Downtown Ottawa Mobility Overlay

[rakerman]

Statement of Work being presented on April 6, 2011 at Transportation Committee.

http://ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/docs.pl?Elist=16197&lang=en
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...endaindex6.htm

Statement of Work: http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...%20Overlay.htm

Key Mobility Overlay Milestones

* Prepare a study outline and seek staff endorsement - Fall 2010
* Scope of Work to Transportation Committee for approval - April 2011
* Award of contract for consulting contract - June 2011
* Initiate study and launch consultation strategy; organize PCG, BCG and ACG - September 2011
* Mobility Overlay consultation in co-ordination with refinement of LRT station design - September 2011
* Prepare recommended strategy - January 2012
* Consult on the strategy - February 2012
* Refine strategy - March 2012
* Propose strategy and final consultation - September 2012
* Committee and Council approval of the strategy - December 2012

Text from the agenda:

DOWNTOWN OTTAWA MOBILITY OVERLAY – STATEMENT OF WORK

ÉTUDE SUR UN VOLET SOUS-JACENT DE MOBILITÉ AU CENTRE-VILLE D’OTTAWA – ÉNONCÉ DES TRAVAUX

ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0011 RIDEAU VANIER (12); SOMERSET (14) 17

That Transportation Committee approve the Statement of Work for the Downtown Ottawa Mobility Overlay as detailed in Document 1.

Que le Comité des transports approuve l’énoncé des travaux de l’étude sur un Volet sous‑jacent de mobilité au centre-ville d’Ottawa, tel que l’explique le document 1.

(Note: This item will not rise to Council unless Delegated Authority is lifted. /

Remarque : Cette question ne sera pas présentée au Conseil à moins que la délégation de pouvoirs ne soit retirée.)

[waterloowarrior]

a public lecture program is planned
http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_co...rogram_en.html

Public Lecture Program
Downtown Moves
Public Lectures
November 2 and 3, 2011
7 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall
Andrew S. Haydon Hall,
Main Floor
110 Laurier Street West
Go to our Public Lecture Program for more information
Register before Friday, October 28 2011 to attend
Email you questions to:
downtownmoves@ottawa.ca
Please register to attend one or both of the Downtown Moves Public Lectures

Wednesday November 2, 2011
7 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall
Andrew S. Haydon Hall

Guest Speaker:
Gil Penalosa, Executive Director of 8-80 Cities
Gil Penalosa, delivers inspirational and interactive presentations on creating 8-80 cities. Gil is an internationally sought-out speaker and has delivered thousands of presentations in cities around the world. Drawing on his international experience in parks management, recreational programming (e.g. ciclovia/open street programs), placemaking and the implementation of walking and cycling projects, Gil provides innovative approaches and practical solutions for creating healthier, more vibrant and people-oriented cities.

Thursday, November 3, 2011
7 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall
Andrew S. Haydon Hall

Guest Speaker:
Ken Greenberg, Urban Design Consultant
Ken Greenberg is an architect, urban designer, teacher, writer, former Director of Urban Design and Architecture for the City of Toronto and Principal of Greenberg Consultants. For over three decades he has played a pivotal role on public and private assignments in urban settings throughout North America and Europe, focusing on the rejuvenation of downtowns, waterfronts, neighbourhoods and on campus master planning, regional growth management, and new community planning. In each city, with each project, his strategic, consensus-building approach has led to coordinated planning and a renewed focus on urban design.

He is the recipient of the 2010 American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Award for public design excellence and the author of Walking Home: the Life and Lessons of a City Builder published by Random House.

[waterloowarrior]

Save the Date!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
5:30 to 8:30 pm
Ottawa City Hall, Jean Piggott Place, Main Floor
110 Laurier Avenue West
This is the second in a series of public events that will provide residents with an understanding of the study, what it hopes to achieve and how it will transform Ottawa’s streets over the next 20 years.

[rakerman]

Thoughts on Downtown Moves and Ottawa's urban future

I also included a link to photos of all the design panels and the handout in the above blog posting.

