But the opposition from some affected businesses has become louder as plans for the route are finalized.

The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce is also calling for changes.

"I think where we're in trouble is the city hasn't satisfied the business owners in that area they're able to handle the bus and the train on that corridor," said David Glastonbury, a member of the chamber's transportation task force. "They haven't found the right combination yet and somebody has to go back to the drawing board and say what's the option to it."

Monday » July 4 » 2005

Light-rail plan not set in stone
Chiarelli: Mayor to meet with downtown business owners who object to Albert-Slater corridor

Alex Hutchinson, with files from Aron Heller
The Ottawa Citizen

July 4, 2005

With his legacy project on the line, Mayor Bob Chiarelli says there is still time to make changes to the city's plan for commuter rail on Albert and Slater streets.

Mr. Chiarelli will meet today with representatives of downtown businesses who have threatened to delay the project with legal challenges if their concerns are not addressed.

"I would agree that there has not been a satisfactory solution from the point of view of some of the objectors," he said. "But the process is not completed. We're still in the process of negotiations and discussions and refinements."

Representatives of the Albert-Slater Coalition, a group of 24 downtown businesses, are seeking more than just refinements to the existing plan. They want the city to thoroughly evaluate a number of alternative plans, including a light-rail tunnel, a light rail-only plan through downtown and proper study of the impact of closing the Mackenzie King Bridge to cars.

Balancing the advice of city planners with the concerns of opponents could still result in changes to the plan, Mr. Chiarelli said.

"If we accept opinions on the other side, the adjustments that may be required may be more significant," he said.

"But we have to make decisions on the political level based on the best advice that we have, not the loudest voice that we hear."

Hume Rogers, General Manager of the Capitol Hill Hotel and Suites and one of the co-ordinators of the Albert-Slater Coalition, said the organization would like a genuine costing of the tunnel as an alternative.

"We don't believe that the bus system as it exists today can survive on the same streets as light-rail," he said. "Currently Albert and Slater have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 170 buses an hour during rush hour and it is at its maximum capacity and to add light-rail to that at the same time, quite frankly, we don't see how that would make any sense."

The business owners are not simply loud voices, according to David Jeanes, president of the public transport advocacy group Transport 2000.

"The merchants have a number of legitimate concerns, and those concerns really have to be addressed," he said.

Even though Mr. Jeanes believes a light-rail tunnel is not the best option, he agrees with the merchants that the city should make a thorough study rather than dismissing the possibility out of hand. But other issues will require more than assurances of future study, he said.

"There really has to be not just a vague promise, but a solid commitment to how the congestion on Albert and Slater is going to be managed," he said. "It's not enough for the mayor to be at the table. OC Transpo has to be there as well, and they have to have some real meat in terms of what they're planning to do."

The downtown light-rail service, scheduled to begin in 2009, is just one part of a $675-million commuter rail project that could be jeopardized by delays resulting from a legal challenge. But Mr. Chiarelli is focused on resolving the issues rather than fighting a legal battle that, for the moment, is still hypothetical.

"Suffice to say that we're not at that point, and I think the objectors have said we're not at that point," he said. "We want to have a dialogue, we want to have a discussion of the issues, and we want to have a discussion of the possible solutions to concerns."

The merchants' coalition will welcome dialogue when they meet with the mayor tomorrow, but they will expect more than just words, Mr. Jeanes said.

"Remember why these businesses were upset in the first place. They had a plan unveiled this spring for light-rail on Albert and Slater streets. And the public unveiling of that plan was the first time they'd seen it," he said.

"When you're dealing with major urban changes that are affecting business, business should be participants in the plan all along."

If they simply transferred the Transitway to LRT first there would be a lot less buses down Slater/Albert than there are now and may make LRT look more appealing.
Calgary's downtown LRT system works very well and downtown Calgary is bigger than Ottawa's.

Thursday » July 7 » 2005

City to consider removing buses from Albert, Slater
Committee bows to business group demanding new look at transit

Carly Weeks
The Ottawa Citizen

July 7, 2005

A council committee recommended yesterday that the city look at removing all buses from Slater and Albert streets when the planned commuter rail system is up and running.

The transportation committee's recommendation is a major victory for a coalition of downtown businesses which has been lobbying city hall to keep buses, cars and the train from running simultaneously along Albert and Slater streets.

"It was a very successful day for us," said Hume Rogers, general manager of the Capital Hill Hotel and Suites, and a member of the Albert-Slater Business Coalition.

Earlier this week, Mayor Bob Chiarelli responded to criticism from coalition members by making a series of promises, including a commitment to reduce buses on Slater and Albert streets by 25 per cent.

However, Councillor Diane Holmes said removing all of the buses from Slater and Albert streets could create major problems for downtown and that an assessment of the idea would be difficult to accomplish in the next few months.

"We have to be very careful we don't cause other problems on east-west streets," she said after the committee meeting.

A now-completed environmental assessment of the commuter rail project considered a system in which the trains would run on Slater and Albert streets alongside cars and buses.

But Councillor Rainer Bloess moved a motion asking staff to look at removing bus routes from those two streets. The motion directed city staff to report back to council in September.

The committee direction could significantly alter Ottawa's downtown transit system.

If the city decides to remove the bus system from Albert and Slater streets, those routes would have to be displaced to other streets. Another option would be to remove that section of the east-west bus system and replace it completely with rail transit.

That would represent a major change and would likely require a separate environmental assessment to determine the best alternatives and cost, said Rejean Chartrand, the city's director of economic development and strategic projects.

After approving Mr. Bloess' motion, the city's transportation committee approved the amended environmental assessment report yesterday despite criticism from downtown business representatives who said the rail plans were flawed and would hurt downtown businesses.

Committee members also passed a motion by Councillor Clive Doucet to look at using Hurdman and Bayview stations as transfer points to reduce the buses downtown, and find out the cost of building a rail tunnel downtown and the possibility of leaving the Mackenzie King Bridge open to cars.

It'd be great to have no busses on Albert & Slater Streets, but where would they go? U of O extension sounds like something that wouldn't cost too much more, but would be really useful. Would that be Laurier and Waller then?
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July 7, 2005
O-Train or bus-t for city?
Councillors want to study taking buses off downtown Transitway streets
By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun
CITY councillors called for a study on how to banish buses from Slater and Albert streets last night, leaving OC Transpo with the task of redesigning a major portion of the bus system to make way for the O-Train.

Councillors had been wrestling with a proposal from staff that would see light rail vehicles and buses running in the same lanes on the two downtown streets, which form part of the busy Transitway.

"My gut instincts tell me trains and the buses are not a good mix. I'm looking for a way to avoid making that mistake," said Coun. Rainer Bloess, who proposed the study.

It's not clear where the buses would be moved to and whether the move was even possible. The study still needs to be approved by full council.

Tired councillors called for the study after almost 10 hours of gruelling debate on the O-Train.

They had found fault with the multimillion-dollar environmental assessment of the expansion of the light rail system but eventually approved the document. If council agrees, the city will be able to send out a request for proposals on the $675-million system without delay.

OC Transpo management had been working on a study to reduce bus traffic on Slater and Albert by 25%, but were thrown off-guard by the call for a study on a total ban.

"To do this is well beyond our capabilities," said OC Transpo director Gord Diamond.

The O-Train's proposed route downtown ran into trouble recently when business and property owners began calling for a study on a light rail tunnel. They argued the addition of the O-Train in 2009 would add too much traffic on the streets and said the system should go underground. That call spurred some councillors to demand the city at least estimate the cost of a tunnel.

