condos, design, intensificatioin, Richmond road, Westboro13 Comments

False choices at Our Lady of the Condos — part i

Westsideaction

The site with so much marvellous urban redevelopment potential is back in the news. Our Lady of the Condos is a former convent site running between Richmond Road and Byron. Is it just me, or does this site take on Lansdowne proportions whereby anything aggravates a vocal opposition, so that civil dialogue and compromise becomes untenable in a take-no-prisoners make-everyone-miserable sort of way? Ashcroft is asking for a driveway across the Byron linear park to access Byron Avenue. The alternative is to use Shannon Street. The city traffic engineers become bad guys here, supposedly wanting a full-fledged city street to replace Shannon … Continue reading False choices at Our Lady of the Condos — part i

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Veterans on Parade

Westsideaction

I accompanied my dad to the Dieppe remembrance service at the cenotaph on Sunday. The sun was hot; the speeches were blessedly cliche-free (mostly). Sitting in the sun gives ample time to consider some things. Most of the vets are old. Very old. Considerations abounded: there were two articulated OC buses to drive people from the NAC garage to the War Memorial. Below, a facilitator rubs sunscreen onto bare hands that have seen too much hot sun. There was a giant duffel bag of Tilley hats to plop onto the heads of those who arrived bare-headed. Water, of course: There was music, including The Maple Leaf Forever, … Continue reading Veterans on Parade

LRT, O-Train, oc Transpo, OLRT, Toronto, Transit4 Comments

Toronto Now — Ottawa Later

Westsideaction

Toronto has new subway trains, now. Ottawa will have its new LRT trains sometime in the future. What Toronto has now has certain similarities with what Ottawa will have in 2017 or 2018. Unlike earlier subway cars that were individual cars hooked together into trains, without any means for passengers to switch cars, the new train cars have open gangways. This is similar to how the articulated OC Transpo buses work. It means passengers can get on any car but then as passengers shift around, the load evens out throughout the train. Passengers feel safer, less “trapped” in one car. It … Continue reading Toronto Now — Ottawa Later

Boston, cycling in Ottawa7 Comments

Will your bike make the traffic signal change?

Westsideaction

The city of Ottawa puts three yellow dots on the traffic loop buried at intersections, marking where cyclists should stop to activate the signal. I don’t think many cyclists know this; and frankly, I don’t trust these marks to actually work. The one I use the most, at Lanark/Scott, seems pretty iffy to me. Here’s an instructional sign, from another city. It’s a tad ambiguous, since it shows the cyclist at right angles to the line, when in fact your bike should be both tires on top of the line… Continue reading Will your bike make the traffic signal change?

Chinatown, Dalhousie, design, little Italy, O-Train, pedestrians, sidewalks, somerset street, streetscaping, Trees, west wellington18 Comments

Chinatown Art Installation

Westsideaction

The City sets aside a certain small percentage of its major capital projects budget (such as road reconstruction) for art installations. West Siders know the ones: Preston Street granite postcards from the piazzas, West Wellie’s marble veggies, the red chairs in the Glebe. The just-getting-completed reconstruction of Somerset between the OTrain tracks and Booth had a very small art budget. One that had to cope with three distinct areas: Chinatown, the bit of Little Italy around Preston, and the OTrain viaduct-bridge. With public consultation, the decision was made to have two installations: one on the Chinatown hill, and one on the viaduct … Continue reading Chinatown Art Installation

little Italy, Preston street9 Comments

Tree makes way for Bambinos

Westsideaction

The Preston street BIA has been planning for some years to install a sculptural bit of landscaping at Preston and Gladstone. Called the Bambinos, it is a concrete installation suggesting family, and a soccer team, and is a gateway to the Italian community. Some serious digging has been going on at the corner of Preston and Gladstone recently. I can only presume that they are installing the foundations for these sculptures.    While preparing a new foundation on the northeast corner, they uncovered an older one. Notice the tree on the crest of the little hill, beside the red stake: Last week, … Continue reading Tree makes way for Bambinos

condos, intensificatioin, Westboro1 Comment

How does your garden grow?

