Baseline Rd. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project | Proposed

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Buggys

Lincoln Fields will not be a good transfer point for the 118 route, because it's out of the way.

Sorry for the confusion, I did not mean to imply that the 118 should go to Lincoln Fields but rather currently people traveling from baseline to Bayshore aren't likely to currently use the 118 as the transfer is so horrible. Given a direct route along baseline to Bayshore, that would be a much preferable route.

In the east, it should stop by Confederation LRT Station before continuing East along Heron, consistent with the Transit Priority Measures status of that road. Billings Bridge can be an optional detour as it is a stop on the SW Transitway.

Interesting. How Far East? Herrongate Mall? Or should it continue further east?

Do you think the demand would be higher for a continuous route along the entire length of baseline and Herron? I guess similar to the west, the route could be split with some buses going north east to hurdman on the southern transtway and others continuing further east.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Sorry for the confusion, I did not mean to imply that the 118 should go to Lincoln Fields but rather currently people traveling from baseline to Bayshore aren't likely to currently use the 118 as the transfer is so horrible. Given a direct route along baseline to Bayshore, that would be a much preferable route.



Interesting. How Far East? Herrongate Mall? Or should it continue further east?

Do you think the demand would be higher for a continuous route along the entire length of baseline and Herron? I guess similar to the west, the route could be split with some buses going north east to hurdman on the southern transtway and others continuing further east.

It should replace Route 112 in its entirety. With buses alternating between Hurdman and Elmvale in the east and Kanata and Bayshore in the west.

I can see frequency of 7.5 minutes daytime, 10 minutes evening and weekends, and 15 minutes late evening with half that frequency on the outer legs.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

It should replace Route 112 in its entirety. With buses alternating between Hurdman and Elmvale in the east and Kanata and Bayshore in the west.

I can see frequency of 7.5 minutes daytime, 10 minutes evening and weekends, and 15 minutes late evening with half that frequency on the outer legs.

I think there's a lot of benefit in the 118 extension to Hurdman. With your suggestion, the route would bypass Billings Bridge entirely as well, which I think would be a mistake.

What I'd like to see is a change to the 112 so that it uses Data Centre Rd and turn left onto Heron instead of Bank/Clementine. This would require a traffic signal at Heron/Data Centre and a new route to cover Clementine, but it would improve cross-town service. Heron Station could become the transfer point.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

It should replace Route 112 in its entirety. With buses alternating between Hurdman and Elmvale in the east and Kanata and Bayshore in the west.

Interesting. I'm not all that familiar with the 112, but rather than replace it, it might be better to extend it to Baseline instead. This would ensure none of the routes along the busway are too long.

Would you suggest having the extended 112 still go to Billings Bridge (and if so using the same route or along Data Centre drive) or have it travel straight along Heron? In general I am against adding detours to major crosstown routes, unless a significant percentage of riders are going to that destination. Similarly if too small a percentage of riders will stay on the bus beyond Billings Bridge, I question the wisdom of extending it.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I think there's a lot of benefit in the 118 extension to Hurdman. With your suggestion, the route would bypass Billings Bridge entirely as well, which I think would be a mistake.

What I'd like to see is a change to the 112 so that it uses Data Centre Rd and turn left onto Heron instead of Bank/Clementine. This would require a traffic signal at Heron/Data Centre and a new route to cover Clementine, but it would improve cross-town service. Heron Station could become the transfer point.

You didn't get what I said quite right. At Data Centre Road, the route would split, with buses going either to Hurdman via Billings Bridge (current Route 118) or to Elmvale via Heron and Walkley (current Route 112).

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Interesting. I'm not all that familiar with the 112, but rather than replace it, it might be better to extend it to Baseline instead. This would ensure none of the routes along the busway are too long.

Would you suggest having the extended 112 still go to Billings Bridge (and if so using the same route or along Data Centre drive) or have it travel straight along Heron? In general I am against adding detours to major crosstown routes, unless a significant percentage of riders are going to that destination. Similarly if too small a percentage of riders will stay on the bus beyond Billings Bridge, I question the wisdom of extending it.