$350M TUNNEL

"The tunnel option has been known as a reasonable option since 1988. You may say to yourselves it's too costly. You cannot prejudge," said Coun. Alex Cullen.

The businesses had hired their own engineer, who predicted the cost of a tunnel would be more than $350 million -- more than most councillors were willing to spend.

Despite reservations about the usefulness of the tunnel, councillors called for a study to develop a cost for the underground system.

The committee also approved another study on whether the city could extend the light rail system to the gates of the University of Ottawa, rather than the back doors of the Rideau Centre on the MacKenzie King Bridge.

Lots of light-rail/transit articles!!!
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LRT: City's biggest challenge comes after track is built
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jul 11, 2005 12:00 AM EST

While the local media has fixed upon the viability of boring a tunnel beneath downtown, relatively little attention has been paid to the larger issue associated with Light Rail Transit – how the City of Ottawa plans to get commuters to give up their cars.

For some reason that is beyond me to understand, we, the citizens of Ottawa, appear to have resigned ourselves to the fact that light rail is inevitable. This is arguably the single largest infrastructure project in the city's history (maybe the Queensway cost more if priced in today's dollars) and it has been sold to us with relatively little difficulty despite the fact that the entire plan has its critics and its opponents.

Instead of questioning why we should even bother, the public debate has instead been reduced to nitpicking over cost, proposed routes and how the damned thing should snake its way through downtown. The real question, as posed by various members of our audience, is how the city intends to fill seats on the train and achieve all those lofty goals of reducing the number of cars on the road, pollution and the need for highway maintenance (goals, I must point out, that, if achieved, would also reduce the gasoline tax revenues intended to help pay for the thing).

In April, the Bank Street BIA tabled what it called a "neutral" report on the pros and cons of light rail, using as its examples LRTs used in various American cities. While the City of Ottawa has likened its proposed system to many European models, the Bank Street BIA argues that this is an apples to oranges comparison considering that the amalgamated city has a much more loose population density spread over a much greater geographical area compared to European cities with LRTs. For this reason, the BIA argues it is much more appropriate to examine U.S. models.

Prominent in the BIA report is the results of a study commissioned by the Orange County Transportation Authority in California that examined the LRT systems built in 12 cities over an 18-year period. The study concluded that:

"The national experience with urban light rail systems' ability to solve traffic congestion, air pollution and related urban problems has been poor."

Aside from issues with cost overruns, operating budgets plagued by red ink, and the expense of generating the juice necessary to run the trains, the Orange County study concluded :

"Light rail will have negligible impact on traffic congestion because it attracts few automobile drivers from their cars."

In other words, the people most likely to take the train are the people who already patronize the bus. The City of Ottawa itself says on its website its goal is to increase public transit's share of the peak commute from the current 17 per cent to 30 per cent by 2021, which it believes it can do with a combination of LRT and an "enhanced" bus system. The BIA points out that the city's own ridership study found that LRT alone is only likely to increase that number from 17 to 21 per cent.

Think about that, along with the fact that the City of Ottawa's population is expected to have grown by 50 per cent between 2001 and 2021, adding thousands of new commuters to the roads every year.

As the BIA points out, the Orange County study found that most cities in the U.S. were overly optimistic with their LRT adoption estimates. Bus and light rail often end up cannibalising each other for riders and claims that LRT will spur economic development become reality only when taxpayers' dollars are expended in the form of subsidies and other incentives.

Does this mean the City of Ottawa is on the wrong track (pardon the pun) with LRT? I don't believe so. But, as the Bank Street BIA would have us believe, the city's projected adoptions rates, even if they are accurate, still remove too few cars from the road to have any significant impact on traffic congestion and pollution or generate enough revenue for LRT to pay for itself.

Clearly serious questions remain that have yet to garner adequate answers from city hall. First and foremost is how Mayor Bob Chiarelli and the host of consultants involved in this process intend to break the pattern seen so often south of the border. How does the city intend to lure all those one-person, one-vehicle commuters from Kanata, Cumberland and Orleans who can't bring themselves to give up their SUVs and imported sedans for even a few days during Environment Week and the Commuter Challenge?

By Leo Valiquette
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Saturday » July 16 » 2005
Support builds to put brakes on light rail
Randall Denley
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, July 15, 2005

The city's light-rail proposal has just hit another big snag. A respected transit advocacy group that has been a long-time supporter of light-rail says that it, too, is willing to appeal the city's environmental assessment, the major study that supports the north-south project.

An appeal could significantly delay the train project, blowing up a tight schedule that calls for construction to start next year.

Transport 2000 president David Jeanes cites a list of environmental assessment deficiencies that is longer and broader than the concerns brought forward by a group of businesspeople on Albert and Slater streets. At their meeting this afternoon, city councillors will be asked to approve some stop-gap measures to appease the downtown business coalition, which is concerned about the transit overload through the core. Based on Jeanes's comments yesterday, that's not going to be enough to guarantee the project will escape a time-consuming appeal.

Jeanes says the city's light-rail plan is deficient in five major areas.

Transport 2000's analysis of the plan indicates the city is calling for an unnecessarily deluxe system and the environmental assessment didn't properly evaluate lower cost alternatives. For example, he says the city intends to build the entire 28-kilometre line with the same high-cost urban streetcar design standard you'd expect through the core. That approach will cost $30 million a kilometre, compared to a normal railway engineering standard that could be used in the suburbs at between $5 million and $10 million a kilometre. The city is also calling for double track through the entire system -- even though a single track would do in many areas -- and wants to unnecessarily double the train tunnel under Dow's Lake.

The city consultants have also failed to consider a couple of things council specifically asked them to look at, Jeanes says. The north-south plan is supposed to be integrated with east-west and interprovincial plans, so there is a sense of how the whole system will work together. That hasn't been done. Councillors also told the consultants to include a connection to the airport, and it's in the city's transportation master plan. Despite that, the connection has been dropped without public consultation.

The environmental assessment also failed to properly consider how people will get to the train in the Riverside South suburb, Jeanes says. Detailed designs for the train stations make no allowance for bus waiting areas, and city staff expects riders to hike to the nearest crossroad to catch a feeder bus.

Jeanes agrees with the downtown businesspeople who argue the city needs to spell out, now, how the buses and trains will work together downtown.

"We know we can't move any more people through the downtown with the status quo," Jeanes says, but the city has said that problem can be solved by OC Transpo later. Any solution must be part of the environmental assessment, Jeanes says, because it should consider the impact on air quality, noise and congestion.

Jeanes has made presentations on these points to city committees, but no one has been reacting. His group feels the potential challenge to the assessment is the only way to get councillors' attention.

In short, he's saying the project is being wastefully designed and inadequately thought out. This is coming from an organization that pushed hard to get the O-Train and argues consistently for transit.

The point that politicians and city bureaucrats have had a tough time grasping is that their analysis needs to go deeper than "money for transit is good." Councillors have been entrusted by the federal and provincial governments with $400 million, on the understanding they are competent to oversee the building of a railroad.

The problem, though, is that this north-south rail plan began with a preconceived conclusion, and has been pushed through from the start by Mayor Bob Chiarelli, and a core group of senior staff, without really listening to the public, or even the community experts, whose advice the city normally seeks out.

Councillors have the chance this afternoon to slow the process down, and start to get it right. They are being told the project can be done smarter, and cheaper. They can listen now, or pay later -- both in dollars and delay.
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Sat, July 16, 2005
O-Train study gets on track

By JOHN STEINBACHS, Ottawa Sun


The O-Train expansion project rumbled through opposition yesterday despite attempts to put it in park.

For weeks, downtown businesses and some councillors called for a key study on the train route to be held up so a light rail tunnel under the city's core could be investigated.

