Rideau Street Renewal - Page 6

phil235 · #**101** Posted **Apr 30, 2020, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Some on Twitter have suggested a temporary connection on Rideau between Sussex and Mackenzie to connect the new bike way on Rideau to Mackenzie... I think that makes sense until the permanent lanes are added from Sussex westward.

Is there any reason that couldn't work? Would it be feasible to funnel car traffic into a single lane for that short block? Seems like it would. It would make the Mackenzie lane far more usable, and would free the sidewalks of people walking their bikes.

TransitZilla · #**102** Posted **Apr 30, 2020, 5:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil235

Is there any reason that couldn't work? Would it be feasible to funnel car traffic into a single lane for that short block? Seems like it would. It would make the Mackenzie lane far more usable, and would free the sidewalks of people walking their bikes.

Rideau will be narrowed to 1 lane westbound east of Sussex, so I don't see why it couldn't be narrowed to 1 lane west of Sussex.

eltodesukane · #**103** Posted **May 10, 2020, 7:09 PM**

Rideau Street 2020-05-10

DarthVader_1961 · #**104** Posted **May 10, 2020, 7:16 PM**

Looking forward to the finished product

J.OT13 · #**105** Posted **Jun 16, 2020, 5:27 PM**

Update from Fleury:

Community update: Update on the Rideau Street Renewal Project
June 12, 2020

The final phase to complete Rideau street renewal is underway.

The construction now focuses on the area between Dalhousie Street and Sussex Drive. Part of the project, the Rideau and William Street Renewal project, will focus on road, landscaping, electrical, and utility work.

Landscaping work has begun, laying the groundwork to plant more trees on the street.

Currently, with the pandemic, things are constantly changing and evolving with COVID-19 precautions. Because of this, it is essential to stay up-to-date throughout this project. For more information on the project, you may visit the project website and sign up for the e-newsletter. To learn about the impacts of transit service, visit the OC Transpo website here.

https://mathieufleury.ca/community-update-2/

eltodesukane · #**106** Posted **Jul 26, 2020, 3:44 PM**

Rideau Street 2020 july 25

J.OT13 · #**107** Posted **Jul 27, 2020, 5:04 PM**

Thanks for the update. Based on the bike-lane alone, we can see how different it will be.

Glenlivet Ave · #**108** Posted **Jul 27, 2020, 11:50 PM**

For such an important gateway to Ottawa's downtown core, this stretch of Rideau has been ignored for too long.

The Rideau Centre's revitalisation seemed incomplete without reworking the street-scape, now all we need to do is re-imagine the corner at Sussex and removal of the pedestrian underpass.

Does the Byward Market master plan take care of this?

TransitZilla · #**109** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 2:48 AM**

The cycle tracks look awesome and they have so much potential to create a larger east-west bike spine.

I was biking down Besserer on the weekend and I was struck by how similar it is (or could be) to the "Off-Broadway" bikeway along W 8th Ave is Vancouver. Like W 8th is parallel to Broadway and 1 block away, Besserer is parallel to Rideau for its full length and one block south.

The map below shows existing and planned cycling infrastructure in green:
-thin lines for bike lanes or shared lanes
-medium lines for uni-directional protected lanes
-thick lines for MUP or bi-directional protected lanes

The proposed Besserer Bikeway is shown in red.

The first phase would be a bi-directional cycle track on the north side of Besserer, between Nicholas and King Edward. East of King Edward, Besserer is a quiet street and bikes would share the lanes. This would connect the Rideau Street facility (from Ogilvie Square) all the way to the Rideau River.

The second phase would be a new active transporation bridge from the end of Daly Ave across the Rideau River at Cummings Island.

When combined with other projects such as the Wellington cycle tracks and the Montreal Rd project, this would link together a bike corridor stretching from the Portage Bridge to Montreal Rd & St. Laurent.

FutureWickedCity · #**110** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 1:23 PM**

Bradnixon, is this your own proposal or was this drawn up by city planners? I do like the idea, especially the river crossing at Cummings Island

TransitZilla · #**111** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 1:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

Bradnixon, is this your own proposal or was this drawn up by city planners? I do like the idea, especially the river crossing at Cummings Island

It's my own, it's not in any official city plan at this point. But it's 100% doable. The River crossing would be expensive, but the western section (bi-directional cycle track between Nicholas and King Edward) would be pretty straightforward.

J.OT13 · #**112** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 2:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradnixon

It's my own, it's not in any official city plan at this point. But it's 100% doable. The River crossing would be expensive, but the western section (bi-directional cycle track between Nicholas and King Edward) would be pretty straightforward.

No choice but to build that new bridge. The Cummings Bridge is far too narrow. Not even sure it would be possible to widen the sidewalk unless we removed a traffic lane (which isn't doable considering the traffic).

I agree, your plan is awesome.

lrt's friend · #**113** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 3:35 PM**

How would a Cummings Island bridge work? There is a big grade differential between the west side of the river and the island. This is why the original bridge across the island was done away with and that was with a diagonal approach along the hillside to the old bridge from Rideau Street. Even if the bridge was elevated off the island, it would be a demanding uphill ride for cyclists.

