2022 Ottawa Municipal Election

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

It has been suggested that Wellington Street should become an extension of Parliament Hill, policed by the feds and turned into a pedestrian only mall to keep vehicles away from Parliament. I don't know if that would accomplish much but it needs to be discussed among many other policing issues. The old model will not work anymore.

I think this would be a good idea. I'm sure the politicians would like to be able to drive/ be driven up to Centre Block for when they attend (assuming that's how they get to work), but maybe we don't need this traffic on Wellington. I'd permit cyclists and pedestrians on Wellington, but public transit should be underground, with Gatineau's LRT proposal connecting to our LRT stations.

That said, I would like to see a ban on vehicles used in protests. I don't think they're a critical part of protests, but they do pose a safety and logistical risk.

[Truenorth00]

Go a step further. Pedestrianize Wellington, the Market and Elgin. The fewer routes with traffic in to the core, the lower the risk of a blockade.

We can't trust police to keep the routes clear. Time to engineer a permanent solution.

[m0nkyman]

Based on the events of the last two weeks, I think McKenney is the front runner all of a sudden. I’m both shocked and hopeful.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

Based on the events of the last two weeks, I think McKenney is the front runner all of a sudden. I’m both shocked and hopeful.

Given how tone deaf Deans and Meehan are, unless there is some miraculous suburban vote they are rally, McKenney is definitely now leading.

Should be noted too that today's counter protest was spontaneous, drew hundreds of residents, and was at Bank and Riverside. Not in the downtown core.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Go a step further. Pedestrianize Wellington, the Market and Elgin. The fewer routes with traffic in to the core, the lower the risk of a blockade.

We can't trust police to keep the routes clear. Time to engineer a permanent solution.

We can pedestranize Wellington starting today. Start arresting the occupants of the trucks. Turn the trucks off, lock them up and leave them there for now. We then have a ped only Wellington. Under the Ontario Emergency Act these trucks can be seized for forfeiture, and should be,and left in place for now.

Over the spring and summer the trucks can be removed a few at a time,put up for a police auction, and Wellington designated as a ped only street.

Thus the Great Occupation of Ottawa will end--a good book title.

Any candidate for local office interested in promoting this idea?

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Go a step further. Pedestrianize Wellington, the Market and Elgin. The fewer routes with traffic in to the core, the lower the risk of a blockade.

I'm actually happy that Elgin isn't pedestrianized. For the last 2 weeks it has been a life saver. I live 50 Km south east of Ottawa, and work Mon-Fri on Slater. It has been impossible to drive downtown through Kent because of the truck gridlock. Elgin is my only quick passage.

Your argument of fewer routes could work against you. Fewer routes means funneling more people on a limited infrastructure. If these remaining routes are blocked, the nightmare will be worse than we have.

[daud]

based on the events of the past 3 weeks, I'll be voting for Catherine McKenney.

She's really shown herself to be a leader and supporter of her ward.

[hwy418]

Originally Posted by daud

based on the events of the past 3 weeks, I'll be voting for Catherine McKenney.

She's really shown herself to be a leader and supporter of her ward.

Same for me - never thought I would vote for them, but Catherine has won my support.

[GeoNerd]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

I'm actually happy that Elgin isn't pedestrianized. For the last 2 weeks it has been a life saver. I live 50 Km south east of Ottawa, and work Mon-Fri on Slater. It has been impossible to drive downtown through Kent because of the truck gridlock. Elgin is my only quick passage.

Your argument of fewer routes could work against you. Fewer routes means funneling more people on a limited infrastructure. If these remaining routes are blocked, the nightmare will be worse than we have.

City streets shouldn’t be designed for people that live 50km south of the city. They should be designed for local residents. Elgin happens to be a collector (which it shouldn’t be), but it’s a 30 km/h and not meant for commuting outside the city. I have zero sympathy for people that live outside the city, avoid paying municipal taxes, and feel entitled to drive their cars all the way into downtown.

Originally Posted by daud

based on the events of the past 3 weeks, I'll be voting for Catherine McKenney.

She's really shown herself to be a leader and supporter of her ward.

100%. While I don’t agree with some of their development principals (SFH downtown), they have proven to be a strong leader. The exact opposite of Jim Watson. McKenney almost certainly has my vote.

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by GeoNerd

City streets shouldn’t be designed for people that live 50km south of the city. They should be designed for local residents. Elgin happens to be a collector (which it shouldn’t be), but it’s a 30 km/h and not meant for commuting outside the city. I have zero sympathy for people that live outside the city, avoid paying municipal taxes, and feel entitled to drive their cars all the way into downtown.