From the day the Heron Road Bridge opened in 1967 until the Southeast Transiway opened in 1995, there was a crosstown route that ran on Baseline, Heron and Walkley. Reliability problems were most affected on the portion that is being converted to BRT. Traffic is not as big of issue east of Data Centre Road. Even after 1995, Route 111 and 112 were connected until fairly recently.

I believe a new route is being set up to connect Heron Gate to Billings Bridge.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

You didn't get what I said quite right. At Data Centre Road, the route would split, with buses going either to Hurdman via Billings Bridge (current Route 118) or to Elmvale via Heron and Walkley (current Route 112).

OK, so you still have a the connection to Billings Bridge from the west, but you lose the connection from the east.

[Buggys]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

OK, so you still have a the connection to Billings Bridge from the west, but you lose the connection from the east.

Hmmm good point. This is where some data would be nice, to help decide on the routes along this triangle.

[Beedok]

I do know from the many times I've got the 118 at Billings that there's usually a very large amount of people boarding (sometimes I'll be there for like 15 minutes as buses go by a busy station with few people boarding, then the 118 shows up and basically everyone is rushing to get on it).

[Buggys]

How about if the 118 becomes mostly a horizontal route:
* Westwards split to Bayshore or Kanat/ Bells Corners;
* Middle stops at Billings Bridge and Confederation;
* Eastwards to Elmvale then St Laurent

As for the major vertical connecting routes, they'll need a transfer, but there would be many good options available:
* Bayshore is a major transfer station & on Confederation Line in LRT Stage 2;
* Baseline station is on the transitway & on Confederation Line in LRT Stage 2;
* Billings Bridge is a major transfer station & will connect with Hurdman Station via the SE Transitway;
* Confederation Station will connect with the Trillium line;
* Elmvale is a medium sized transfer station;
* St Laurent is on the Confederation Line

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Buggys

How about if the 118 becomes mostly a horizontal route:
* Westwards split to Bayshore or Kanat/ Bells Corners;
* Middle stops at Billings Bridge and Confederation;
* Eastwards to Elmvale then St Laurent

Do that, sure... but use different route numbers for variant destinations. OC Transpo needs to get out of the bad habit of variant bus route names; it only leads to customer, and not infrequently even operator confusion and error.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Do that, sure... but use different route numbers for variant destinations. OC Transpo needs to get out of the bad habit of variant bus route names; it only leads to customer, and not infrequently even operator confusion and error.

Toronto is the worst for this. It seems almost every bus route has an A, a B, a C, a D...

[rocketphish]

A new Transitway? City to debate $148M rapid-bus Baseline corridor

OBJ Staff
Published on January 30, 2017





A new rapid-transit line along Baseline Road could inch closer to reality this week after city councillors vote at a committee meeting Wednesday whether to give staff the green light to begin in-depth planning of the project.

The $148-million vision is to construct two bus-only lanes down the centre of Baseline Road, starting with the 14-kilometre section between the existing Heron Transitway station and Baseline station near Algonquin College.

Baseline Road would be widened to six lanes in most sections, with bus traffic separated from other vehicles.

The project, envisioned to be built within 15 years, has been part of the city’s transportation master plan since 2012. This week, city staff are requesting approval of the project’s functional design as well as permission to launch an environmental assessment that’s needed before any construction can start.

The second phase of the project would be implemented after 2031 and extend the bus rapid transit line further west from Baseline station to Bayshore station at an additional cost of $140 million.

The City’s transportation master plan, as well as studies specific to the BRT proposal, say there will be sufficient need for improvements along the corridor in the coming years. The report estimates the average transit rider using the corridor would save 11 minutes of travel time during peak hours if the BRT were implemented.

The report quotes the concerns of various city councillors, including Coun. Rick Chiarelli, who says the distance between stops, such as at Baseline and Clyde, is problematic for senior citizens and those with mobility issues.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/City-Hall/20...ine-corridor/1

[On Edge]

Why not lay tracks and make it a light rail/streetcar?

[toaster]

Originally Posted by On Edge

Why not lay tracks and make it a light rail/streetcar?

