Category: Booth St

bike path, Bluesfest, Booth St, complete streets, design, Fleet Street, LeBreton Flats, Pimisi station3 Comments

Booth Freeway Fix continues

Westsideaction

Long-sufferings readers here may recall the unfortunate initial design and build of the portion of Booth going from Albert Street, over the new OTrain Confederation Line, to the Macdonald Parkway. It was justifiable to call this a freeway design. It was as inhospitable as possible for pedestrians and cyclists, despite the location of Pimisi Station at the midpoint. A “fix” has been in the works for a long time, and the most urgently needed portion is now in place. And more improvements are in the works (read on !) Lets review the new design, which is substantially complete. Here is … Continue reading Booth Freeway Fix continues

Albert St, Bayview, Bayview Otrain, Bayview Station, bikewest, Booth St, City Centre, complete streets, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, design, hintonburg, LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, pedestrians, Pimisi Station, Scott street6 Comments

West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part vi – Bayview Station overpass

Westsideaction

Let’s look at that confusing stretch of road between Bayview Avenue and City Centre Avenue. Legally known as Albert Street, many folks persist in calling it Scott Street (which only runs west of Bayview). It’s a bleak and uninviting bit … Continue reading West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part vi – Bayview Station overpass

Booth St, complete streets, cycling in Ottawa, pedestrians, planning2 Comments

West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part iii – NRCan

Westsideaction

There is yet a third segment of Booth Street to consider. That’s the portion running from the Queensway south to Carling Avenue. That segment is not residential, it is mostly government offices, ranging from heritage Mineral and Mines brick buildings … Continue reading West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part iii – NRCan

Booth St, Claridge, complete streets, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, LeBreton Flats, oc Transpo, Pimisi Station14 Comments

Fixing the Booth Freeway fiasco

Westsideaction

Recall that Booth Street between Albert Street and Wellington Street (out by the War Museum) was rebuilt with a grand overpass over the new LRT line. Before it was built, the design was hotly contested by local communities and advocacy … Continue reading Fixing the Booth Freeway fiasco

Booth St, Confederation Line, Ottawa, Pimisi Station

Wandering around the west side (ii) the historic aqueduct

Westsideaction

Wandering around the west side by foot and by bike reveals new wonders perhaps missed because the summer heat made me slothful. Here’s the stone walls along most of the aqueduct through LeBreton Flats. They were restored / rebuilt about 20 years ago, but the City sorta benignly neglected to maintain the bank sides and landscaping ever since. Many of the trees have died (for lack of water, since they were planted in giant “pockets” underlain with impermeable fabric so the roots can’t get to the water table). The view below is from the new Booth Freeway overpass, which offers never-before-seen … Continue reading Wandering around the west side (ii) the historic aqueduct

Albert St, bike path, Booth St, Cdn War Museum, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, DCA, LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, pedestrians, roads, Transit12 Comments

About those not-quite-bike-lanes on Booth Freeway

Westsideaction

There are certain facts of life we have to deal with today, even if we regret how things came to be that way. I wont rehash how Booth Street north of Albert, going through LeBreton Flats, came to be designed … Continue reading About those not-quite-bike-lanes on Booth Freeway

bike path, Bluesfest, Booth St, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, design, LeBreton Flats, LRT, oc Transpo, Ottawa, sidewalks, surface water, walkways9 Comments

Ottawa’s LRT: Sifting Commercials for Info

Westsideaction

  The City has decided some time ago not to engage transit users for feedback on the design and use of its new LRT vehicles and stations.   Instead, users are stuck until they can “try out” a PR model of the new trains, or watch PR Videos cheerleading the project. At Lansdowne Park, a mock-up LRT vehicle reveals numerous shortcomings, from entanglement points, very hard seats, to the lack of footroom at some seats that will make winter riding uncomfortable  and exiting the window seats acrobatic enough to challenge cirque de soleil performers. It’s a shame these details are coming … Continue reading Ottawa’s LRT: Sifting Commercials for Info

bike path, Booth St, Bronson, Carling-Preston CDP, Cdn War Museum, Claridge, design, intensificatioin, LeBreton Flats, The Isles3 Comments

