Category: LRT

Claridge, condos, DOTT, downtown, LRT1 Comment

Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Westsideaction

The lot shown in the pictures below is bounded by Queen street on the right (north); Lyon in the foreground (east side); and Albert Street to the left (south). Claridge, a prominent Ottawa condo developer, owns it.  Your photog is standing at the foot of the downramp from the Crowne Plaza hotel: This view is from the corner of Albert and Lyon, at the foot of the ramp up to the Crowne Plaza’s awful driveway ramp entrance. The red brick building at the far side of the lot is 151 Bay, a fourteen storey condo built by Teron in the … Continue reading Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Claridge, condos, DOTT, downtown, LRT

Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Westsideaction

The lot shown in the pictures below is bounded by Queen street on the right (north); Lyon in the foreground (east side); and Albert Street to the left (south). Claridge, a prominent Ottawa condo developer, owns it.  Your photog is standing at the foot of the downramp from the Crowne Plaza hotel: This view is from the corner of Albert and Lyon, at the foot of the ramp up to the Crowne Plaza’s awful driveway ramp entrance. The red brick building at the far side of the lot is 151 Bay, a fourteen storey condo built by Teron in the … Continue reading Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, LRT, NCC, O-Train5 Comments

Bushwacking for cyclists

Westsideaction

Last week a group of concerned citizens participated with the City and its consultants on the routing exercise for the O-Train corridor cycling path (cyclopiste de Preston). Participants represented the NCC, Dalhousie and Hintonburg Community Associations, CfSC and Cycle Vision Ottawa members, a landscape architect, engineer, planner, and others. The cycling arterial will connect the Ottawa River cycling paths to the Otrain at Bayview, run along the tracks behind the City Centre complex, under Somerset via a new underpass, behind the PWGSC complex at 1010 Somerset, and come out at ground level again at Gladstone. Then a short overground stretch … Continue reading Bushwacking for cyclists

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, LRT, NCC, O-Train

Bushwacking for cyclists

Westsideaction

Last week a group of concerned citizens participated with the City and its consultants on the routing exercise for the O-Train corridor cycling path (cyclopiste de Preston). Participants represented the NCC, Dalhousie and Hintonburg Community Associations, CfSC and Cycle Vision Ottawa members, a landscape architect, engineer, planner, and others. The cycling arterial will connect the Ottawa River cycling paths to the Otrain at Bayview, run along the tracks behind the City Centre complex, under Somerset via a new underpass, behind the PWGSC complex at 1010 Somerset, and come out at ground level again at Gladstone. Then a short overground stretch … Continue reading Bushwacking for cyclists

cycling in Ottawa, DOTT, LRT

LRT station design

Westsideaction

On behalf of the Dalhousie Community Association, comments were submitted on the guideslines for the LRT stations. You can read about them here: http://dalhousiecommunityassociation.blogspot.com/2010/06/dca-comments-on-lrt-station-design.html If you are reading this blog, and interested in some of the nitty-gritty of how stations impact our neighborhood, it might be worth a read. The city’s document on LRT guidelines themselves is a thick document, probably available at their website. Continue reading LRT station design

cycling in Ottawa, DOTT, LRT

LRT station design

Westsideaction

On behalf of the Dalhousie Community Association, comments were submitted on the guideslines for the LRT stations. You can read about them here: http://dalhousiecommunityassociation.blogspot.com/2010/06/dca-comments-on-lrt-station-design.html If you are reading this blog, and interested in some of the nitty-gritty of how stations impact our neighborhood, it might be worth a read. The city’s document on LRT guidelines themselves is a thick document, probably available at their website. Continue reading LRT station design

Bronson, DOTT, LRT

Boston transit

Westsideaction

One of the newest stations on the red line, near the Charles River, in Boston. The red line is a true metro, with wide cars, third rail, underground in the city but on a grade-separated right of way in the ‘burbs and on bridges. Stairs were poured concrete, but with rubber pads making the climb much easier on the feet. Escalators were provided only for the up direction. Ottawa plans a sterile zone along its LRT tracks. Draw a line 45 degrees up from the rail, remove all vegetation, so nothing can fall on the track. Boston showed a more … Continue reading Boston transit

Bronson, DOTT, LRT

Boston transit

Westsideaction

One of the newest stations on the red line, near the Charles River, in Boston. The red line is a true metro, with wide cars, third rail, underground in the city but on a grade-separated right of way in the ‘burbs and on bridges. Stairs were poured concrete, but with rubber pads making the climb much easier on the feet. Escalators were provided only for the up direction. Ottawa plans a sterile zone along its LRT tracks. Draw a line 45 degrees up from the rail, remove all vegetation, so nothing can fall on the track. Boston showed a more … Continue reading Boston transit

