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  #4381  
Old Posted Mar 31, 2012, 4:24 AM
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STO is purchasing the Quebec- Gatineau railway corridor between Paiement and Lorrain and have an option of buying the corridor all the way to near the Gatineau Airport - and therefore there is a long range possibility the Rapibus could be extended all the there... but that might be not until like 2025 at least.
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  #4382  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2012, 3:00 AM
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Should have mentionned that with the previous post, but when will John Baird learn to stop putting his nose in the LRT situation? On Friday, he said in a press conference touted the Jim Flaherty budget which will cost tens of thousands of jobs across the country, that he wants money for LRT to be diverted for cleaning up the water of the Ottawa River. Well, John, there was already tens of millions from the province and city dedicated for the sewage issue. What don't you and your buddy Harper contribute a bit more rather then spending billions on jets and jails. Ottawa is 30 years behind when it comes to transit, so we don't need to delay this another 10 years like O'Brien and yourself did. Notice that in both instance he intervenes when it is a Liberal Party affilitated-politician as mayor, but didn't bother to say anything when O'Brien a CPC militant was the mayor. Typical partisan politics as usual from John Baird.
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  #4383  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2012, 3:17 AM
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Baird likes to say that cleaning up the Ottawa River is his "priority". Well, show us the money.
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  #4384  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2012, 1:30 PM
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Quote:
City held closed-door talks with mall owner about LRT station move
Agreement prevents Cadillac Fairview from revealing nature of the discussions

By Joanne Chianello, The Ottawa Citizen April 8, 2012


City council debates over where LRT stations should be placed continues.Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto , The Ottawa CitizenThe City of Ottawa was in closed-door talks with the owners of the Rideau Centre before deciding to move the planned location of what was to be an iconic light-rail station at Confederation Square to the east side of the shopping centre.

According to Ivan Boulva, the vice-president of development for Cadillac Fairview, which owns the Rideau Centre, he signed a confidentiality agreement at the request of City of Ottawa officials, promising not to talk about any discussions between Cadillac Fairview and the city about moving the LRT station.

When asked what kind of dialogue had occurred between the real estate company and the city about shifting the future Rideau Station to the east side of the downtown mall, Boulva said: “I signed an agreement by which I cannot speak about this. Because there are, as you know, some people that are bidding, and pricing, and what have you. And I was asked by the LRT people not to discuss this with anyone and keep it very confidential.”

Although Boulva would not divulge any details about what, if any, arrangement his company arrived at with the city about moving the station, he did say he signed the confidentiality agreement “before Christmas.”

The surprise announcement that the Rideau Station was to be moved to the east side of the shopping centre — the site of the mall’s planned expansion — was made public at the end of February.

In an interview earlier this year, deputy city manager Nancy Schepers, who is in charge of the light-rail project, said that the city was in ongoing discussions with the Rideau Centre owners. That makes sense: both the original plan for the Rideau station and the new locale had the potential for the connections into the shopping mall.

But if the talks between the city and the shopping mall owners were routine, ongoing discussions, why the secrecy?

City media spokesman Michael FitzPatrick wrote in an email that “the city continues to negotiate with Cadillac Fairview on station entrance opportunities within the Rideau Centre, including the future Rideau Centre expansion.”


As for the confidentiality agreement, FitzPatrick emailed that they are “standard practice. The city is in the midst of negotiating entrance locations at several LRT stations. These negotiations might be compromised if details of any one negotiation were to be made public.”

City officials have said that they’ve had trouble getting private corporations interested in paying to connect to the LRT system, although FitzPatrick confirmed the city “currently has four non-disclosure agreements with landowners along the alignment while negotiations continue on possible station entrance locations.”

So far, it’s not clear what kind of talks took place between city officials and the shopping centre owners before the Rideau Station was moved, as both city and Cadillac Fairview officials say they are bound by the non-disclosure agreements not to discuss details of station entrances.

That lack of transparency raises the question of whether Cadillac Fairview provided any incentive for the station’s relocation.

The city’s original plans for the $2.1-billion, 13-station light-rail project showed the future Rideau Station under the Rideau Canal, where it would have featured exits near the NAC and the west side of the Rideau Centre.

The station once planned for Confederation Square was to be the centrepiece of the new rail system and would have provided, according to a 2010 city staff report, “views to the National War Memorial, Parliament Hill, Château Laurier and Government Conference Centre, providing for an iconic arrival experience.”

The city had worked on a design of the station with its federal counterparts — primarily the National Capital Commission — for almost two years. But near the end of January, the NCC was officially informed by the city that the station was being moved. The commission had heard rumblings of the possibility of a shift earlier that month, but had otherwise had no previous indication from the city that the station would be moved.