Building LeBetter Flats, part 5, The Isles

Westsideaction

The projected build out of Albert and Chaudiere Islands * starts with the material already at hand, ie the existing buildings. The former brick and stone mill buildings will be converted to commercial uses, starting in 2015. These offer the quickest revenue opportunity for the developer, Windmill, and I imagine it is much easier to attract firms rather than condo residents. Particularly hi-tech-y firms which show a propensity to edgy industrial sites in other cities in part due to their often young employee age group and non-conventional self-image. The first buildings to be converted will most likely be on Albert … Continue reading Building LeBetter Flats, part 5, The Isles

bike path, Booth St, cycling in Ottawa, design, Montreal, planning, roads, streetscaping, walkways

Bike Path, Walkway, Bus Stop: all together now

Westsideaction

The City of Ottawa claims it cannot possibly design the new section of Booth Street running north from Albert, serving Pimisi Station and the LeBreton Flats area, to include motorists, buses, transit, and bikes. The cyclists just don’t fit. So they are being thrown under the bus. As for their partner in crime, the NCC’s vision for their new urban downtown showpiece doesn’t seem to include complete streets or cyclists. Dusk a few weeks ago, I noticed this lovely bike path – walkway – bus stop combo in Montreal, on the side of Park Lafontaine. Everyone approaching the place gets ample visual … Continue reading Bike Path, Walkway, Bus Stop: all together now

bike path, bikewest, Booth St, Cdn War Museum, cycling in Ottawa, pedestrians, planning, road diet, roads, sidewalks, streetscaping, walkways6 Comments

Churchill Cycle Track takes shape

Westsideaction

  Churchill Avenue running north from Carling Avenue towards Westboro is being rebuilt today as a complete street. In addition to the regular car / truck traffic lanes on the street, there will be concrete walks and at the same level as the walkway, a cycle track. A cycle track differs from a bike lane, which is a painted zone on the street just off to the side of the car traffic. Road traffic can readily intrude into the bike lane (hello FedEx). The cycle track is separated from other vehicular traffic by a curb and buffer zone. The opening … Continue reading Churchill Cycle Track takes shape

Albert St, Bayview Station, bike path, Booth St, cycling in Ottawa, OTrain bike path6 Comments

No leaning on shovels at this city construction project

Westsideaction

A short while ago I mocked a City transit project on the west side that I described as “lollygagging along”.  * So it’s only fair we look at one that is moving with the (relative) speed of light. Yes, it’s back to the (in)famous Albert Street bus detour. Construction only began last week:  The city originally just wanted to remove the multi-use path on the north side of Albert, never to replace it. Community input caused it to be (temporarily **) saved, relocated. Then the same pressure got the City to replace it first with the new path, before digging … Continue reading No leaning on shovels at this city construction project

Booth St, Nature, somerset street, streetscaping, walkways1 Comment

Community Gardeners carry on …

Westsideaction

Community Gardeners, sometimes called guerilla gardeners, inspired by a love of plants, work to beautify their neighbourhood through planting things. Sometimes this is into otherwise empty planters the city leaves scattered around. Other times it is in less-expected places, ie real guerilla planting. Here is the community garden planted outside the Plant Rec Centre:   In the Plant case, gardeners worked with the city to install the garden. The city provided a truckload of topsoil as part of the Somerset reconstruction project. Volunteers spread the soil and did the planting with material from other sites and private gardens. A passing … Continue reading Community Gardeners carry on …

Bluesfest, Booth St, Cdn War Museum, Claridge, condos, cycling in Ottawa, design, LeBreton Flats, NCC2 Comments