DOTT, LRT4 Comments

Boring Life downtown

Westsideaction

Worked started on Monday doing test bore holes for the new Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT). Hopefully, the cost won’t be wasted if the anti-tunnel Watson gets elected mayor. The first bore hole is on the park just below the Juliana Apt building near the corner of Queen/Bronson/Hill Street. Each hole boring takes one to two days. While drilling, the crew takes rock samples to ensure what is deep under the downtown is what geologists currently expect to be there. The drilled hole will be capped off with a removable lid, but the hole underneath remains, and will have monitoring … Continue reading Boring Life downtown

DOTT, LRT

Boring Life downtown

Westsideaction

Worked started on Monday doing test bore holes for the new Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT). Hopefully, the cost won’t be wasted if the anti-tunnel Watson gets elected mayor. The first bore hole is on the park just below the Juliana Apt building near the corner of Queen/Bronson/Hill Street. Each hole boring takes one to two days. While drilling, the crew takes rock samples to ensure what is deep under the downtown is what geologists currently expect to be there. The drilled hole will be capped off with a removable lid, but the hole underneath remains, and will have monitoring … Continue reading Boring Life downtown

Bayview, DOTT, LRT, oc Transpo5 Comments

Bus Traffic on Scott/Albert

Westsideaction

Presuming the conversion of the transitway from buses to LRT goes ahead after the upcoming municipal election — and this is a big presumption since Watson, for one, is running on a platform of reexamining not just the tunnel component but even whether we should have LRT service at all (he seems to favour perpetual bus service)— there will be many transitioning issues to deal with. One contentious issue is what to do with the buses that currently run on the transitway while the road is being removed and rails and LRT stations are being installed. This was a big … Continue reading Bus Traffic on Scott/Albert

Bayview, DOTT, LRT, oc Transpo

Bus Traffic on Scott/Albert

Westsideaction

Presuming the conversion of the transitway from buses to LRT goes ahead after the upcoming municipal election — and this is a big presumption since Watson, for one, is running on a platform of reexamining not just the tunnel component but even whether we should have LRT service at all (he seems to favour perpetual bus service)— there will be many transitioning issues to deal with. One contentious issue is what to do with the buses that currently run on the transitway while the road is being removed and rails and LRT stations are being installed. This was a big … Continue reading Bus Traffic on Scott/Albert

DOTT, LRT, Transit

A matter of Choice …

Westsideaction

Shown below is the Queensway, typical autumn mid-afternoon volume. Shown below, the transitway. I gather that the transitway carries the same volume of passengers each year as does the Qway. Which one would you rather have cutting through your neighborhood? Look again at the land take of the Qway, smell the fumes! Yup, I think I prefer the transitway. And I will even more appreciate when it is converted to electric LRT service. The city is going to grow … do we bitch forever about the cost of transit and continue to ignore the 10-20x larger expenditure on roads for … Continue reading A matter of Choice …

bike path, bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, LRT

More Detroit can do it … can Ottawa?

Westsideaction

http://www.metropolismag.com/ Shown is the Dequindre Cut, a former sunken rail line running through downtown Detroit. The St Clair River is in the background, with Windsor on the far (south!) side. Detroit is reserving some of the cut for a future LRT line, but first it has built a bi-directional bike route and accompanying pedestrian path, with landscaping. Because the path is grade-separated from the street grid it is fast, direct, intersection-free, and has freeway-style on and off ramps that take cyclists in and out of the cut. Detroit feels it is lucky to have a straight-line bike path going directly through … Continue reading More Detroit can do it … can Ottawa?

DOTT, LRT, oc Transpo

More Turkey Talk on Tunnel

Westsideaction

In a previous post on the downtown Ottawa transit tunnel (DOTT) I mentioned a presentation I saw at Transit Committee on Dec 16th comparing the surface and tunnel options. The Committee has provided me with a copy of the powerpoint presentation by the Downtown Coalition. Here are the key slides, including the $100 million dollar saving figure. This figure might mean the tunnel saves $100m over a surface rail option, or that the tunnel saves $100m over the current BRT operation, its unclear to me. Their conclusion however remains that the tunnel has a reasonably quick payback period. Double click pictures … Continue reading More Turkey Talk on Tunnel

Bayview Otrain, DOTT, LRT, Transit

Transit Stations … What will we get? …

Westsideaction

Detroit’s downtown city bus station This photo is of a new centre-island transit station in Detroit. Detroit is not the most viable city in the USA. We’re not Flint … nor Detroit. Will Ottawa’s LRT system get anything as nice? It has a tensile fabric outdoor shelter at the bus loading platforms and there is also a elevated people-mover station platform. The air conditioned and heated glass waiting room building is 25,000 sq ft, includes washrooms, ticketing, and shops. The whole thing cost $22 million dollars, and opened in June 09. And here’s the kicker: the entire terminal complex serves about 12,000 passengers … Continue reading Transit Stations … What will we get? …

