The future of Ottawa's Transit

[McC]

Mechanicsville and Wellington West are different neighbourhoods. Nearby, but different.

[IntoTheCore]

Originally Posted by McC

Mechanicsville and Wellington West are different neighbourhoods. Nearby, but different.

Right - let's see if I get this right:

Mechanicsville: North of Scott, east of Parkdale
Hintonburg: South of Scott, west of the O-Train, east of Holland
Wellington West: South of Scott, west of Holland, east of Island Park

When I lived at the Currents building at Holland and Wellington, I remember seeing promotions for both Hintonburg and Wellington West that claimed the GCTC as their own.

[McC]

correct.

One wrinkle that confuses is that the Wellington West BIA covers the businesses in Wellington West (the neighbourhood) and Hintonburg. But it doesn't cover Mechanicsville (which doesn't have much in the way of BIA-type businesses anyway: just a couple of convenience stores, a pizza place, stylist's and a handful of garages).

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by McC

correct.

One wrinkle that confuses is that the Wellington West BIA covers the businesses in Wellington West (the neighbourhood) and Hintonburg. But it doesn't cover Mechanicsville (which doesn't have much in the way of BIA-type businesses anyway: just a couple of convenience stores, a pizza place, stylist's and a handful of garages).

Indeed, although with Bayview I would think that will change.

[TransitZilla]

We're starting to get some information about the new transit service that received funding in the most recent budget.

Councillor Qaqish has posted information on his website about two new "Connexion" routes planned to start service in December 2017:

-new route 278 serving Riverside South and Barrhaven
-new route 293 serving Findlay Creek and Blossom Park (which will likely end up with a different number considering 293 will be the re-numbered 40).

http://michaelqaqish.com/new-transit-routes/

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

We're starting to get some information about the new transit service that received funding in the most recent budget.

Councillor Qaqish has posted information on his website about two new "Connexion" routes planned to start service in December 2017:

-new route 278 serving Riverside South and Barrhaven
-new route 293 serving Findlay Creek and Blossom Park (which will likely end up with a different number considering 293 will be the re-numbered 40).

http://michaelqaqish.com/new-transit-routes/

Route 293 better not replace Route 40. It skips half of Blossom Park (everything east of Albion). It also skips part of Findlay Creek as well.

[1overcosc]

The Barrhaven section of the 278 also overlaps with current route 77.. I imagine they'll either shorten the 77 (to become 277?) or reroute it to other growth areas.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Route 293 better not replace Route 40. It skips half of Blossom Park (everything east of Albion). It also skips part of Findlay Creek as well.

Maybe route 40 will just go away since all trips on the local route (144 replacement- 93?) will extend to Hurdman. If the routing is the same as the 40, why is a different number needed?

But if that's the case I'm not sure why they are bothering to re-number the 40 to the 293... it would have made more sense to leave it as is for now.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Maybe route 40 will just go away since all trips on the local route (144 replacement- 93?) will extend to Hurdman. If the routing is the same as the 40, why is a different number needed?

But if that's the case I'm not sure why they are bothering to re-number the 40 to the 293... it would have made more sense to leave it as is for now.

Route 40 is being changed to Route 293 as of the December 25th service change. The signs in Blossom Park have now been changed. Which brings up a new issue. The new way of displaying route numbers is much harder to read than the old way. If you have any degree of vision impairment even a bit of short sightedness, how can you read these signs from a distance? Red on white was much easier than these little dark red oval things with a smaller white number inside. I hate it.

So why implement Route 293 now if they are planning a major change to the routing next year? It all seems pretty stupid. This smells like another service reduction to me.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

So why implement Route 293 now if they are planning a major change to the routing next year? It all seems pretty stupid. This smells like another service reduction to me.

From what I gather, this is part of the major change. All they will change next year is to have the route end at Hurdman, instead of going all the way downtown.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Route 40 is being changed to Route 293 as of the December 25th service change. The signs in Blossom Park have now been changed. Which brings up a new issue. The new way of displaying route numbers is much harder to read than the old way. If you have any degree of vision impairment even a bit of short sightedness, how can you read these signs from a distance? Red on white was much easier than these little dark red oval things with a smaller white number inside. I hate it.

OC Transpo is very good at creating really truly terrible point-of-use signage, wayfinding, and informational panels. (Try and find the four-digit stop number at any major transit station. Fun!)