With compromises and a few promises, Mayor Bob Chiarelli was able to rally support to have the study approved, allowing the project to proceed.

"This is an important milestone," Chiarelli said after yesterday's vote. "If you asked most people in Ottawa if they want to see light rail sooner or later, they'd say sooner."

The city will soon send out a draft request for proposals to four groups of companies who want to build the $675-million system. It's expected the bids will be submitted early in the new year and the builder selected by next April.


REDUCE BUS TRAFFIC

Construction on the 31-km system is expected to start next summer and finish in 2009.

Chiarelli's victory did not come easy. The city promised to reduce bus traffic on Slater and Albert streets by 30% in 2009, after downtown business owners said the O-Train would add too much traffic on the streets.

The city also promised to study how to banish buses from Slater and Albert, how to keep the MacKenzie King bridge open to traffic and whether it was possible to extend the O-Train into the University of Ottawa.

Yesterday, the businesses declared victory, saying they achieved their goals.

"We're light years ahead," said Hume Rogers, general manager of the Capital Hill Hotel and Suites on Albert. "We've got the issues on the table."

Councillors were angry the city would not formally study a light rail tunnel from Lebreton Flats to the Rideau Centre. "We are closing our minds to a legitimate option," said Coun. Alex Cullen.

PRICEY TUNNEL

A staff report earlier this week priced a tunnel at about $380 million, which most councillors believed was simply too high.

They also questioned how effective a tunnel would be in removing bus traffic from the core.

"Let's blow $400 million on a light rail tunnel. .. We're still going to have the same number of buses on Albert and Slater streets," said Coun. Clive Doucet.

The environmental assessment of the O-Train route will now be sent to the province for approval.

David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000, said he has some problems with the report but his group has no intention to appeal.

Sun, July 17, 2005
'It's been one wild ride
Dave Pizer talks to retiring transit boss Gord Diamond, who helped increase ridership and get the O-Train on track
By DAVE PIZER, Ottawa Sun

Gord Diamond is looking forward to riding off into retirement on Dec. 31 after six years as director of Ottawa’s transit services. Under Diamond’s watch, OC Transpo ridership has increased an average of 3.5% a year to 90 million passengers. (Tony Caldwell, SUN)
During his first week as director of Ottawa's transit services, Gord Diamond was offered a few words of wisdom about the citizens of our fair capital from another journalist.

"He said 'Everybody in Ottawa has two jobs: Their own and trying to run OC Transpo,' " jokes Diamond, who is stepping down as director on Dec. 31.

When it comes to the city's public transit system, it seems everyone's got an opinion, whether they use it or not.

Over the past few weeks alone, transit has spawned two hot debates. Council approved significant fare increases for passengers and the concerns of a determined group of downtown business owners who oppose the city's plan for running the O-Train through the downtown core have become much louder.

The business coalition doesn't want to see buses, trains and cars all travelling on Slater and Albert streets in front of their shops. They would prefer to see an underground tunnel through the downtown core or remove all buses from Albert and Slater.

Diamond is convinced that a mix of buses and trains is needed to move everybody out of the downtown during rush hour.

BUS, TRAIN MIX

"Our recommendation, and the recommendation of the consultants ... and the project team, is it's a mix," he says. "It's not one or the other."

Diamond points to the success of the new light rail system in car-friendly Houston, where he says "every second block is a parking lot or parking building."

"It's (the train) right on the surface and it's running right down Albert and Slater, if you like," Diamond explains. "Right by major hospitals and employment centres, through the business district, mixed with cars."

The debate surrounding the $650-million project is sure to continue long after Diamond retires.

Light rail is just one of the many challenges Diamond's successor will inherit. Others include recruiting and preparing for a fleet expansion, which will add between 800 and 900 buses, and more than 100 trains.

Diamond took the helm of Ottawa's public transit system in October 1999 after a 34-year-career in the Canadian Air Force, followed by several years with Bombardier.

During the Gulf War, Diamond was in charge of the Air Transport Group, which was responsible for moving weapons, equipment and people into the theatre of battle.

"We ran the airlift from Canada into the Gulf War for nine months straight, around the clock, every three hours," he recalls.

Based on his military experience, Diamond figured he was well suited for his new job.

"I jokingly say that running a 24/7 global airlift operation and search rescue operation is not unlike running a 24/7 transit operation -- it's all about people and organization," he says. "Just a different altitude and a different speed."

When Diamond took over as transit director, OC Transpo was in bad shape.

In September 1998, OC Transpo general manager Ian Stacey and four other senior managers were fired after a consultant's report blamed senior management for inefficiency and low employee morale at the transit authority.

On April 6, 1999, six months before Diamond arrived, a disturbed former employee, who had apparently been teased for his stutter, calmly walked into the main garage at OC Transpo headquarters and shot and killed four employees before turning his hunting rifle on himself.

TOXIC WORKPLACE

The coroner's inquest that followed exposed a toxic work environment, and proposed 77 recommendations, many of which addressed workplace harassment.

It was Diamond's job to help foster cultural change at OC Transpo, creating a respectful workplace environment and reopening the lines of dialogue between employees and their bosses.

Diamond also had the added concern of preparing OC Transpo for a Y2K disaster that never materialized.

"I was in here in a tuxedo on New Year's eve until 2 a.m.," he recalls.

And long before the current O-Train debate, he helped get the original pilot project off the ground.

"We didn't know anything about them (trains)," says Diamond, who had to sign contracts for the project during his first week on the job.

"We didn't even know how to spell 'railway' when we first started. Now we're pretty good at it."

Diamond's biggest objective when he took the job was to get more riders on the buses.

Despite a tech downturn that began in 2001, which left many offices far from full, Diamond's pleased with ridership growth over the past six years.

"When I got here, the ridership was 74 million per year. It's now 90," he says, adding that ridership has grown an average of 3.5% a year over the past five years.

In June, council decided to increase the cost of a regular monthly transit pass by 48% over five years, raising the price from $63 this year to $93 in 2010.

Diamond doesn't think the fare hikes approved by council in June will have much of an impact on ridership.

"We said it could be as bad as (losing) 1.34 million (riders a year), but that's using a figure where you're not taking into account what the alternative transportation costs are," Diamond explains, referring to car costs and rising gas prices.

After six years -- and more media interviews than he ever imagined having to do -- Diamond seems at ease with his decision to retire and pursue some less strenuous challenges than running the public transit system in Canada's fourth-largest city.

"I'm going to travel, I've got volunteer work and I'm a frustrated amateur artist," he says.

"You might see me with my beret down in the Byward Market painting pictures."

We could build it, or just study it to death until everyone has their own hover car and we don't need PT!!!

=========

Light rail bridge closure a recipe for traffic gridlock
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jul 18, 2005 3:00 PM EST


Closing the MacKenzie King Bridge for light rail transit will lead to gridlock the likes of which the city has never seen, says the leader of a group of 24 downtown businesses that is urging city council to be prudent.

Capital Hill Hotel and Suites general manager Hume Rogers is warning anyone who will listen that turning the bridge into a train terminal where they will stop, switch tracks and return will cause havoc. Although his organization would like to see a tunnel underneath Albert and Slater streets, or a sharp reduction of bus service to make way for the O-Train, his most impassioned plea is simply for Mayor Bob Chiarelli and city council to put the brakes on and take the time to look at all the angles before steaming ahead.

Mr. Rogers pointed to two studies – one completed by his own consultant and another commissioned by the city – that illustrate his concern. Between 500 to 700 cars per hour roll across the bridge during the afternoon rush hour, he said. "Of that total, 250 cars per hour turn onto Wellington Street in one direction or the other and another 250 vehicles per hour line up to turn at Sussex and Rideau. It's already almost impossible."