DOTT, downtown, LRT, Transit

Transit Tunnel is no Turkey

Westsideaction

The usual suspects are carping about the transit tunnel, again. Did the province provide funding? Apparently no good news is good enough — they didn’t provide 15-25% more than was asked for … so it’s disaster time. Ring-a-ling. Ding-a-ling. It’s disaster time in the city … So what might happen if the tunnel portion was cancelled? Critics are quick to attach huge price tags to the tunnel portion. But these won’t disappear if the tunnel is cancelled. After all the tunnel includes tracks (won’t these be needed for the surface rail?); it includes stations and platforms (which will be needed … Continue reading Transit Tunnel is no Turkey

DOTT, downtown, LRT

Dubai, LRT lessons

Westsideaction

Last week there was a interesting public presentation at City Hall on planning and development in Dubai. Presenter was Gordon Stratford of HoK architects and planners, a mulitnational consultancy. In August 05 Dubai called tenders for a LRT system, and then opened the first 40km segment with 22 stations in Sept 09. The system is expected to grow to 70km with 43 stations, although the 2012 opening date may be delayed given the statlet’s decline into near insolvency  recent debt restructuring moves. I recall that at the June LRT technology forum held at City Hall, the winner equipment provider was … Continue reading Dubai, LRT lessons

Bayview, DOTT, LeBreton Flats, LRT, NCC

Dalhousie Community Assoc responds …

Westsideaction

Wearing my other hat, and with much input from other members of the Dalhousie Community Association board, the DCA sent two letters. One to the Marie Lemay of the NCC regarding the bad idea for bringing Rapibus to Ottawa over the POW bridge; and the other is detailed comments on the current state of the Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel study. You can read both of these letters at http://www.dalhousiecommunityassociation.blogspot.com/ Continue reading Dalhousie Community Assoc responds …

Bayview, interprovincial transit study, LeBreton Flats, LRT, Prince of Wales Bridge, Transit

NCC to Quebecers: Back [on the] Bus

Westsideaction

  Proposed modernist Bayview LRT station is elevated and long. The proposed STO bus terminal would be off the left. Click to enlarge photo. Planning in a Federal capital region is not just about good planning on utilitarian “planning’ terms. A good chunk of it is political planning and symbolism too. In the past,  separatist elements in Quebec made hay from the disparate images of the Quebec side of the river (low rise, lower income housing, industrial mills) and the Ottawa side of the river (shiny high rises set high on a green hill). They drew a direct line to the … Continue reading NCC to Quebecers: Back [on the] Bus

Albert St, Booth St, Dalhousie, DOTT, LRT

DOTT plans affect west side residents (xii): Booth Station

Westsideaction

The Booth Street station is location directly under the new elevated Booth Street overpass. The overpass crosses over the station and the aquaduct. The new LRT alignment is a few meters south of the current transitway which is closer to the aquaduct. Most frightening about this drawing is the abundance of car traffic lanes on Booth, the awful manoevering required to get buses from the Booth St bus stop over to the centre lane to turn onto Albert to go uptown, and the generous addition of lanes to Albert Street in both directions. Somehow, a transit project is providing lots … Continue reading DOTT plans affect west side residents (xii): Booth Station

DOTT, LRT

DOTT plans affect west side residents (x): Campus Station

Westsideaction

The Ottawa U station on the new DOTT system will be located near the location of the current surface transitway Campus station. Recall that early plans had a new surface station here, but it made more sense to keep the LRT service in the tunnel longer to avoid having the trains climb to the surface and then descend again towards Lees Avenue, and the underground option also facilitates surface car traffic on the roads. This logical change to a better plan is, of course,  headlined as an example of wildly escalating DOTT costs, overruns, etc.  (Note that this and other benefits to … Continue reading DOTT plans affect west side residents (x): Campus Station

DOTT, hintonburg, LRT

DOTT plans affect west side residents (viii): Tunney’s station

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At Monday’s public open house, city planners will unveil the final system plans for the DOTT and LRT facilities to be constructed as the first phase of a city-wide sytem. The western terminus of the LRT will be at Tunney’s until the LRT is extended west. A major bus transit to LRT facility will be constructed at Tunney’s. The current bus station is in the cut immediately west of Holland Avenue. The new station will be in the same place. The earlier plans for a centre platform LRT station have been scrapped, to avoid having to widen the cut under … Continue reading DOTT plans affect west side residents (viii): Tunney’s station

Bayview, Bayview Otrain, bike path, bikewest, City Centre, DOTT, interprovincial transit study, LRT

DOTT plans affect west side residents (vii): Bayview Rapibus Station?

Westsideaction

The City has been evaluating the structural soundness of the historic Prince of Wales Railway Bridge over the Ottawa River to Gatineau. The City bought it a number of years ago for transit. Friends of the OTrain and  LRT transit proponents have long viewed the POW bridge as a great solution for taking transit across the River. The interprovincial transit study offered renewed hopes for extending LRT service from downtown Ottawa to Gatineau over the POW as the first phase of a loop system serving the two downtown employment centres and to alleviate bridge congestion. Alas, logic may be loosing … Continue reading DOTT plans affect west side residents (vii): Bayview Rapibus Station?