So why implement Route 293 now if they are planning a major change to the routing next year? It all seems pretty stupid. This smells like another service reduction to me.

Probably, at least in part, so as to book the cost of changing bus-stop flags, etc. in this fiscal year.

[rocketphish]

Mayor Jim Watson says LRT to Gatineau makes long-term sense
Watson says extending LRT system across the river makes sense after system reaches Kanata.

By: Ryan Tumilty, Metro
Published on Mon Dec 12 2016

Mayor Jim Watson said extending the LRT system into Gatineau should be in the city’s long-term plans after the train reaches Kanata.

In a year-end interview with Metro, Watson said he is excited that the progress on the city’s LRT system will continue and expects there will be a commitment from the federal government for Phase 2 soon.

“It’s just a matter of time, crossing T’s and dotting I’s,” he said.

Watson said he’s glad that the environmental assessment for extending the train to Kanata, which he calls “Phase 3,” is in the city’s budget, but the city has to keep thinking decades out and next stop should be Gatineau.

“We don’t have the money for it and we haven’t even done an environmental assessment, but I think when you’re looking at transit, you have to be looking long term,” he said. “I see Phase 4 as going into Gatineau through the Prince of Wales Bridge connecting their Rapibus system to our train system.”

Watson said the two cities are so closely connected that ultimately a seamless transit connection has to happen.

“You look at the numbers and there are tens of thousands of people every day that cross the bridges.”

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016...t-to-gatineau-makes-long-term-sense.html

[1overcosc]

Now that we have the Civic going in next to Carling station, Phase 3 should include double-tracking the Trillium line. That should be the first priority after Phase 2. If the city wants to do Kanata or Gatineau at the same time, sure, but Trillium has to be in the first batch of work after Phase 2.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Now that we have the Civic going in next to Carling station, Phase 3 should include double-tracking the Trillium line. That should be the first priority after Phase 2. If the city wants to do Kanata or Gatineau at the same time, sure, but Trillium has to be in the first batch of work after Phase 2.

Not likely. They are too committed to the current plan. And the lack of draw of downtown passengers creates little incentive. The 2006 hangover still exists and nobody can stomach a lengthy shutdown.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Now that we have the Civic going in next to Carling station, Phase 3 should include double-tracking the Trillium line. That should be the first priority after Phase 2. If the city wants to do Kanata or Gatineau at the same time, sure, but Trillium has to be in the first batch of work after Phase 2.

If they could have planned for a new Civic on Carling, but not on any existing or planned LRT line, then the decisions about transit-project staging can be made independently of the hospital project.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

“You look at the numbers and there are tens of thousands of people every day that cross the bridges.”

... but to hell with it, let's not bother with any kind of mass-transit interprovincial project for at least four or five decades after I, and most everyone else living today, is dead and buried," small-minded, gormless, suburban-pandering Mayor Watson continued.

[FFX-ME]

Good to hear that he has changed his mind on the POW bridge and intends for it to be used for rail and not an idiotic pedestrian bridge.

I don't see why it would have to wait so long though, or why Ottawa would have to pay for it. Have the city of Gatineau and the Québec government pay for the Gatineau extension, that way it could be done much more quickly.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Not likely. They are too committed to the current plan. And the lack of draw of downtown passengers creates little incentive. The 2006 hangover still exists and nobody can stomach a lengthy shutdown.

That to me is the biggest problem. The Trillium line route was great as a pilot project, it is great for Carleton students and will be great for the new Tunnies Pasture development. For most everyone else, a more direct route downtown would be far superior. That should be the focus instead and take a more gradual approach to double tracking Trillium. To help with that, stage 2 should be scaled back.

[hired_goons]

question about the ottawa transit strategy: was the goal to have both the light rail (o-train) and the bus lane (transitway) working together or were they built independently with separate intentions?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

That to me is the biggest problem. The Trillium line route was great as a pilot project, it is great for Carleton students and will be great for the new Tunnies Pasture development. For most everyone else, a more direct route downtown would be far superior. That should be the focus instead and take a more gradual approach to double tracking Trillium. To help with that, stage 2 should be scaled back.

That was the previous TMP (2008-ish). That because more challenging when Bayview station was scaled back to remove provisions future interlining and when the TMP prioritized Orleans and Bayshore.