While he sees a number of options, a tunnel appears to be the logical way to go. It frees the downtown streets and it will be built eventually anyway.

"City staff has said that a tunnel will be needed by 2020," Mr. Rogers said. "This will be finished by 2009, so it will be only 11 years before we have to do it all over again. Why not just do it once?"

"My feeling is this has taken on its own momentum," he said. "The entire process is like a snowball rolling downhill. It's getting out of control."

Downtown businesses are worried that cars sharing the street with busses sharing the street with a commuter train, pedestrians and parking will lead to empty cash registers as shoppers either abandon the core as quickly as possible after work or don't venture there at all thanks to extreme congestion.

"It's been rushed through and that's mind boggling. They haven't heard all the options," he complained. "No one has sat back and taken into mind all the implications. No one has said 'Wait a minute, guys, is this the best way of doing this?'"

City councilor Alex Culllen couldn't agree more. "Look, we can only do this once so we have to do it properly. Why lay down track on Slater when we're going to have to tunnel in 10 to 15 years? If it turns out that the tunnel is the best way to go, then we should get the funds for it and act."

Coun. Culllen argues that a tunnel would not only free traffic, but would also delight transit users and merchants. "We're the third coldest capital in the world with hardly any underground shopping. If you look at Montreal and Toronto, their underground is thriving. Besides, 500 cars will need to be accommodated if we close the bridge. I don't see how that could happen."

Mr. Rogers also wants council to look at the transport models of Montreal and Toronto, where the strategy was to work inside out rather than the opposite.

"Most cities, when looking at a transport system, work from the downtown out to the suburbs. Here, we work from the outside in rather than looking after our downtown first."

They're not the only ones hoping the train slows down. The Bank Street Business Improvement Association has said the city should delay constructing a commuter rail link along the Albert-Slater street corridor, while it explores the possibility of using the current transitway with new environmentally-friendly buses.

The association has delved deeply into U.S.-based research and has found that commuter rail there has failed to show significant increases in transit users.

Gerry Lepage, executive director of the association, told the OBJ recently the rail project should be delayed at least a year. He also says the project is moving too quickly and further study is necessary.

The issue was supposed to have been reviewed at last Wednesday's council meeting, but was delayed.

By Scott Taylor

Hmmm. Let's play a game: As the price of gasoline climbs from 90cents to $1.25/litre, let's see if anyone changes their tune regarding the importance of sustainable transportation infrastructure. I wonder who'll be driving downtown to shop when the price of parking and gas combined makes shopping in Kanata/Barrhaven/Orleans even more attractive? Or, for that matter, I wonder who will be driving at all outside of their own area unless absolutely necessary? Maybe then the call for more studies will finally be superceded by the call for immediate construction.

http://russellrpc.org/otrain.jpg

Ugh... I hate the riverside south and Barrhaven plans.... the lots are all so tiny in a lot of these places. Ottawa claims to be developing a community in the spirit of "New Urbanism", but I don't think they know what that is.

Yeah. Why so many stations in Barrhaven anyway?

Too many stations in the burbs does nothing for speed or ridership.

Yes, that part of the line that runs through Barrhaven looks more streetcar than LRT.

Discovering the keys to a successful LRT
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jul 25, 2005 12:00 AM EST

As debate over Ottawa's light rail expansion continues, officials from other cities that have met with wild LRT success say the key to a well run railroad is not hard to find.

Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City have all exceeded their loftiest projections in ridership and traffic issues.

The braintrust behind those systems were asked how they stack up against Ottawa's extension plan and for their thoughts on how to get commuters to give up their cars.

While Ottawa has yet to offer up its game plan to get cars off of the road and fill the LRT once it's built, these cities south of the border that have met with success cite a number of factors, illustrating the complexity of the issue.

Electric LRT trains, downtown routes at street level, no tunnels, and constant expansion. Those may be the obvious common bonds those cities share, but closer examination reveals every system has been built either on budget or under budget. They also all connect to airports or other major transport hubs and major universities and they've all seen development soar along the train's route. This emphasis on connecting major hubs within a city has considerably reduced automobile traffic in all three cities.

Reducing automobile traffic is a key objective of the City of Ottawa, yet the proposed LRT east-west route skirts around the west end's largest population centres. Kanata residents, for example, will either have to take local buses to the far north end of the former city, or take an eastbound express bus, to catch the train. Once on the train, they must head southeast to the Greenboro station and make another transfer onto the northbound train to get downtown.

At this point, Ottawa's LRT expansion plans also do not include direct links to the University of Ottawa or Algonquin College and a rail link to the airport is only planned for the latter stages of the expansion still years away.

The City of Ottawa has also found itself under fire for deciding against putting the downtown leg of the LRT underground. In the end, however, Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City also decided against the expense of digging tunnels.

In Portland, Ore., Mary Fetsch was amazed that Ottawa has no immediate plan to connect the track to the airport or many other major hubs. The communications director for TriMet, the regional transit agency for Portland, emphasized that every kilometre of the track should be accounted for as far as development is concerned.

"The important thing is you have to have it connected to something. You have to ask what the long-term strategy is: Will you connect directly to the airport and at least one of the universities? If the track runs over grassy fields where currently there is little development, what is planned for that land? You have to figure out where your riders are going to be coming from."

Portland, with a population of about 1.5 million, uses electric trains. Its LRT attracted almost 30 million riders in 2004.

In downtown Portland, the train runs at a slower speed and there's a controlled signal system in place. Traffic isn't an issue, and although it gets cool and rainy there the municipal government also decided tunnels were not in the cards.

"A tunnel was debated," Ms. Fetsch said, "but it would've cost a lot of money. We ended up putting the money we had into making the system run as efficiently as possible."

The City of Denver's director of public affairs, Scott Reed, said the number of LRT commuters is continuously rising in a system that's similar to what's being planned here. Electric trains that run through the downtown core share the road with traffic and have caused no more congestion. In fact, just the opposite has occurred.

"In the last fiscal, from March 2004 to this past March, approximately 10 million people rode the LRT," Mr. Reed said. "An average weekday sees 230,000 riders, and it has continued to increase for 10 consecutive months."

That increase, by the way, is 70 per cent above expectations.

"There are always different theories as to what the cause is, but it's a combination of many factors," Mr. Reed said. The economy is better so more people are working, the gas prices force people to leave their cars at home and there's been a steady growth in the population."

All that may be true, but there seems to be more to it than luck.

"The main thing to do is to build a better mousetrap," Mr. Reed explained. "People see that it's an easier, more economical way to commute. All the lines were constructed on time and within budget and the trains run right through downtown at street level contra flow, which means against the traffic, and the traffic signals are synchronized with magnetic detectors under the track bed so it never gets a red light. If anything, congestion has been reduced rather than increased because of the synchronization and the number of riders. We've taken thousands of people a day out of single-occupant cars."

Mr. Reed said the thought of tunnels had been bandied about, but in the end they were discounted for both cost and efficiency reasons.

"We don't have tunnels because the cost would have been many times what it was and because it runs fine downtown as it is. Sure, there was debate, there are always critics of every plan. Some people make a career out of telling you what you can't do. But in the end, we're very happy with the entire system."

Head west to Utah, where Salt Lake City has seen ridership levels double forecasts. Salt Lake uses the same trains as Denver and the route also runs through the inner city without tunnels. Utah Transit Authority spokesman Justin Jones said convincing people to use the system proved to be less difficult than telling them they couldn't when maintenance was needed.