Three temporary landscapes on the Flats

Westsideaction

Last night the NCC held an open house to unveil 3 concepts for landscaping the Beirut  Bagdad  Syrian war zone post-apocalyptic landscape in downtown Ottawa on the south side of the Parkway between Vimy Private (the War Museum entrance road) and Claridge’s condos on LeBreton Flats. It has long been a puzzle to WSA regulars as to why bureaucrats think people would rush to buy homes with such dismal surroundings. So the new NCC, with new Leadership, responding to criticism (not least of which came from their bosses up on the Hill) of the desolate lands, announced a few weeks ago … Continue reading Three temporary landscapes on the Flats

Albert St, bike path, Booth St, Confederation Line, LRT, O-Train, oc Transpo, OLRT, Scott street3 Comments

Yet another Scott Street > transitway option

Westsideaction

Recall that the current transitway, running in an open cut through the west side, will be replaced by rail tracks for the new Confederation Line LRT. There is a construction lead time to construct the tracks and the new stations at Tunney’s and Bayview and LeBreton, so the buses now on the transitway will have to be detoured during the construction period. Others are busy working on detours that do not involve Scott and Albert Streets. This is the second exploration  of how the detour could occur on Scott-Albert. (for the first option, see:       http:/www.westsideaction.ca/putting-the-buses-onto-scott-albert/ ; the comments … Continue reading Yet another Scott Street > transitway option

Booth St, design6 Comments

Demolition and new construction, Booth at Somerset

Westsideaction

    Demolition has come near the corner of Booth and Somerset, in Chinatown. For once, it is deliberate and not by fire. An elderly three storey apartment building has been demolished.   The site owner has approval to build two new triplexes on the site. The style will be modern, with lots of exposed metal bits. Here’s a view of the project circulated last year:   Locals suggested that he incorporate some of the typical neighbourhood red brick to the front façades, and possibly make some on-site use of the dressed limestone blocks from the old foundation. We also … Continue reading Demolition and new construction, Booth at Somerset

Albert St, Bayview, Bayview Otrain, Bayview-Carling CDP, bikewest, Bluesfest, Booth St, Cdn War Museum, cycling in Ottawa10 Comments

Albert Street reconstruction – Back to the Future?

Westsideaction

  above: elderly gent attempts to give directions to city engineers who will shortly zoom off – but in what direction?   The section of Albert Street that runs through LeBreton Flats is up for reconstruction starting this year. Total reconstruction, as in deep sewers, new watermains, new pavement and curbs. But the wiring won’t be buried  that is a cost imposed on suburban areas not in central Ottawa. What will be the changes? Well, we don’t know for sure. The contract is being given to the Rideau Transit Group while the project is in the design stage, with more unknowns … Continue reading Albert Street reconstruction – Back to the Future?

Booth St1 Comment

Miracle on Booth Street

Westsideaction

The previous post looked at some really tough plants. This post focusses on the more tender, biological ones. Recall that in the spring, volunteer gardeners from the neighborhood planted a few curbside openings along Booth Street. * The plants we used were tough ditch lilies. Native species like these are best for the awful conditions we subjected the plants to. First there is the foot and vehicular traffic along Booth. The pollution. The strange soil, 50% gravel, that we had to plant in. Followed by the driest summer on recent record, with no tap to water these plants. Given the dry … Continue reading Miracle on Booth Street

Booth St, Primrose6 Comments

Getting under the skin

Westsideaction

There is a c1902 house at the corner of Primrose and Booth. It’s actually a semi-detached, with one door facing Primrose and the other Booth. For as long as I can remember it has been sagging at the front corner. This is probably due to the line of peat that traces the foot of the escarpment / Nanny Goat Hill that runs from parliament, Cathedral Hill, Bronson Hill, and eventually peters out somewhere mid-Dalhousie neighborhood near Gladstone, interrupted by the syncline of the Nepean-Gloucester fault line. All along the foot of the escarpment you can spot houses that sag (these must be … Continue reading Getting under the skin