Westsideaction

One of the big fears about high rises is that shadow that they throw. Over the last few years, I have become more observant of shadows. First, a developer built some three story infills in the lot behind my back yard. They are just 20′ from their/my rear lot line. My gardening friends cheered me up: “there goes your sunshine and your garden”, and then consoled me with “but there’s always hostas. They love the total dark dense shade”. Well surprise, those infills throw zero shadow on my garden during the whole growing season (May to September) and only minimal shadow in … Continue reading How does your garden grow?

Chinatown, somerset street1 Comment

Signs of Life on Somerset Street

Westsideaction

Somerset has been going through a difficult time for the last few years. The rise of suburban supermarkets with an Asian focus has rendered obsolete the mom-and-pop small stores along Somerset in Chinatown. Many have disappeared. Only a few grocery stores are surviving, eg Kowloon Market, which even seems to be thriving and is a bright spot on the street. In the section from Booth to Preston, business has been complicated by two years of road reconstruction. But the sidewalks are back in place, the benches are installed, and at a large vacant storefront this sign has appeared: I thought it noticeable that … Continue reading Signs of Life on Somerset Street

aquaduct, LeBreton Flats

Feelin’ drained on a hot summer day

Westsideaction

The aqueduct through LeBreton Flats is a sadly neglected city feature. The last time a maintenance crew did anything around there was just before all the politicians showed up to unveil the plaques declaring this an ever-so-valuable heritage site to be proud of. Then they all skedaddled, never to to be seen again. Alas, the plantings along the aqueduct are totally neglected, the trees mostly dead (even right beside a water supply !) and a few years ago the city decided to run a giant water pipe through the aqueduct water because it was cheap. Heritage smeritage. On Monday, the aqueduct … Continue reading Feelin’ drained on a hot summer day

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Treed vs less-treed street

Westsideaction

From time to time, social scientists flip pictures at subjects to find out what makes a “good street” or good neighborhood. Time and time again, tree-lined streets hit the emotive jackpot. Why then are so few streets well treed? And if hotter summers are to be the new normal, it’s not to late to plant trees now. Certainly, the residents of Daniel Avenue in Champlain Park can appreciate the complete canopy of dappled shade. What heat wave?   Meanwhile, on the adjacent streets, trees are smaller, irregularly planted, and the pavement radiates oppressive heat at mid-day: Continue reading Treed vs less-treed street

cycling in Ottawa3 Comments

Fording the Rideau at the site of the new ped – cyclist bridge

Westsideaction

The City is working towards a new ped cyclist bridge over the Rideau River. It would connect Donald Street east of the Rideau with Somerset (East) on the west side of the Rideau (thru Strathcona Park). In addition to the numerous logical elements of connecting the road network, and the less obvious, like being able to avoid the Cummings Bridge and Rideau Street, there is also the convenience of a very shallow zone on the river. It is, in fact, a traditional spot for fording the river. Here’s a view from just a few days ago: The gent in the foreground, … Continue reading Fording the Rideau at the site of the new ped – cyclist bridge

cycling in Ottawa1 Comment

Bike lanes in China

Westsideaction

We get pretty wrapped up here in Ottawa about the life and death of the universe, also known as the Laurier separated bike lanes (SBL). Really, it’s worthwhile sometimes to go back and look at other cities, a bit further away, and see what other cultures are up to. Of course, our biggest models have been NYC and The Netherlands/Denmark, with guest appearances from Portland and few other places. A reader has returned from China, and sent me these pic on SBL’s there. [Many thanks to R for the pictures and some descriptions in the accompanying email]. They surprised me a … Continue reading Bike lanes in China

cycling in Ottawa, downtown, Laurier Ave4 Comments

The City is monitoring much more than cycle traffic on Laurier

Westsideaction

The Citizen reports today * that the City and Carleton U are monitoring cyclist and motorist behaviour along the Laurier separated bike lane (SBL). They are using video equipment to record behaviour of individual users and interactions amongst users. The citizen story doesn’t tell us HOW they are doing this, or give us the larger picture. Here is a photo overview of one video camera installation. The camera set up was used to record 100 hours of the intersection, then moved to the next, til all 8 Laurier intersections were monitored. (above): the recording device consists of some equipment boxes at the base, a … Continue reading The City is monitoring much more than cycle traffic on Laurier