"We projected that in 2025 we would average 22,000 riders a day. We just had our fifth anniversary last December with 44,000 riders a day ... In fact, there was a public outcry because we had to pull some cars out of service because they were getting older and needed maintenance. They were so packed people complained."

He said there are about 900,000 people in the Salt Lake region – as compared to the City of Ottawa's approximate 800,000.

An interesting strategy to boost ridership was sliding a flat rate into the tuition of University of Utah students, which allows them to ride for free all the time without the expense coming directly out of their pockets.

Beyond that, though, Mr. Jones said common sense must prevail.

"The trick is a very simple one. Make it fast and efficient and get people where they're going as fast as if they drove. We do that here. The track downtown runs at street level and the LRT shares the road with traffic for a couple of blocks before it has its own street, but there are no traffic problems at all. In fact, the biggest problem we have is the amount of open parking spaces. So much parking is being unused."

By Scott Taylor

From today's Citizen:
_______________________
Tuesday » October 25 » 2005
Core traffic could stall light rail
City staff admits failure in bid to cut transit volume
Randall Denley
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, October 25, 2005

City councillors' demand for a major reduction in transit volume downtown has led to nothing more than minor tinkering, a staff report to be released tomorrow will show. The groups that have been calling for a proper solution to the transit mess downtown say that's not good enough. They will ask the provincial environment ministry to make the city do better, a move that could finally slow the city's light-rail project.

Back in July, it seemed like business groups were actually making some progress. Councillors sent staff to look at half a dozen things that, combined, would do a lot to reduce the impact of transit on Albert and Slater streets.

Now, staff and their consultants have come back with what amounts to: "It can't be done."

Staff was told to find a way to reduce the peak-time volume of buses on Albert and Slater by 30 per cent by 2009. They haven't been able to get anywhere near that, much less reach the eventual 100-per-cent target. OC Transpo's preferred plan would actually see a five-per-cent increase on Slater eastbound in the morning, and cuts of from six to 15 per cent on Slater and Albert at the other peak hours.

Even those small improvements will be eaten up by the addition of commuter rail, says Hume Rogers, the hotelier who is leading opposition to the city's downtown plan.

The only proposals of any value involve moving the terminal point to the University of Ottawa campus, instead of using the Mackenzie King Bridge.

That means cars will still be able to use the bridge, but the plan is not yet a done deal.

"We have been told that if we shut up and go away, they'll do this," Rogers says. His group doesn't intend to go away, though, until it gets a real plan to move transit through downtown. His group will argue that the environmental assessment that underlies the city's rail plan is inadequate, because it didn't look seriously at alternative downtown transit plans. The environment ministry, or the minister, can tell Ottawa to go back to the drawing board.

Rogers' Albert-Slater business coalition will be supported by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. The public transit lobby group, Transportation 2000, will make a separate submission critiquing the city's plan.

It will produce "an isolated system that only has to do with moving people from the south end to downtown," says David Jeanes, the group's president. "In the long term, we don't have any vision for how we're going to make our downtown transportation more productive."

The nature of the problem is quite clear. The city's official plan estimates the total transit demand downtown will be nearly 2.5 times larger by 2021. The city imagines the number of jobs downtown will increase by 50 per cent, to 120,000. About half of the people working downtown now take transit, but the city thinks it will be 80 per cent by 2021.

This is a huge number of people to move by a transit system that will be pretty much at capacity downtown when commuter rail starts in 2009. The city's consultants did consider the obvious solution, but rejected it as too expensive. That would be to stop almost all buses at Hurdman station in the east and Bayview in the west, and use the train almost exclusively for downtown transit, with more cars and greater frequency than the city envisions. The consultants estimate this will cost $190 million to $235 million.

Our politicians and bureaucrats will immediately tell us it's too much, but they have their priorities reversed.

There are two distinct goals for the commuter rail plan. The first is moving people from the new community of Riverside South to the downtown. The demand is years off, at best. The second problem is already upon us. As the latest round of consulting reports shows, major downtown streets have pretty much reached their transit capacity. How are all the expected new riders supposed to get into downtown?

Our politicians have presented increased transit use as the all-purpose solution for the problems of growth, but a bus-dominated transit system itself faces severe growth restraints in the core. Connecting Bayview and Hurdman with light-rail will end the transit logjam downtown. It is a decision that has to be made now, before the city spends millions rebuilding streets that can't handle the multi-car trains this system will demand.

Light rail is the city's largest project, by far, but the debate has mostly been limited to whether transit is good, or commuter rail is good. That's hardly the point. The real issue is, what is the transit problem and what's the best tool to solve it? The city is ignoring the real situation downtown, so it can spend the bulk of the rail money servicing empty fields south of the airport.

Whatever one thinks of commuter rail, that doesn't make sense.

The O-train is light rail, not commuter rail as Denley seems to think. I disagree with him totally on this transfer plan. Why should all the main lines, with the majority of travellers have to transfer to get downtown. This will just slow down schedules and pack trains, increase commuting times, and turn people off of public transportation in Ottawa. If they are going for five minute frequencies right now for the Otrain just coming from Riverside South, they would have to get subway-like frequencies to handle the demand for all of Ottawa. If the downtown portion is at grade in mixed traffic, that would be very hard to accomplish.

Maybe Denley is just using the term commuter rail in the most generic sense, as in it's not as local as buses are? A lot of Ottawans just don't get the bigger transit picture it seems.

Wow Barrhaven. Imagine people from North Gower and Manotick being able to get into Ottawa that don't own cars. Maybe we'll get something out of being part of the city of Ottawa afterall. So far we've been screwed senseless.

Actually, its probably a good plan since East-West the city is well served by the bus transitway which is excellent. My! Bloody Barrhaven has totally boomed. When I grew up in Ottawa and left in the late 80's it was nothing. It was worse than death or welfare. Basically a string of some Vinyl Village-like housing surrounded by fields with the odd cow and absolutely no stores whatsoever. It was the closest thing to hell I ever encountered. At least now you'll be able to escape it and QUICK!

I won't even go into the joy that is Manotick and North Gower. Still, at least their bored and wealthy. It's all very Stepford in those towns, except Manotick is new money and North Gower is old money. Still boring as hell unless your married, breeding and with automobile. The day that O-Train goes out there I'd move back. Mind you were probably talking 2095. lol I'll be dead and gone but those towns might come to life by the then. Hell they'll be like Barffhaven is today.

Wow Barrhaven. Imagine people from North Gower and Manotick being able to get into Ottawa that don't own cars. Maybe we'll get something out of being part of the city of Ottawa afterall. So far we've been screwed senseless.

Actually, its probably a good plan since East-West the city is well served by the bus transitway which is excellent. My! Bloody Barrhaven has totally boomed. When I grew up in Ottawa and left in the late 80's it was nothing. It was worse than death or welfare. Basically a string of some Vinyl Village-like housing surrounded by fields with the odd cow and absolutely no stores whatsoever. It was the closest thing to hell I ever encountered. At least now you'll be able to escape it and QUICK!

Well Barrhaven isn't too badly served by the Transitway these days. By the end of the year there will be bus only lanes running separately from Fallowfield Station to across from the Sportsplex where they will meet up with the bus only lanes on Woodroffe. As well, the Transitway will be extended from Fallowfield Station to the RioCan Marketplace at Strandherd & Greenbank where it will eventually meet up with the O-Train.

Barrhaven ain't too bad now. There's a movie theatre, more grocery stores then you can shake a stick at with Food Basics opening in a couple of weeks plus a Farm Boy next spring, decent restaurants like Fiamma and Terra Grill, and pretty much all the usual big box suspects.

If you want to see the late 80's version of Barrhaven, take a trip out to Riverside South. That's what it'll be like until the O-Train arrives.