Last summer, when council approved a realigned and shallower downtown tunnel, elected officials asked staff to examine, among other things, the possibility of making the Rideau Station shallower too. What city staff came back with, six months later and after no public consultations, was a plan to move the station. The new location will allow the station to be five metres shallower than the original site.

Mayor Jim Watson has said that the move will help to keep the project within the $2.1-billion budget, although it’s so far been impossible to obtain any actual numbers on how much money could be saved by moving the station.

City staff have always contended that the move was made primarily because of ridership, a rationale they re-iterated in response to questions about the confidentiality agreement with Cadillac Fairview. City officials say the station near the Rideau Centre will serve an additional 6,000 residents in the Sandy Hill, Lowertown and ByWard Market neighbourhoods.

The move of the station has attracted criticism from various quarters in the city, from those who say that the Downtown East and Rideau stations will now be too far apart to those who believe that, as the nation’s capital, we should have a station at one of the city’s more recognizable intersections.

In late March, the city was offered a last-minute $2-million donation by the Gillin family, owners of the Lord Elgin Hotel, in hopes of either moving Rideau Station back to Confederation Square, or even as a donation toward an additional station. According to Watson, an additional station would cost at least $40 million and, even if the city had the money, he’s adamant he wouldn’t support the extra stop.

But in 11th hour negotiations with the mayor’s chief of staff and other officials, the Gillins agreed to instead put the money toward a pedestrian connection from the Downtown East station, currently planned for Queen Street near the World Exchange Plaza. In addition, city staff are now looking at whether Downtown East can be nudged further east, closer to Metcalfe Street.

jchianello@ottawacitizen.com

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/busines...#ixzz1rSJFC2eG
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  #4385  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2012, 1:23 PM
lrt's friend lrt's friend is offline
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A station on the east side of Rideau Centre (ie. Nicholas Street) is much too far from a Downtown East station if it is located at O'Connor Street.
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  #4386  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2012, 4:19 PM
S-Man S-Man is offline
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But if the station was between O'Connor and Metcalfe?
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  #4387  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2012, 4:53 PM
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old Union Station is better

I agree, lrt’s friend

IMO, the very best place in the area would be the old Union Station (Govt Conference Centre) at 2 Rideau St, right beside the Rideau Canal. Being above the previously planned LRT station, the building is beautiful in and out and could be the site also for an Ottawa Casino.

It already has a tunnel to the Chateau Laurier and the same could be done for the Conference Centre, the Westin Hotel, the Rideau Centre, the Bay and the NAC. It is contiguous to the Parliament Precinct, the War Memorial, and Sparks St. It is within walking distance to 90 Elgin, the Lord Elgin, the Marriott Residence, the Library, City Hall, the Provincial Court, the Merrit, 150 Elgin and all the restaurants and night life on Elgin St. The Golden Triangle probably has more residents and is closer to 2 Rideau St than the claimed proximity of the Charles Ogilvy store to the residents of Sandy Hill.
Car parking is normally not a problem in the Market area while it certainly is on the Elgin St strip.

Going shallower at Nicholas St may also be a problem if the bedrock is deeper there than closer to the canal. Sandy Hill is not called Sandy Hill for nothing.
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  #4388  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2012, 12:00 AM
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O'Connor and Metcalf would be perfect in my opinion. As for the Bank st transfers, they don't HAVE to be on Bank; they'll work just as well at Metcalfe or Rideau/Mackenzie-King.

Last edited by J.OT13; Apr 12, 2012 at 11:49 PM.
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  #4389  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2012, 10:54 PM
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If work hasn't started in the Rapibus Corridor between Montee Paiement and Labrosse Blvd yet it should be very soon. Sounds like the completion date will be July 2013.
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  #4390  
Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 2:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cre47 View Post
If work hasn't started in the Rapibus Corridor between Montee Paiement and Labrosse Blvd yet it should be very soon. Sounds like the completion date will be July 2013.
Nada so far - was there today.
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  #4391  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2012, 11:51 PM
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http://ottawa.ca/en/city_hall/planni...sive/index.htm


Open House Thursday, April 26, 2012

Bayshore Station to Prince of Wales Drive
Planning and Environmental Assessment Study

Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sir Guy Carleton High School,
55 Centrepointe Drive,
Nepean
6 to 9 p.m., presentation: 7 p.m.


Study area map - Baseline Road Transit Intensive Corridor [PDF - 801 KB]

The Project
The City of Ottawa has initiated a planning and environmental assessment study for the proposed Baseline Road Transit Intensive Corridor (BTIC). The City’s current Transportation Master Plan (TMP) identifies Baseline Road as a future Transit Intensive Corridor with connections to Bayshore and Baseline Transitway Stations. This study will consider alternative options and designs for transit improvements and result in the expansion and improvement of the City’s transit network within the study area shown above.