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Chinatown gets new street furniture

Westsideaction

Ottawa’s Chinatown runs along Somerset from Bay Street to Bronson to Booth to Preston. The Chinatown Royal Arch, of course, is immediately west of Bronson. Do you recall that its primary colours are red, turquoise, and gold? Most people remember only the red: The bit of Somerset from Booth to Rochester to Preston has been reconstructed over the last year. Out of the big mess has come some nice textured red pavers, a significant number of locust and other trees. And now, benches. The new benches are in turquoise and red. They are laser cut steel with a pattern of wind-blown lanterns. … Continue reading Chinatown gets new street furniture

Uncategorized4 Comments

When little things mattered …

Westsideaction

Back some years ago, the city was considerably more decorative. Take the base of this lamppost … shell-like covers for the bolts. Honestly, you’d think that Botticelli’s Birth of Venus was immanent. And in some ways, municipal lighting was the birth of civilization, driving away the animals and thieves that prowl by night. Securing property seems a rather old-fashioned municipal concept today, a ready object for scorn, but I think that is because we have so much of it (stuff, that is). Thus we can afford to be dismissive of property rights. But they are a hallmark of western civilization, and … Continue reading When little things mattered …

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What condo dwellers will view

Westsideaction

A few days ago, a post showed the view from the roof of the Adobe/Xerox towers at 333 Preston. Thanks to Debbie, a reader, here are some really fresh views from the CMPA buildings on Carling at Sherwood. This will give you some idea of what people on the mid- to lower-floors of the plethora of condo towers along Champagne and Carling might have for their view. The views also go a way to explaining why there is a demand for condo apartments. Ironically, the clustering of towers (a direct result of city policy strongly backed by neighborhood demands) often blocks … Continue reading What condo dwellers will view

500 Preston, Bayview-Carling CDP, condos, design, Dows Lake, Gladstone, intensificatioin, little Italy, LRT, NCC, O-Train, OLRT3 Comments

High rises: Gladstone southwards

Westsideaction

Yesterday’s post covered high rise intensification — on an east-west axis — along the north edge — the Carling Avenue line — of our  community. Today’s post covers a north-south line drawn roughly along the OTrain cut from Gladstone to Carling. It is not clear if the drawing (second pic, below) puts the line along the OTrain cut or Preston Street itself. This post is somewhat speculative. Here is the area in Google Maps: Recall that there is a proposed LRT station on the OTrain corridor near Gladstone. Generally, the station is drawn running from Gladstone to the Queensway, with its north exit … Continue reading High rises: Gladstone southwards

Bayview-Carling CDP, Claridge, condos, Dalhousie, design, Dows Lake, housing policy, intensificatioin, LeBreton Flats5 Comments

Future shape of high rises in Carling and Preston areas

Westsideaction

Preston Street is an odd mainstreet, in that it has minimal hinterland of dense residential development. Hintonburg’s and Westboro’s main street areas are more densely built up and have large catchment areas on all sides with a mix of low-rise and high-rise built form. Preston lost its eastern residential areas when 50’s urban renewal wiped out existing urban fabric to replace it with commuter office towers (NRCan), a commuter high school (Commerce, now Adult HS), and a commercial strip predicated on a city-wide market (the ethnic Italian community) rather than an indigenous market. Thus merchants champion converting housing to parking lots, and since the merchants rarely live in the neighborhood, might be more easily convinced of … Continue reading Future shape of high rises in Carling and Preston areas

cycling in Ottawa2 Comments

When bike parking becomes trendy

Westsideaction

For years, many merchants thought cyclists were a nusience, or just plain forgot about them. A few still think that way. But not TD Bank, which is installing TD-themed bike racks at its Fairlawn branch. These welcome customers, discretely advertise their brand, and make me feel welcome. They even have a useful decal to remind people that it is a bike rack (recall the Bank Street ones that are not readily identifiable as bike racks). Indeed, the whole Fairlawn redevelopment project has quite a few very sturdy bike racks (same style as the city parking meter ones, but with their own logo on them) … Continue reading When bike parking becomes trendy