Maybe Denley is just using the term commuter rail in the most generic sense, as in it's not as local as buses are? A lot of Ottawans just don't get the bigger transit picture it seems.

yeah, but it makes it confusing b/c commuter rail is usually on a morning/evening rush schedule, useful mainly for getting downtown. The LRT for Ottawa is on a regular schedule in both directions, and can be used for things like travelling from Carleton to South Keys, or going to the proposed library or to the airport. Just a technical annoyance, that's all ;)




O-Train plan proposes cutting more downtown buses
Last updated Oct 27 2005 09:38 AM EDT
CBC News

The city has unveiled changes to Ottawa's transit system that it says would mean fewer buses operating downtown than originally planned in order to make way for light rail.

"It is a very significant reconfiguration of the city's transportation system over the next four years," said Rejean Chartrand, the director of planning and growth at the city.

It comes in response to a request from council in July to re-examine the issue. The city had originally committed to reducing buses downtown by 25 per cent, but the new plan proposes a 30 per cent reduction.

The proposals don't include recommendations on a tunnel in the downtown core, except to ask for terms of reference to study the need for one.

Right now during each rush hour, 170 buses roll down Albert and Slater streets, pushing both to capacity.

The plan would move some routes to Queen or Wellington instead. As well, riders might be able to bypass downtown altogether by using routes along Heron and Baseline roads.

However, downtown business owners aren't convinced the plan will ease their concerns over congestion in the core. They say the city's math isn't correct.

If you add the number of buses that will be allowed on Albert and Slater to the number of light rail trains, there will be more traffic not less, says Hume Rogers, the group's spokesperson.

"It's almost as if they've added a light rail to the street without looking at the way it integrates into the full plan," said Rogers.

The plan will be presented to the transportation committee next week. Public consultations are scheduled to start in the new year.

City Report (http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060.htm)

Barrhaven's getting the only Indigo (with a Starbucks!) in Ottawa too! It's crazy how Barrhaven is the new Kanata, and how it's growing so fast. I didn't know the Transitway was moving on extending from Fallowfield to Strandheard! Will there be any stations in between? Any other Transitway expansions I've not heard of?

Barrhaven's getting the only Indigo (with a Starbucks!) in Ottawa too! It's crazy how Barrhaven is the new Kanata, and how it's growing so fast. I didn't know the Transitway was moving on extending from Fallowfield to Strandheard! Will there be any stations in between? Any other Transitway expansions I've not heard of?

I don't think you can call Barrhaven the next Kanata, there's no high tech companies really in Barrhaven. It's pretty much a bedroom community. I'd say its the next Orleans but it doesn't have any streets as horrible as St Joseph.

As far as I've heard, the Indigo isn't getting a Starbucks but rather an Indigo Cafe.

As for the Transitway, there will be a Park N Ride behind the Sobeys. There's signs for it beside the Canadian Tire and on Berrigan across from the Fire Station.

Great news! Where are the food vasics, Farm Boy and Loeb going to be?

btw, read that City Report I linked at the end of the CBC article. It is really interesting for all the new 90-series bus routes and the modifications that may be going to be put into place. A lot of this could happen by next fall. For example, the 94 busline through the Hunt Club area

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060_files/image014.jpg

Barrhaven 2009
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060_files/image010.jpg

Barrhaven Express Routes
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060_files/image028.jpg

Baselines New Rapid Transit line
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060_files/image018.jpg

Ottawa, proposed bus/train network
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060_files/image008.jpg

Its OK to extend the current OTrain but I can't fathom the rest of it.
Why don't they just turn the present Transitway into the LRT line?
The station and ROW are already there.

BTW, if you want to make a real comparison of LRT you should do it to Calgary's CTrain with 220,000 passengers a day.

That's quite an impressive HRT plan you've got there Ottawa...and I assume all this has the necessary funding and will go through without any hinderances? Such ambitious plans for such a cash strapped province. Very nice...ararararar.

Thats part of my point. It would be far less expensive than most LRT construction because the Stations and ROW are already there.

No, Indigos no longer have Indigo Café. Ever since they bought Chapters, they have converted each IC to Starbucks. I used to work with the person who's going to manage it.

I don't know about the comparison to Orleans. Because there's a lot of parts that are still old and down and out, and there are the parts by 10th line that are new.I think Barrhaven's gone on a larger scale, which is why I think it's more like Kanata (minus the high-tech and old downtown).

GoRavens, what a great map of the future Transitway/O-Train lines. Is there one that's bigger, or can you point me to it? What's the name of the Baseline transitway line? Strange that there's a Lester and Leitrim O-Train station, but no Airport one? I guess Lester is close enough?

Great news! Where are the food vasics, Farm Boy and Loeb going to be?



Food Basics is going into where the Barrhaven Mall used to be. Its been redeveloped into a plaza but they've kept the northern part of the mall.

Farm Boy is going in at the Northeast corner of Woodroffe and the northern part of Stoneway.

Loeb opened a new store at the Southwest corner of Woodroffe and Strandherd. The old Loeb has been turned into a SuperC, Loeb's version of a Basics or NoFrills.

Food Basics is going into where the Barrhaven Mall used to be. Its been redeveloped into a plaza but they've kept the northern part of the mall.

Farm Boy is going in at the Northeast corner of Woodroffe and the northern part of Stoneway.

Loeb opened a new store at the Southwest corner of Woodroffe and Strandherd. The old Loeb has been turned into a SuperC, Loeb's version of a Basics or NoFrills.

that's where the old... A&P?? can't remember :D and blockbuster were right? Except blockbuster is moving too, I saw the last time I was out there

Cool!

Oh yeah, I remember that one now, by the Shoppers drug mart :)

I remember driving on Prince of Wales between jockvale and merivale and it was all fields on either side. Winding way was just a few houses by the river. Jockvale was a wooded country drive. So much has changed in South Ottawa.

It's strange, because the Greenbelt is still very evident just outside of Strandherd and Greenbank area. You see lots of fields, and then bam, Suburbs!

[QUOTE=samsonyuen
GoRavens, what a great map of the future Transitway/O-Train lines. Is there one that's bigger, or can you point me to it? What's the name of the Baseline transitway line? Strange that there's a Lester and Leitrim O-Train station, but no Airport one? I guess Lester is close enough?[/QUOTE]

I posted one a while ago, but I guess they've changed it quite a bit. It isn't a network concept map with major bus routes though.
http://skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=3479302&postcount=12

There is some contact info at the top of the report
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/11-02/ACS2005-PGM-POL-0060.htm

I squinted and I think it says the 90, but I'm not sure :D It would replace and extend the 118.

Yeah, the airport one is going to be a shuttle first between the Lester station and the airport. They plan to eventually extend the O-train there.

that's where the old... A&P?? can't remember :D and blockbuster were right? Except blockbuster is moving too, I saw the last time I was out there

It was originally Loblaws but then later became IGA (but renamed Sobeys) when Loblaws went to the Barrhaven Town Center (but that store is now a Your Independent Grocer).

Oh yeah, I remember that one now, by the Shoppers drug mart :)

The former Loeb was by the old SDM. Now there's two more SDM's in Barrhaven, Woodroffe/Standherd plus Jockvale/Strandherd.

I remember driving on Prince of Wales between jockvale and merivale and it was all fields on either side. Winding way was just a few houses by the river. Jockvale was a wooded country drive. So much has changed in South Ottawa.


I can remember driving south on Woodroffe and there was nothing past the Sportsplex. I hadn't gone down there in awhile and then suddenly is was developed.