Spend hundreds of millions on BRT, only to tear it up in a few years later, and to spend another couple of hundred millions of dollars to build LRT instead. Where have I heard that one before?

This is Ottawa, after all.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by On Edge

Why not lay tracks and make it a light rail/streetcar?

This is already a much higher cost and capacity than what is actually warranted for that corridor. If anything, this project should be cancelled and replaced with simple bus lanes. Money should instead be spent on converting the Trillium to electric and extend to Kanata. From there, any new transit lines need to be underground in old Ottawa (Bank, Rideau, Montreal).

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

This is already a much higher cost and capacity than what is actually warranted for that corridor. If anything, this project should be cancelled and replaced with simple bus lanes. Money should instead be spent on converting the Trillium to electric and extend to Kanata. From there, any new transit lines need to be underground in old Ottawa (Bank, Rideau, Montreal).

Do you really think simple bus lanes would save significant money? To do that, you still need to widen to 6 lanes. That will be the bulk of the cost. Also, I have said before that this is a key missing link in our transit system. Ottawa is decentralizing. Why does everything have to be focused on getting to and from downtown?

[rocketphish]

Baseline rapid transit plan contributes to 'erosion' of Central Experimental Farm
13.8-kilometre Baseline Road Rapid Transit Corridor plan going to city transportation committee

By Waubgeshig Rice, CBC News
Posted: Feb 01, 2017 6:00 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 01, 2017 6:00 AM ET

A City of Ottawa plan to build a rapid transit corridor along Baseline Road includes expropriating part of the Central Experimental Farm, and that has farm users and advocates concerned about the loss of green space.

The proposed 13.8-kilometre Baseline Road Rapid Transit Corridor would run east-west between Billings Bridge and Bayshore Station, bypassing downtown. To build it, the city would need to expropriate land from more than 200 residential, commercial and publicly-owned properties, including the southern strip of the Central Experimental Farm that runs parallel to Baseline Road.

"In general, our organization is disappointed at any encroachment onto the farm property," said Judy Dodds, president of Friends of the Central Experimental Farm. "It is a heritage site, and we would like to see the entire property maintained as a heritage site."

While Dodds says her organization isn't against the proposed rapid transit corridor, they want to know just how much of the farm will be impacted by the widening of Baseline Road to accommodate the new corridor for rapid transit buses.

Ottawa's transportation committee will review a street planning and environmental assessment study from city staff on the proposed corridor at a meeting Wednesday morning.

The staff report says the project "requires a strip of land (the typical widening being in the range of 7 m) from the Central Experimental Farm" to accommodate median bus lanes.

River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington said the plan requires that farm land be trimmed anywhere from two to 14 metres at spots to make room for the corridor.

While he's in favour of the plan, he would like assurances from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — the federal government department that owns the Central Experimental Farm — that it has long-term plans to protect the green space.

In a joint letter to the city's transportation committee, Heritage Ottawa and the Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital echoed similar concerns.

"We would like to register our concern for the continuing erosion of the boundaries of the Central Experimental Farm, and the ongoing impact this has on its capacity as an internationally significant research institution, and its status as a national historic site," reads the letter, co-authored by Leslie Maitland and Paul Johanis.

The city staff report outlines a request by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada staff to create a "shelterbelt" buffer of trees and shrubs to prevent wind, snowdrift and salt spray from Baseline Road.

Dodds likes the shelterbelt idea, but also wants safeguards for the farm to ensure further encroachment doesn't happen.

"The farm is a national historic site. It is a place not only of research, but of green space in the city. It's a space of public gardens," she said.

"I think we in general should be more respectful of those places that we have designated as national historic sites."

Read the assessment study by city staff here.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...tion-1.3960257

[eltodesukane]

If the farm is so important, why did they allowed those buildings?
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.37745...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by toaster

Spend hundreds of millions on BRT, only to tear it up in a few years later, and to spend another couple of hundred millions of dollars to build LRT instead. Where have I heard that one before?

This is Ottawa, after all.

Also, spend tens and hundreds of millions of dollars on transit projects ANYWHERE but in places that serve people who live within the old city of Ottawa and its liberties like Vanier.