Ideas/Visions for Ottawa, Canada's Capital

[kwoldtimer]

Shades of Jean Chrétien ....

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Catenary

There have been a few posts so far about streetcars or trams, and while I think they're a great idea, I think we can all agree that they have a high upfront cost and are unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon.

What doesn't have a high upfront cost is a bus. I could foresee a system run by the NCC serving downtown Ottawa and Gatineau and popular attractions. Neither STO or OC has huge interest in serving the other side of the river apart from the bare necessities, and having two transit authorities also creates a challenge for tourists. OC does serve some local attractions, but I pity the tourist who tries to navigate OC Transpo to get to the Aviation museum. At the same time, when we do run tourist-friendly bus routes like the SNO Bus or the Tulip shuttle, the services are very popular with locals and tourists alike.

An NCC run bus network could be operated by a contractor with rides at a nominal cost, either $1 or $2 work well with loonies and toonies. Electric buses are hitting their stride and would be a good fit. The service would be fare-integrated with OC and STO, so would require both a PRESTO and Multi reader, but this is a challenge that could be overcome.

The benefit of a system like this is that the tourist season is the opposite of the season when transit ridership is highest. Buses could run frequent service between the downtowns in the winter, and less frequent service in the summer, when they would also run more tourist focused seasonal routes.

If this idea seems familiar, it's largely because I stole it from Washington DC's Circulator. There, the system operates separate from the larger regional transit system. It was great to use it to get around with a simple map, rather than having to figure out which bus went where.

They had a tourist bus loop between all the main tourist sites in 88 or 89 when they opened the three new museums (gallery, civilization, aviation).

I actually worked as a guide on those buses.

It was called Visitour or Visibus.

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Shades of Jean Chrétien ....

I understand why people would think this. But, having spent many summer days walking around the city I noticed how it would be nice if World Exchange plaza bleed into an actual park with trees and shade. Plus the buildings are all 50s "sick building syndrome" style buildings no one would care to loose.

*And* this goes hand-in-hand with the policy of bringing residential into the actual central business district of the city. *This is the most important thing*. The disgusting Sir Wilfred Laurier building should be a prime example of gutting it to the framing and converting it to affordable rentals! https://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/00/15/14/38_big.jpg


Plus the situation regarding the PMO access is untenable and will have to change some day.

Closing metcalfe at queen could also create tour bus loading zones and parking down near Queen/Metcalfe.

Think a slip at the top of the T of said T-intersection. This would be now as wide as both the street r.o.w and the demolished building; while being at essentially the 4 corners of North (parliament) south (the core) and the east:west walking axis that is sparks.

[kwoldtimer]

Situation re PMO access.

I thought Chretien’s idea would have been great, but obviously too grand a concept for Ottawa to digest.

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Situation re PMO access.

I thought Chretien’s idea would have been great, but obviously too grand a concept for Ottawa to digest.

I think the Chretien plan was a little to grand.
https://youtu.be/he4C7gWEpEU

I always keep this line from the Shock of the New in mind when considering Ottawa:

"This is what happens when perfectly rational people start thinking in terms of space instead of place, and single rather then multiple meanings."

---

The situation regarding PMO access is the fact they employ RCMP officers to hold parking spaces and move a mass of plyons at the corner so the motorcade can park on the corner. Or enter through the gates. It's super junky.

And with increasing security concerns we have the opportunity if the road is closed at queen to just have the PM drive in and out with a dedicated lane along the side building with the sidewalks moved to where the road currently is. Add streetscaping.

Specifically this side entrance during the Harper era always had dozens of plyons closing the lane. I just don't like janky-junkiness.

https://youtu.be/lxnXfU6n5_Q

Enter from Wellington, small private lane with elgant fencing, enter into courtyard, turn around, exit through gate onto Wellington. Elegant and a good compromise between security, walkability and public access.

I think it's untenable and will change eventually; however I hope we don't end up like 10 Downing Street which is a little to far.
https://youtu.be/p3CMMKZCfXY

[kwoldtimer]

Why Brasilia rather than Paris, Barcelona, Washington, among others?