November 3, 2005
Transit tunnel idea not buried just yet
By DEREK PUDDICOMBE, Ottawa Sun
Building a tunnel under the city to accommodate public transit may not be out of the question.

Although a previous environmental assessment ruled out the construction of a tunnel due to its price tag of nearly $700 million, the city's transportation committee yesterday opened up the possibility of taking a second look at building an underground tunnel for either light rail or buses.

Ottawa assistant deputy manager Ned Lathrop told the committee that it's always been assumed that a tunnel would be built under Slater St. or Albert St. That may not be necessary, he said.

"It may go under the War Memorial. All of a sudden, it looks like a different game," said Lathrop, who quickly added that he doesn't think the city has the staff, time or money to complete another assessment by 2008 as councillors would like and that the money to fund any study would result in an additional 2006 budget request.

Bay ward Coun. Alex Cullen said the city should look at an underground transit facility more seriously.

After some debate committee members agreed that the construction of a tunnel should remain on the agenda.

The tunnel debate came to the surface during yesterday's transportation committee meeting when a group of Albert and Slater street businesspeople and property owners suggested the city take another look at the idea because a proposed recommendation to cut the number of buses won't work.

"It fails to look at all possible route alternatives ... (and ignores) an underground option," said Hume Rogers, general manager of Capital Hill Hotel and Suites.

Coun. Clive Doucet said a tunnel "makes absolutely zero sense," but said the city has made a mistake by not linking light rail to the airport.

Council OKs new transit plan
Patrick Dare
The Ottawa Citizen
Thursday, November 10, 2005

City council approved a new transit plan yesterday, agreeing to cut the number of express bus routes to the suburbs, reduce the number of buses downtown and negotiate with the University of Ottawa to extend the city's new commuter rail system into the university campus.

Some suburban councillors were concerned about the loss of more than half of the city's express routes to the suburbs. But 32 express bus lines have clogged Albert and Slater streets with hundreds of buses each day. Business owners and managers downtown said that if the city insists on running a commuter rail line from South Nepean to the Rideau Centre, the city has to do something about the clearing up the intolerable traffic jams.

The city's transit planners came back with a plan that reduces bus volume by: cutting the number of out-of-service buses running downtown; replacing regular buses with 140 big, articulated buses over the next four years; and taking buses out of downtown, along corridors such as Baseline and Heron roads, where buses will be given priority at intersections. While there would be fewer express routes, and more riders would have to change buses, the buses would run more frequently, perhaps every 10 minutes rather than every 30 minutes.

The city is also promising to add $10 million to its plan to improve the look of the streets downtown.

Bus routes are to be taken out of downtown in 2007, express routes cut in 2008 and the north-south rail service is to be running by 2009.

Rejean Chartrand, the city manager leading the commuter rail project, said the new transit plan is "a fundamental shift to a hub and spoke" system, necessary because the streets downtown can't handle any more buses. Mr. Chartrand said the system must change and that the ultimate design will contain not only an north-south rail line. but also an east-west line.

Suburban councillors expressed worries yesterday that transit customers won't go along with the changes.

"We're making decisions before talking to people. There's no discussion. It's going to happen," said Kanata Councillor Peggy Feltmate.

Councillor Diane Deans urged council to not make such dramatic changes to the city's transit system.

"We're removing express service. We should ask them before making a decision," said Ms. Deans. Her motion to hold off on making the transit changes was defeated last night at council.

I think the idea of tunnelling downtown is absurd. There can be no cost comparsion with downtown Ottawa and other cities because Ottawa sits on solid rock.
If you want to go be an example go by Calgary's not Edmonton's.
Edmonton has a lovly subway but the problem is that it drained money for an extensive LRT system.
Both cities have spent roughly the same amount of money on their LRTs over the years but Calgary's carries 220,000/pass a day and Edmonton's 45,000.
Calgary decided to spend its money on a longer LRT system sering more parts of the city and hence the numbers you see.
A tunnel doesn't do much for ridership if it goes to relativly small area of the city.
Create an extensive system and they will come regardless of a downtown tunnel.

I think the idea of tunnelling downtown is absurd. There can be no cost comparsion with downtown Ottawa and other cities because Ottawa sits on solid rock.
If you want to go be an example go by Calgary's not Edmonton's.
Edmonton has a lovly subway but the problem is that it drained money for an extensive LRT system.
Both cities have spent roughly the same amount of money on their LRTs over the years but Calgary's carries 220,000/pass a day and Edmonton's 45,000.
Calgary decided to spend its money on a longer LRT system sering more parts of the city and hence the numbers you see.
A tunnel doesn't do much for ridership if it goes to relativly small area of the city.
Create an extensive system and they will come regardless of a downtown tunnel.

http://www.chez.com/transporturbain/ottawa/0033.jpg

Imagine this, but worse during rush hours. Then imagine that by 2021, ridership is projected to almost triple. Then add trains every 5 minutes (there are already 3 major routes per street, plus tons of express buses and regular routes). Then put the trains and buses in the same lane. Plus there is parking, loading areas for businesses, platforms for trains,turning lanes. And of course a through lane for cars to get through

this is what they plan for the downtown to look like
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2005/07-06/Exhibit%202%20-%20Downtown%20Plans.pdf

With all of these things to consider, a tunnel becomes an attractive option. The alternative is shown in a few posts above; rerouting bus routes, etc. But the way Ottawa's downtown is designed, that is fairly hard to do (very few bridges over the Rideau Canal, Sparks street has no cars. Wellington and Queen already have a fair amount of buses on them, and Laurier is a major route for cars/deliveries). There already is a fairly extensive BRT, so the network/reaching people is not really the issue in Ottawa. Though I would love to convert the BRT to LRT.

That should be the first priority, converting BRT to LRT, that would get rid of all those damn buses. I use to live in Ottawa as I went to Carleton and even back in the late 80s the amount of buses on Slater/Albert was rediculous.
BTW, Calagary converted a major downtown street to LRT only yet Calgary also has a pedestrian only road............StephenAve. Calgary also has a number of small briges to cross to get downtown but they managed. Its called political will.

That should be the first priority, converting BRT to LRT, that would get rid of all those damn buses. I use to live in Ottawa as I went to Carleton and even back in the late 80s the amount of buses on Slater/Albert was rediculous.
BTW, Calagary converted a major downtown street to LRT only yet Calgary also has a pedestrian only road............StephenAve. Calgary also has a number of small briges to cross to get downtown but they managed. Its called political will.

I agree. Personally, I would love it if they converted everything to rail, used the current Bombadier trains on all routes, and tunnelled under the downtown. However the cost would be pretty high, like you said. Your idea strikes a great balance between cost and feasibility. I feel that the city's current plan just won't work, but I guess we'll see!

Political will.... I wish we had that in Ottawa (not including Chiarelli's will) ;) Nothing ever gets done here. I've heard complaints that the downtown street in Calgary is getting clogged with all the trains though, is that actually an issue?

I agree, in the main downtown Transitway stations, it's ridiculous to not seriously consider tunelling. How about an elevated train then, if it's that much more expensive?

I think the comparison between Calgary and Edmonton is not fair either. Sure, they've got a lot more C-Train trackage for their money, but the passenger count is more due to how much more dense Calgary's working population is.

^ That's true but Ottawa's downtown concentration of employment is also relatively high due to the huge civil service.
Ya, Calgary's downtown is begining to get crouded by the CTrain but that's because ridership has soared so high that they have added more trains so a train arrives every 4 minutes during the day in EACH direction. That will get even higher as CTrain expansion to new areas of the city continue. They are also lenghtening the platforms to accomodate longer trains. Its a great problem to have.
Calgary does have a long term plan to eventually create a downtown tunnel with 2 levels to accomodate all the trains, much like Toronto's St.George subway station.
That probablyt won't start till 2025-30.
Downtown tunnels don't help ridership, extensive systems do. Calgary's CTrain is now 42km soon to be 50km by 2009.
Despite all the bitching about car-crazy Calgarians, Calgarians have taken to the CTrain on mass.

