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

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Fun fact: OC Transpo is run by the City of Ottawa.

City streets are designed, built, maintained, and regulated by the City of Ottawa.

Yes

And local party bosses play a significant role in setting priorities for the type of transit project you complain other areas of the city get.

As well, city councilors face similar dynamics in terms of what they're going to push for.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Fun fact: OC Transpo is run by the City of Ottawa.

City streets are designed, built, maintained, and regulated by the City of Ottawa.

Fun Fact: The City of Ottawa is run by elected officials who's primary objective is to get re-elected and they do that by looking good not by doing good.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Yes

And local party bosses play a significant role in setting priorities for the type of transit project you complain other areas of the city get.

Local party bosses fund the capital transit projects that the city prioritizes and plans.

As well, city councilors face similar dynamics in terms of what they're going to push for.

The city councillors in the downtown areas are 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 useless at advocating for their transit-using, and especially their transit-dependent, populations.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

That'd be me.

When in the world do you ride it? 9pm?

I've had to squeeze on like a sardine and seen it drive by at any time between about 7am and 7pm.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Local party bosses fund the capital transit projects that the city prioritizes and plans.

The city councillors in the downtown areas are 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 useless at advocating for their transit-using, and especially their transit-dependent, populations.

These plans change constantly as political bosses change - every TMP over the last 15 years has had a completely different rapid transit plan ( and nobody was talking about building LRT to Trim road, for example, before the Liberals put it into their election platform in hopes of picking up Orleans).

What are councillors supposed to do? Vanier North is 29% transit commuters and 53% car commuters (http://neighbourhoodstudy.ca/vanier-north/). Vanier South is 30% transit commuters and 53% car commuters (http://neighbourhoodstudy.ca/vanier-south/)

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Beedok

When in the world do you ride it? 9pm?

Numerous times of day and week.

Yes, the 118 is often way overcrowded and OC Transpo has done a 🞵🞵🞵🞵 job of allocating resources to that route...

I've had to squeeze on like a sardine and seen it drive by at any time between about 7am and 7pm.

...but the key downtown routes on Bank and Montreal are much, much, much worse.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

If the farm is so important, why did they allowed those buildings?
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.3774527,-75.7206141,463m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Historic air photos indicate that this was not part of the CEF. In 1958, this land was cut up into long narrow lots with houses facing Fisher. Even in 1928, there were a few houses. I expect that for whatever reason, the federal government did not buy or expropriate this tract of land that backed onto an old drainage ditch.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Historic air photos indicate that this was not part of the CEF. In 1958, this land was cut up into long narrow lots with houses facing Fisher. Even in 1928, there were a few houses. I expect that for whatever reason, the federal government did not buy or expropriate this tract of land that backed onto an old drainage ditch.

1928




1958




1965




1976



from: http://maps.ottawa.ca

[TransitZilla]

The Baseline BRT was approved at council today, including an additional stop at St Helen's Place for an additional $1.6M.

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=6954&doctype=SUMMARY

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

The Baseline BRT was approved at council today, including an additional stop at St Helen's Place for an additional $1.6M.

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=6954&doctype=SUMMARY

Yup. As reported in the Ottawa Central Library proposals thread (emphasis added by me):

Originally Posted by rocketphish

...

Council approves concept for Baseline busway

A study supporting a busway up the gut of Baseline Road received council’s endorsement Wednesday.

Once built, the 14-kilometre busway connecting Bayshore and Heron stations would let transit riders bypass downtown to get across the city. The plan calls for 24 new stations along the route with O-Train connections, but council agreed to add to the design an additional $1.6-million station at Baseline Road and St. Helen’s Place.

The unique element of the design is the bus lanes running in the middle of a widened Baseline Road, allowing for a “complete street” transformation accommodating all road users.

The first phase, Baseline to Heron stations, would cost about $140 million, plus an additional $8 million for other transit priority measures. Construction could begin in 2020. The post-2031 second phase to Bayshore station would cost another $140 million.

The city would need funds from the upper-tier governments to build the busway.

...

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/council-oks-lebreton-flats-site-for-168m-super-library

[m0nkyman]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I live in Ottawa-Vanier. I have never seen any federal or provincial or local politician or candidate show any interest in transit. I have never seen any community group offer any significant proposal. And frankly I have never seen a proposal more sophisticated than demanding a subway for Montreal road. The cycling lobby has been very effiective, the parking lobby has been very effective while the transit lobby (if it exists) has not.

Challenge accepted.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

including an additional stop at St Helen's Place for an additional $1.6M.

I'm trying to figure out the purpose of this station. It is 1 block (less than 300m) from Clyde. Is this to be instead of a station/stop at Clyde? If so, why not just call it that?

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by roger1818

I'm trying to figure out the purpose of this station. It is 1 block (less than 300m) from Clyde. Is this to be instead of a station/stop at Clyde? If so, why not just call it that?

No, it is in addition to Clyde.

There will be quite a few stops in that stretch: Erindale, St Helen's, Clyde, and Walmart, all maybe 300 metres from each other.

[lrt's friend]

We have to remember that this route is providing local service. It is not quite the same as the Transitways or a subway with stations placed at 1 km spacing.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

We have to remember that this route is providing local service. It is not quite the same as the Transitways or a subway with stations placed at 1 km spacing.

I agree; without the newly added stop, there was quite a large spacing between Erindale and Clyde.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

We have to remember that this route is providing local service. It is not quite the same as the Transitways or a subway with stations placed at 1 km spacing.

Plus 300m is still wider than is typical for local buses (which are typically about 150m-250m). And most of the Baseline route is closer to 500m.

As a "local" rapid transit line, supplementary to the main LRT corridor, this stop spacing is appropriate.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

We have to remember that this route is providing local service. It is not quite the same as the Transitways or a subway with stations placed at 1 km spacing.

Which is ok... but that seems to be at odds with the following statement in the City Council press release....

Once built, the 14-kilometre busway connecting Bayshore and Heron stations would let transit riders bypass downtown to get across the city. The plan calls for 24 new stations along the route with O-Train connections, but council agreed to add to the design an additional $1.6-million station at Baseline Road and St. Helen’s Place.

I can't imagine too many would use this route to "bypass downtown"...

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

Which is ok... but that seems to be at odds with the following statement in the City Council press release....

I can't imagine too many would use this route to "bypass downtown"...

Assuming the Stage 2 extension and the Baseline BRT are both constructed... If you're coming from Orleans heading to Algonquin College, would it make more sense to stay on the train to Baseline, or switch to a Baseline BRT bus at Hurdman?

What about Orleans to AgCan at Baseline/Merivale?

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

We have to remember that this route is providing local service. It is not quite the same as the Transitways or a subway with stations placed at 1 km spacing.

To me it is a hybrid. It shouldn't have 1 km transitway spacing, but it shouldn't have local service spacing either. IMHO, approximately 500 m spacing (give or take) would be ideal.

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I agree; without the newly added stop, there was quite a large spacing between Erindale and Clyde.

I measured it and it is just under 600m which doesn't seem that bad to me. That means a maximum 300 m walk along baseline to the closest station (plus the distance to get to baseline admittedly).

This brings up another question, neither Erindale nor St Helen's Place have traffic lights. I assume crossovers will be added at those locations to allow pedestrians to get to the stations?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

Which is ok... but that seems to be at odds with the following statement in the City Council press release....



I can't imagine too many would use this route to "bypass downtown"...

You are assuming that nobody lives in the south end of the city, when you make that kind of statement. I don't think I should have to travel north all the way to next to the Ottawa River, before I can go west to any location. That is current situation unless Route 118 is not horribly caught up in traffic.