[acottawa]

The architects had two opportunities to create a terminating vista with Metcalfe and did not. Various schemes to demolish one into existence remind me of Mussolini more than anything, when he decided he didn’t Bernini’s baroque surprise.

[harls]

Originally Posted by grooveduster

I've had my European guests remark during a tour of the city. "Look..it's Big Ben...!"

I've had a Scottish friend remark, "Ah.. moderately-sized Ben."

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I think several of these were sponsored by the NCC, they were victims of cutbacks or the transfer of events to PCH.

I think political correctness also took over. You can’t just get a bunch of popular Canadian acts, all potential groups have to be represented. The Winterlude concert was apparently cancelled for climate reasons.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/winterlude-organizers-cancel-snowbowl-concerts-1.931839

That article is actually from 2010. I can't recall if they had similar stuff planned this year.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by harls

I've had a Scottish friend remark, "Ah.. moderately-sized Ben."

I don't get how anyone who has seen Big Ben can day they compare.

[OTownandDown]

I think what we all mean is "A park that is a destination" that is, one that isn't just trees and a small shrine to a cause.

Why do Ottawa parks lack ANY amenities? Why was it just 2019 when we finally got a try at cafe's in a park? Tavern on the Hill/Falls are always full, and an example of what should be in EVERY park.

But Karen from linear park doesn't want people interrupting her downtown solitude.

Why would a tourist want to walk across a barren city? Yes, Sparks Street has patios in summer. Great.

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Have you ever been to Ottawa?



Have you ever seen a map of Ottawa?

Why are so many people in Ottawa convinced that (a) Ottawa is lacking in parks, and (b) parks are the key to make a city more "dynamic/vibrant/exciting", etc.?

[OTownandDown]

Also, not to say that local shopping isn't important, but how did we end up with Elgin and Bank Streets completely devoid of any super-franchise shopping, be it H&M, UNIQLO, or something else of the sort? The Glebe is starting to get some high-end local talent set up shop, but they really cater to the new normal $1.5M homes in the Glebe (thanks...Lansdowne...for the property value bump).

Somerset House would be a perfect fast-fashion superstore, with all the environmental pitfalls and extreme foot traffic a place like that comes with.

Perhaps even after all is said and done, Bank wasn't really rebuilt to be pedestrian friendly? Maybe we should have made it one-way only, or no cars at all?

At least with this COVID experiment, the City and commercial business are learning the benefits to outdoor business.

[OTownandDown]

Also, I'm hoping that the tree-lined streets, fountains, and pedestrian-level amenities proposed for Byward come to fruition sooner than 10-15 years. These can be a great destination-builder. Hopefully some of the build-out can match Place des Arts fountains.

[OTownandDown]

Has anyone else seen this transformation? Skanderbeg Square, Albania. Beautiful new city-building exercise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M_ZQ6mH_EU

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I don't get how anyone who has seen Big Ben can day they compare.

Indeed, one is a clock tower attached to a legislature, while the other is a peace tower with a clock, attached to a legislature. I can't imagine how anyone could compare the two ...

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Also, not to say that local shopping isn't important, but how did we end up with Elgin and Bank Streets completely devoid of any super-franchise shopping, be it H&M, UNIQLO, or something else of the sort? The Glebe is starting to get some high-end local talent set up shop, but they really cater to the new normal $1.5M homes in the Glebe (thanks...Lansdowne...for the property value bump).

Somerset House would be a perfect fast-fashion superstore, with all the environmental pitfalls and extreme foot traffic a place like that comes with.

Perhaps even after all is said and done, Bank wasn't really rebuilt to be pedestrian friendly? Maybe we should have made it one-way only, or no cars at all?

At least with this COVID experiment, the City and commercial business are learning the benefits to outdoor business.

Is it? You mean Stag Shop and Boston Pizza? My impression is that the Glebe strip has been in decline for several years now.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Has anyone else seen this transformation? Skanderbeg Square, Albania. Beautiful new city-building exercise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M_ZQ6mH_EU

This is really cool.