Multi-modal · #**114** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradnixon

The cycle tracks look awesome and they have so much potential to create a larger east-west bike spine.

I was biking down Besserer on the weekend and I was struck by how similar it is (or could be) to the "Off-Broadway" bikeway along W 8th Ave is Vancouver. Like W 8th is parallel to Broadway and 1 block away, Besserer is parallel to Rideau for its full length and one block south.

The map below shows existing and planned cycling infrastructure in green:
-thin lines for bike lanes or shared lanes
-medium lines for uni-directional protected lanes
-thick lines for MUP or bi-directional protected lanes

The proposed Besserer Bikeway is shown in red.

The first phase would be a bi-directional cycle track on the north side of Besserer, between Nicholas and King Edward. East of King Edward, Besserer is a quiet street and bikes would share the lanes. This would connect the Rideau Street facility (from Ogilvie Square) all the way to the Rideau River.

The second phase would be a new active transporation bridge from the end of Daly Ave across the Rideau River at Cummings Island.

When combined with other projects such as the Wellington cycle tracks and the Montreal Rd project, this would link together a bike corridor stretching from the Portage Bridge to Montreal Rd & St. Laurent.

Send this to Fleury if you haven't already - he is one that is willing to fight for things like this - and I'm sure he doesn't want to have this Rideau bidirectional pathway dead-end at Rideau/Nicholas for long. Besserer and Cumberland will be the trickiest intersection I would think, but still workable.

mykl · #**115** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 4:25 AM**

Google maps shows that the Cummings bridge has shared bike/car lanes, with sharrows on the road. The bridge also has decent sidewalks and fairly low pedestrian use. I don't see how a new bridge would really be necessary here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.433102,-...XoHkA3zfw_9HlmfJsPsDQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

YOWetal · #**116** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 6:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykl

Google maps shows that the Cummings bridge has shared bike/car lanes, with sharrows on the road. The bridge also has decent sidewalks and fairly low pedestrian use. I don't see how a new bridge would really be necessary here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.433102,-...XoHkA3zfw_9HlmfJsPsDQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It's a really dangerous stretch to bike on sharrows. I use the sidewalk sometimes and always with kids but it is narrow and very high so also problematic when you encounter a pedestrian which is common.

You would probably turn it into 3 lanes without much impact. Buses might be delayed a bit but doesn't seem to bother anyone elsewhere.

TransitZilla · #**117** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 1:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykl

Google maps shows that the Cummings bridge has shared bike/car lanes, with sharrows on the road. The bridge also has decent sidewalks and fairly low pedestrian use. I don't see how a new bridge would really be necessary here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.433102,-...XoHkA3zfw_9HlmfJsPsDQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Sorry, sharrows don't count. Sidewalks are OK for walking but it's not permitted to bike on them.

The Cummings Bridge setup is OK for vehicular cyclists but not for anyone else. The idea behind the new bridge is to provide a new "all ages and abilities" (AAA) connection.

J.OT13 · #**118** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 4:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenlivet Ave

For such an important gateway to Ottawa's downtown core, this stretch of Rideau has been ignored for too long.

The Rideau Centre's revitalisation seemed incomplete without reworking the street-scape, now all we need to do is re-imagine the corner at Sussex and removal of the pedestrian underpass.

Does the Byward Market master plan take care of this?

Page 68-71. This should have been done ages ago.

https://mathieufleury.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ByWard-MasterPlan-v3e-PUBLIC-14MAY20.pdf

Kitchissippi · #**119** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 4:35 PM**

The problem with the Cummings Bridge is the incline, and a bridge at Daly would have the same issue. I think a better spot for a ped/bike bridge would be a bit south between Laurier and McArthur (with McArthur being "complete-streeted"). If the folks at Cordon Bleu could be convinced to sneak a MUP beside their property, it could continue behind the Strathcona Fountain and gently descend into a level bridge much like the Adawe Crossing. Right behind the Russian/former Soviet embassy, we could be so cheeky and call it the Igor Gouzenko bridge

The loop between the two ped/bike bridges and Strathcona-Riverain park would make a perfect strolling/jogging circuit.

This would actually integrate the cycling grid in this area if the bike track on Rideau continued on to Cumberland. I would also suggest a MUP link on Waller with the bus mall's function has been reduced post-LRT to link the MK bridge with the MUP to Hurdman.

Multi-modal · #**120** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 5:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I would also suggest a MUP link on Waller with the bus mall's function has been reduced post-LRT to link the MK bridge with the MUP to Hurdman.]

This facility (actually a bidirectional cycle track link on the east side of Waller from Laurier to the Mackenzie King Bridge) is supposed to be constructed within the next couple years. It is most likely going to be constructed as part of the same project as the protected intersection at Laurier and Nicholas (https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-en...ier-avenue-nicholas-street-waller-street).