[McC]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/95860239/D...rt-Draft-May22
the illustrations of some key road sections "now" and "future" starting around slide 90 are particularly interesting. I couldn't help but note the illustration of the north end of Metcalfe (slide 93) shows the PM's drivers being evicted from their layup area beside the Langevin Block. There is some room for parking in the courtyard between Langevin and Blackburn, I wonder if they could be easily relocated there? I also don't get the illustration of the east end of Wellington Street. It shows a bi-directional bike lane on the north curbside of Wellington which is strange: while it has fewer throughways (a plus), I didn't see the STO buses being re-routed, so where are their westbound stops? also the NCC is currently installing unidirectional curbside bike lanes at the west end of Wellington (I believe that they are only going as far as westbound from bay on the North side, eastbound to Lyon on the south side). Is this setting up another classic piece of Ottawa now you see it now you don't bike infrastructure?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by McC

http://www.scribd.com/doc/95860239/D...rt-Draft-May22
the illustrations of some key road sections "now" and "future" starting around slide 90 are particularly interesting. I couldn't help but note the illustration of the north end of Metcalfe (slide 93) shows the PM's drivers being evicted from their layup area beside the Langevin Block. There is some room for parking in the courtyard between Langevin and Blackburn, I wonder if they could be easily relocated there? I also don't get the illustration of the east end of Wellington Street. It shows a bi-directional bike lane on the north curbside of Wellington which is strange: while it has fewer throughways (a plus), I didn't see the STO buses being re-routed, so where are their westbound stops? also the NCC is currently installing unidirectional curbside bike lanes at the west end of Wellington (I believe that they are only going as far as westbound from bay on the North side, eastbound to Lyon on the south side). Is this setting up another classic piece of Ottawa now you see it now you don't bike infrastructure?

Cool, thanks. Do you know if there is a pdf version of this?

[McC]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Cool, thanks. Do you know if there is a pdf version of this?

I don't know, I think this scribd is pretty weak, but it's what David Reevely uses, and he's the one I got the presentation from, so beggar's can't be...etc. If anyone has it on PDF, I bet rakerman would; speaking of which, here's his take: https://manifestomultilinko2.wordpre...-moves-ottawa/

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by McC

http://www.scribd.com/doc/95860239/D...rt-Draft-May22
the illustrations of some key road sections "now" and "future" starting around slide 90 are particularly interesting.

Here are the pics McC is talking about for those who don't have time to look at the document.

[c_speed3108]

Those pictures of Albert and Slater are interesting to me.

I have felt these are the streets there the segregated bike lanes should go once the LRT is built and the bus lanes removed.

Putting the bike lanes on one-way streets (say Albert and Slater and say O'Conner and Kent) would resolve most of the current issues with the ones on Laurier involving parking, para transpo and the like. Since para-transpo drops off on the right side as do people in cars the bike lanes would be best along the "left" side of the street a-la Mackenzie King bridge.

Bike lanes on Albert and Slater could connect nicely with the Mackenzie king Lanes and the bike route east through Sandy hill via the special bike traffic light. It would also be possible to extend the route west rather than stopping suddenly at Bronson.

As far as O'Conner and Kent go, this would provide nice access to Bank street without having to bike (much) on Bank street and deal with car doors, traffic and buses.

[rakerman]

Originally Posted by McC

I don't know, I think this scribd is pretty weak, but it's what David Reevely uses, and he's the one I got the presentation from, so beggar's can't be...etc. If anyone has it on PDF, I bet rakerman would; speaking of which, here's his take: https://manifestomultilinko2.wordpre...-moves-ottawa/

Thanks for the vote of confidence! The city's website is like an effing labyrinth though. The report would have to be posted either to the official page http://ottawa.ca/downtownmoves or be discussed at one of the committee or council meetings; however I don't think it's actually been released yet (I think Reevely got it through Access to Information).

This is timely though as the next public meeting is coming up:

Community Conversation and Open House

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
5 to 8 p.m.
Ottawa City Hall, Colonel By Room, 2nd floor
110 Laurier Avenue West

I would expect they will release the interim report to coincide with that meeting.