Well, with the higher core working population (than Calgary), shouldn't there be an even bigger need to decongest the roads in Ottawa then? Especially when traffic will basically be funnelled onto two one-way streets? The O-Train doesn't need the downtown tunnel to help ridership at all, as the Transitway has proven. What it needs the tunnel for is to get cars (and trains) off the streets. And if you have congestion, you're not doing that. It's not the same as Calgary at all, Ottawa has a crazy high ridership level for BRT, I reckon it'd be even higher for LRT.

Yes, but the trains are far longer. It would take nearly 3 articulated buses to equal the soon to be 4 car CTrain.
One nice thing about the CTrain is that's its electric so its not only quieter than those damn diesel buses but also you don't get the smog from them. This plus the fact that they are non-plluting. CTrain is also the ONLY train system in NA that runs on wind powered electricity.

My preference for an O-Train route would be:

http://ca.geocities.com/scubiedu@rogers.com/OTLoop.jpg

If this initial loop was put in place, any future expansion would be a piece of cake. For example, an LRT system on Carling Ave or Montreal Road could enter the loop once they get into the core. An Airport train could enter at Billings Bridge, do the loop and return.

I'd love to see Ottawa with a free or reduced-fare area within this loop, similar to Portland's Fareless Square (http://www.trimet.org/fares/fareless.htm)

Here's a conceptual projection of what downtown Ottawa could look like with a tunnel:

http://ca.geocities.com/scubiedu@rogers.com/Otunnel.jpg

I really like the idea of running Light Rail on Queen Street because it is closer to Parliament Hill and Sparks Street, making it convenient for tourist and residents alike to frequent this area that has a growing parking and traffic problems.

Streetcars used to run on Sparks then on to Rideau via Sapper's Bridge but that was before the War Memorial was really built. This was the lifeblood of these commercial streets. Putting light rail on Queen would preserve and rejuvenate the Sparks Street pedestrian mall in my opinion.

Here's a sketch of Confederation Square and conceptual options around the War Memorial:

http://ca.geocities.com/scubiedu@rogers.com/Plaza.jpg

I can see maintaining the current rail line to Carleton but I still think they should just transfer all of the transitway line over to LRT.
It covers a good cross section of the whole region and the stations and ROW are already there.

BTW, Calgary's CTrain is also free in the downtown core.

hmm interesting ideas systematica! I really like your ideas about the loop concept. The only problem I see is putting the 95,96,97,99 buses on the streets. It intoduces possibilities for delays in busing, especially during peak times. But yeah, it's also great because it works very well for turning the rest of the transitway into LRT in the future, and adding the carling and montreal road lines.


here's why they chose albert and slater over the other corridors

Screening of Corridors

Wellington Street

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ns/stage_3/boards/images/wellington_en.jpg

* Closed Numerous Times During Year
* Major Events and Unscheduled Events
* North of Major Transit Destinations
* Rideau Street East of Canal - Limited to One LRT Lane Unless All Cars Removed

Sparks Street

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ns/stage_3/boards/images/sparks_st_en.jpg

* Impact on Garden of the Provinces
* Impact on Kiosks & Pedestrian Environment
* Impact on Confederation Square
* Several Event Closures at East End
* Rideau Street - Limited Width

Queen Street

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ns/stage_3/boards/images/queen_st_en.jpg

* Difficult Profile Up Escarpment
* Narrow Right of Way at West End
* Numerous Access Impacts in Both Directions
* Indirect Access to Rideau or Mackenzie King

Laurier Avenue

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ns/stage_3/boards/images/laurier_ave_en.jpg

* Numerous Event Closures in East End
* Residential Impacts at West End
* South of Main Transit Market
* Requires Removal of On-Street Parking

Albert and Slater Streets Recommended

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ns/stage_3/boards/images/albert_slater_recommended.jpg

* Existing Transit Corridor
* Central to Main Destinations
* Access to Rideau/Congress Centres via Mackenzie King Bridge at East End
* Best Technical Alignment

I personally don't agree with any of them.
I think instead of Albert AND Slater I think it should be Albert OR Slater.
Calgary's CTrain is on one LRT only street and seems to work very well and has minimum impact on the rest of the downtown core.

I don't see a problem running the 90-series buses on the core area streets because they already do. All that would be needed are transit lanes on King Edward and Riverside, and on the proposed Nicholas Bridge (for the controversial Alta Vista Corridor). At Peak hours, I would see additional 90-series buses leaving from the Loop out to the suburbs so the majority of them do not have to cross the core.

Although Calgary's C-Train is free downtown, I like Portland's system because everything - LRT, buses and streetcars - are free downtown, making it easy to circulate at will once you get to the core.

I like the idea of the loop. Are these your ideas? The problem I have with it is that you'd have to get on the LRT then get on a bus, but I guess they'd have to do that anyway. I think the thing about Queen street is that it's too far north. It's great for the tourists and government workers, but it's not close enough to Laurier, Somerset, etc. You still have to serve downtown Bank Street otherwise.

Both sides of LRT debate refuse to budge
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Nov 21, 2005 12:00 AM EST

No further discussion concerning the $725-million light rail project about to be undertaken by the City of Ottawa will be forthcoming, says Ottawa's director of economic development and strategic projects Réjean Chartrand.

Mr. Chartrand rejected an idea put forth by the Ottawa Business Journal to have a public forum in order to address the concerns of citizens and transport experts who say the plan is flawed.

"People who to go to these things tend to be very much against the plan," he said. "What good would come out of this? At some point you need to turn the page."

Transport 2000 president David Jeanes, along with Bank Street BIA head Gerry Lepage, both confirmed their willingness to participate. Their decisions came as no surprise to Mr. Chartrand, who said they have had ample opportunity to state their cases. "I'm not sure I could see any value doing it this way. We would just get all of the usual suspects. They've been to the meetings, the open houses, and they've filed their concerns with the province. We're not trying to convince people, we're (building) it."

Forces for and against the LRT plan in its present form have entrenched themselves so deeply that any debate would only be a continuation of the same circular argument that has been raging since the idea was put forth.

"There would be no winners, just the same discussion we've had many times already," Mr. Chartrand added.

"The point is that they've said that all along," argued Mr. Lepage. "He has never entered into consultation with us. The city has stonewalled the University of Ottawa and the business community, and they have been in conflict with the airport authority and the federal and provincial ministers who are kicking in the money to help have this built."

The frustration can be felt on both sides of the fence and the only sure thing is they will continue to disagree.

"There has got to be debate," Mr. Jeanes said. "The extension of the LRT from the MacKenzie King Bridge to the University of Ottawa demands a new environmental assessment. Legally, they have to allow public discussion for the assessment to be approved.

"The city has its head down. I hesitate to say this project has a life of its own because it's doomed to failure."

Not so fast, Mr. Chartrand countered. "Clearly there will be a public consultation, it is required to formally amend the environmental assessment so it will happen.

"Look," he continued, "we have had eight meetings with various business groups over the summer, we worked through many issues successfully. There were only two issues that divided us. The tunnel is something they would clearly like to see now, and the reduction in buses where we have different semantics on the number of reductions. Those are the only two issues."

Mr. Chartrand is traveling for the next couple of weeks and has agreed to a one-on-one interview with the OBJ upon his return.

By Scott Taylor