Now one thing about large public squares, and this is not just an Ottawa issue, but an issue in many places, is that there is often nothing done to "animate" them.

So unless it's a mandatory "pass-through", ie between two important destinations, or a transit terminus of some kind, why would people go there?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The event program is a shadow of what it used to be, and it was very difficult for visitors to find stuff going on. As I said, there was very little to speak of. The desire to spread it over several sites in recent years (Market, Sparks, etc.) away from the immediate vicinity of the canal, coupled with what I assume are significant reductions to the programming budget, seriously impact things it seems.

In its heyday you had the canal skating rink bookended by a fantastic ice sculpture garden in Confederation Park and a maze of snow sculptures on Dows Lake.

Aside from some (rather brutal) bands playing sporadically on a stage at Fifth Avenue, it was really hard to distinguish the Winterlude weekends from just a regular weekend during the skating season.

They used to have the bed race, an opening night show (I saw Alanis there as a kid), fireworks, a bar with live music in a wooden shack operated by the NAC, etc.)

The transfer of responsibility for Winterlude from the NCC to Canadian Heritage probably hurt the festival. More so, climate change is devastating for the festival. With the exception of 2018-2019 weather and by extension the canal canal can be very unreliable. That's part of the reason why Winterlude seems so disconnected nowadays; Heritage is trying different things to make the event less weather dependent.

That said, I agree many of the events have been down-scaled or canceled though the years and that has impacted quality.

Would love to see SuperEx return, but at LeBreton Flats Park. Ohter than Bluesfest, it's very under utilized. SuperEx would be a great addition.

[silvergate]

This discussion seems to relate a lot to central planning, but some of the most dynamic cities in the world, the ones you go to to experience the culture, or some local scene, got that way because the people in them made it that way.

It's been discussed here before that local BIAs will fight tooth and nail for street parking, but maybe it's time to consider decentralizing local rule making further. Especially on traditional main streets like Bank, Wellington/Richmond, or Beechwood, maybe a local citizens committee with BIA representation should be at least part of the design of rules for that area.

It may not always work out favorably in terms of parking or bike lanes or on-street patios, but it would help to add a distinctive feel to every main street, and the most effective techniques could be copied by other neighbourhoods.

You might travel to a city to see the major sights, but what makes you fall in love with a city is how it feels to be there. Bringing the people who live into the design conversation is one way to improve the feel.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Catenary

There have been a few posts so far about streetcars or trams, and while I think they're a great idea, I think we can all agree that they have a high upfront cost and are unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon.

What doesn't have a high upfront cost is a bus. I could foresee a system run by the NCC serving downtown Ottawa and Gatineau and popular attractions. Neither STO or OC has huge interest in serving the other side of the river apart from the bare necessities, and having two transit authorities also creates a challenge for tourists. OC does serve some local attractions, but I pity the tourist who tries to navigate OC Transpo to get to the Aviation museum. At the same time, when we do run tourist-friendly bus routes like the SNO Bus or the Tulip shuttle, the services are very popular with locals and tourists alike.

An NCC run bus network could be operated by a contractor with rides at a nominal cost, either $1 or $2 work well with loonies and toonies. Electric buses are hitting their stride and would be a good fit. The service would be fare-integrated with OC and STO, so would require both a PRESTO and Multi reader, but this is a challenge that could be overcome.

The benefit of a system like this is that the tourist season is the opposite of the season when transit ridership is highest. Buses could run frequent service between the downtowns in the winter, and less frequent service in the summer, when they would also run more tourist focused seasonal routes.

If this idea seems familiar, it's largely because I stole it from Washington DC's Circulator. There, the system operates separate from the larger regional transit system. It was great to use it to get around with a simple map, rather than having to figure out which bus went where.

That's a good idea.Would love to see the NCC implement this year round to serve all National Museums and major destinations not on an O-Train Line.

Another successful example of such a service that already exists is the shuttle to Gatineau Park during the Fall season.