Consultation
There will be ongoing public consultation activities during the course of the study, including a series of Open Houses. The first Open House has been scheduled to provide an overview of the work underway, including information on the project need and justification, the existing socio-economic and natural environment within the study area, and the identification of alternative corridor alignments and design concepts.


The Process
The study is being undertaken in accordance with the transit project assessment process as prescribed in Ontario Regulation 231/08, In addition, you can send comments by E-mail, regular mail or fax using the following contact information:
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  #4392  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2012, 12:09 AM
eternallyme eternallyme is offline
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Why Bayshore? Ridership on that corridor is heavily focused on the linear Baseline Road corridor. It would make more sense to continue it into Bells Corners and onward to Kanata, along/upgrading the current Route 118 (and having a Transitway-like route on that corridor), with improved stops and bus lanes.
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  #4393  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 1:21 AM
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City drops Carling Ave. as primary LRT route

Quote:
City drops Carling Ave. as primary LRT route

By Jon Willing,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Thursday, May 03, 2012 07:12 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, May 03, 2012 07:36 PM EDT

Carling Ave. is no longer being considered as a primary route to run trains between Bayview station and Lincoln Fields, the city's transportation chairwoman says.

Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson told the Sun the city has dropped the Carling Ave. option, largely because it comes with a hefty price tag. The straightaway has also been eyed for a secondary, local rail service that would make more frequent stops, while the city is interested in the short term to deliver rapid transit service to and from downtown, Wilkinson said.

"We have to look at the most economical way to do it," Wilkinson said.

The last estimate provided by the city had the Carling Ave. route costing $600 million.

An interim report on the western LRT corridor environmental assessment is expected in June. Wilkinson said a final report likely won't be done until next March.

Narrowing the field to two main corridors could mean the city needs to butter up the National Capital Commission, which has told City Hall it wouldn't allow the federal Ottawa River Pkwy. to be used for LRT.

The other shortlisted primary corridor is Richmond Rd./Byron St., but Kitchissippi Coun. Katherine Hobbs believes constructing a rail line in that area would only hurt surrounding communities.

"My preference has always been the parkway," Hobbs said.

"It's pretty and relaxing," she said about the picturesque ride. "Why shouldn't thousands of people get that view?"

Added Hobbs: "I appreciate the NCC's stance along the parkway. I just think it would be a better method for the sake of residents of Kitchissippi."

Wilkinson - who said this could be the most tricky part of the whole LRT blueprint - also likes having trains along the parkway.

"The parkway is least expensive and it makes people feel good," Wilkinson said.

The last estimate of the parkway option was $80 million and Richmond/Byron was $200 million.

Building LRT on the parkway has its downfalls, since it's not close to many businesses or residences. The Richmond/Byron route would build very close to homes and potentially remove greenspace.

"I'm looking forward to seeing that report," transit commission chairwoman Diane Deans said.

Deans, the councillor for Gloucester-Southgate, said it's hard to imagine the NCC would give up the scenic corridor, but all three options come with their own problems.

"It's trying to figure out how to get it right because nothing is perfect with those routes," Deans said.

jon.willing@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @JoanthanWilling
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/05/03/...mary-lrt-route
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  #4394  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 1:46 AM
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Is this an modern urban rapid transit system built to serve the city or a ridiculously expensive commuter rail for suburbanites needing views of the river while bypassing 50000+ people?

We could just build a regular Go Transit style comuter rail to serve the suburbs outside the greenvelt (noting that Orleans and Rockland would be more comlicated since they don't have any tracks) and save the rest for a true rapid transit inside the greenbelt like Montreal's dense centre island Metro.
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  #4395  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 2:00 PM
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Is this an modern urban rapid transit system built to serve the city or a ridiculously expensive commuter rail for suburbanites needing views of the river while bypassing 50000+ people?

We could just build a regular Go Transit style comuter rail to serve the suburbs outside the greenvelt (noting that Orleans and Rockland would be more comlicated since they don't have any tracks) and save the rest for a true rapid transit inside the greenbelt like Montreal's dense centre island Metro.
Haha!

We want to build a rail system that doesn't serve suburban commuters because it goes no where near the suburbs and it doesn't serve the urban community because it bypasses them.

It is a joke!

Why don't we consider building a causeway down the Ottawa River? It might be cheap and serves nobody. Oh, I didn't say the last 3 words.
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  #4396  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 2:19 PM
Ottawan Ottawan is offline
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Haha!