[waterloowarrior]

big meeting tonight
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...open-house-3-1

cbc article
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...t.html?cmp=rss

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

big meeting tonight
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...open-house-3-1

cbc article
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...t.html?cmp=rss

If you read the CBC article, doesn't Councillor Holmes come across as a real beacon of positivity

[umbria27]

Originally Posted by McC

http://www.scribd.com/doc/95860239/D...rt-Draft-May22
.... also the NCC is currently installing unidirectional curbside bike lanes at the west end of Wellington (I believe that they are only going as far as westbound from bay on the North side, eastbound to Lyon on the south side). Is this setting up another classic piece of Ottawa now you see it now you don't bike infrastructure?

Did the meeting shed any light on the connectivity between the proposed bike lanes and NCC bike and recreation paths?

[teej1984]

These proposals look like common sense to me. As a biker, these are the routes I take to traverse DT regardless of there being a bike lane or not!

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by umbria27

Did the meeting shed any light on the connectivity between the proposed bike lanes and NCC bike and recreation paths?

No, not really. It's a study and not a plan, so much of it is suggestive rather than definitive. It's kind of frustrating because it's becoming so obvious that a lot of these separate studies are dependent on some other study or plan. For example, the interprovincial bike loop suggested in this document is highly dependent on buses no longer using Wellington, which in turn requires a downtown and interprovincial transit plan to remove STO buses from that route.

I like the study, but I don't think there is a lot of really original thought in it, the solutions offered seem mostly like a contextual application of metrics developed or proven elsewhere. I guess the goal is to come up with something like NYC's Street Design Manual. That's fine, but not all mobility issues can necessarily be addressed by road and sidewalk design.

I wish the study was courageous enough to push for a link/footbridge across the canal between the NAC and the Rideau Centre/OCC.

Another could be a strategy of replacing street parking with more structured parking, organized by a system of electronic signs that direct drivers to available spots rather than driving around several times looking for one, adding to intra-downtown traffic. If parking rates were regulated for the first hour (or two) to be the same as street parking in all the lots, the elimination of street parking on Queen Street to make room for wider sidewalks and bike lanes would be less of an issue.

Beyond street design, the city should look into creating a free fare zone on the LRT between Campus Station and LeBreton. Not only would this greatly improve mobility downtown, but it would also remove more of intra-downtown traffic and give an advantage and encouragement to living downtown.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Beyond street design, the city should look into creating a free fare zone on the LRT between Campus Station and LeBreton. Not only would this greatly improve mobility downtown, but it would also remove more of intra-downtown traffic and give an advantage and encouragement to living downtown.

Not to mention saving money on turstiles in 5 stations.

[McC]

Downtown Moves: Transforming Ottawa’s Streets
Final Draft Report: Feb 13, 2013
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/cache...3042841911.PDF

[J.OT13]

I don't believe we can support a full underground pedestrian network à la Montreal/Toronto, but I still think we should include the existing and possible future underground connection in this study.

As with other municipalities, the City of Ottawa should take a proactive role in planning and building a starter underground network connecting a few major buildings to the subway stations.

[waterloowarrior]

there are a few appendices as well. Here's a link with the appendices (see the window on the right)
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/mtgvi...&itemid=127672

[kevinbottawa]

Just skimmed through the documents. This plan is amazing! Especially the plans for the MacKenzie King Bridge. But I wonder why it includes a redesigned Elgin-Wellington intersection and a redesigned Rideau Street from Sussex to Dalhousie, but makes no mention of a redesigned Rideau-Sussex intersection in between. Some serious changes were being proposed for that intersection because of the Lord Stanley Plaza (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=164889). Downtown Moves would've been a good opportunity to finally flesh out what that intersection would look like, especially since they're already planning for 2017, and the plaza was supposed to be done by then (and the changes being proposed were big). Perhaps they've worked that out already or the project is dead.

UPDATE:

Forget my comments above. The monument and plaza are dead.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/...957/story.html

http://www.centretownnews.ca/index.p...k=view&id=3691