We want to build a rail system that doesn't serve suburban commuters because it goes no where near the suburbs and it doesn't serve the urban community because it bypasses them.

It is a joke!

Why don't we consider building a causeway down the Ottawa River? It might be cheap and serves nobody. Oh, I didn't say the last 3 words.
Byron has been the right location from the get-go, and most people with any sense know that. By eliminating Carling for 'cost', they can now 'blame' the NCC for forcing them to take the only route that makes sense.

Carling does deserve better transit service at some point, but not on a route that starts at Tunney's and ends at Lincoln Fields. Also, Carling is more likely to get a supplementary transit line someday. If Carling were used today, the urban area north of it would never get rapid transit, and would forever be worse off than it even is today (who would use the transitstumpway from Dominion, or Westboro - only a few poor schmucks who have no other choice).
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  #4397  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 3:16 PM
eternallyme eternallyme is offline
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That leaves only one route option, and the preferred option at that, so the Byron option should be approved, thinking of the whole city and not just the local neighbourhood. Screw the NIMBY's, just approve it and build it.
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  #4398  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 4:24 PM
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That leaves only one route option, and the preferred option at that, so the Byron option should be approved, thinking of the whole city and not just the local neighbourhood. Screw the NIMBY's, just approve it and build it.
I agree with Ottawan, right on the nose. But to eternallyme, I think we should also think about the local neighbourhood, by actually building stations on the Western leg, too:
- Scott/Island Park (@Richmond would be better, but compromising with reality)
- Scott/Churchill (@Richmond would be better, but compromising with reality)
- Richmond/Byron and somewhere between Golden and Broadview (however that curve through Rochester field works, but as close to Westboro as possible)
- Sherbourne/Cleary
- New Orchard (these 2 could be combined into one station at Woodroffe, if necessary)
- A Lincoln Fields with much improved access and integration (buildings over top!)
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  #4399  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 5:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Ottawan View Post
Byron has been the right location from the get-go, and most people with any sense know that. By eliminating Carling for 'cost', they can now 'blame' the NCC for forcing them to take the only route that makes sense.

Carling does deserve better transit service at some point, but not on a route that starts at Tunney's and ends at Lincoln Fields. Also, Carling is more likely to get a supplementary transit line someday. If Carling were used today, the urban area north of it would never get rapid transit, and would forever be worse off than it even is today (who would use the transitstumpway from Dominion, or Westboro - only a few poor schmucks who have no other choice).
Blimey, we might have something approaching a consensus around here!

I agree completely with the above - you're dead on that if Carling gets the LRT line first, rapid transit service north of it would never improve. But I think things could actually get worse, and not just for people in Westboro.

Given that the TMP calls for the western LRT to go to Lincoln Fields (by whichever route) and then on to Baseline - but not Bayshore - there is going to be a big transferring problem at Lincoln Fields. People from Barrhaven will get first dibs on the train at Baseline, while their compatriots from Kanata will always be faced with fullish trains at Lincoln Fields (barring some kind of short-ending operating scenario along with infrastructure at Lincoln Fields to support it, namely a third track). Given that there are in fact more riders from Kanata than Barrhaven, this is a recipe for a lot of anger (Baseline apparently gets the LRT rather than Bayshore because *all day* ridership is higher to Baseline due to Algonquin College, whereas peak ridership is higher to Bayshore).

Now, imagine if you will a Carling LRT line, leaving the West Transitway from Dominion onwards still in place. All these Kanatans will be arriving at Lincoln Fields by bus and will be required to transfer to LRT going down Carling, all the while that the West Transitway - which they had been using up to the very day that LRT opened on Carling - remains available for use. How long do you suppose it would be before Kanatans and their politicians start demanding that their express buses be allowed to continue on as before? How long do you suppose that OC Transpo and Council could resist the political pressure? Before long we'd be back to a variant on the high cost system we have right now: BRT & LRT doing the same thing. Plans to rework Albert and Slater would also have to be shelved and chances are that buses from the Southeast Transitway and the abortive Hospital Link (whose riders would be facing a similar albeit less serious problem at Hurdman to those from Kanata at Lincoln Fields) would be through-routed with buses from Kanata to help "balance" things out downtown.

On the other hand, if you block off the West Transitway to buses by converting it to LRT, you instantly create pressure to do the right thing and extend a second LRT branch to Bayshore or Moodie, and with much of DND moving to the Moodie area, there would also be additional reverse flow ridership to justify the extension.
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  #4400  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 5:20 PM
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Darwin's five cents (pennyless, we round up now) are up already at his place: http://westsideaction.wordpress.com/...aises-it-head/
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