This is not what I'm saying. I saying that if you reduce the amount of routes available for vehicles, be ready to have bigger bottle necks on the rest of the road network. I normally don't use Elgin.

Can you imagine how gridlocked the city would have been if people weren't working from home right now? regular non-pandemic traffic + Truck convoy

And you are wrong in saying people live outside the city to "avoid" paying municipal taxes. Do you actually know the actual tax rate for Clarence-Rockland? The residential part is contributing way more to the municipal budget than the Ottawa's residents because Clarence-Rockland doesn't have as much industries and commercial.

You can't exclude people who reside elsewhere when you plan the city because they will still impact the city. Otherwise you are living in a bubble that is disconnected from the world.

If I sleep 8hrs, work 8hrs, and reside 8hrs. I am still "living" more than a third of my life in the city, contributing to its economy through my work, eating out, going to the gym, and entertaining myself. Complaining about "non-local" when doing urban planning is the equivalent of NIMBYism.

The city and its surrounding municipalities are a giant ecosystem that is impacting each other directly and indirectly.

[Truenorth00]

Fewer routes are better. Easier to control. And far more pressure to protect.

[JHikka]

McKenney was a great councillor when I lived in their ward. Very excited if they were to become mayor.

On that note, I loved having Naqvi as an MPP, too. Very smart guy and i'm sure he makes a good MP.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by GeoNerd

City streets shouldn’t be designed for people that live 50km south of the city. They should be designed for local residents. Elgin happens to be a collector (which it shouldn’t be), but it’s a 30 km/h and not meant for commuting outside the city. I have zero sympathy for people that live outside the city, avoid paying municipal taxes, and feel entitled to drive their cars all the way into downtown.



100%. While I don’t agree with some of their development principals (SFH downtown), they have proven to be a strong leader. The exact opposite of Jim Watson. McKenney almost certainly has my vote.

The vast vast majority driving into downtown still live in the city limits. Us downtown dwellers might want to put artificial 30 speed limits on every street but eventually we will get outvoted. The position of mayor is weak as it's really just one vote on council. Watson has done an unprecedented job. Maybe Mckenny also knows the system well enough to get things done but I doubt she could make much progress with the hold suburban block has on council.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

This is not what I'm saying. I saying that if you reduce the amount of routes available for vehicles, be ready to have bigger bottle necks on the rest of the road network. I normally don't use Elgin.

Can you imagine how gridlocked the city would have been if people weren't working from home right now? regular non-pandemic traffic + Truck convoy

I agree with this. Certain people seem to want to shut down all sorts of streets. Lots of support to close down Wellington, Elgin and Bank, yet not build a new bridge in the east end (which could replace car lanes on downtown bridges, not necessarily add more overall lanes). It would be traffic chaos.

Closing down a bunch of streets to cars would transform the entire downtown into a parking lot. That's not going to benefit anyone. Residents of downtown will have to breath the extra fumes and hear the engines and horns for longer, everyday.

I agree that some streets, maybe a few minor east-west, could be closed, but we have far too few north-south streets that actually cross the Queensway to start eliminating those routes.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Joanne Chianello is posting on social media that Jim Watson is trying to get Diane Deans ousted from the Police Board.

[Truenorth00]

I don't understand. Wasn't Deans one of the Watson club?

[RuralCitizen]

This is kind of ridiculous. It's making head falls just for making head fall.
Like if she was responsible for the police inaction. What more did you expect from the councilor? to literally command the police force? That wasn't her responsibility, it was the chief police officers responsibility and he resigned.

I think it is bad when the political starts directing the police. They should never.

[GeoNerd]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

This is not what I'm saying. I saying that if you reduce the amount of routes available for vehicles, be ready to have bigger bottle necks on the rest of the road network. I normally don't use Elgin.

Can you imagine how gridlocked the city would have been if people weren't working from home right now? regular non-pandemic traffic + Truck convoy

And you are wrong in saying people live outside the city to "avoid" paying municipal taxes. Do you actually know the actual tax rate for Clarence-Rockland? The residential part is contributing way more to the municipal budget than the Ottawa's residents because Clarence-Rockland doesn't have as much industries and commercial.

You can't exclude people who reside elsewhere when you plan the city because they will still impact the city. Otherwise you are living in a bubble that is disconnected from the world.

If I sleep 8hrs, work 8hrs, and reside 8hrs. I am still "living" more than a third of my life in the city, contributing to its economy through my work, eating out, going to the gym, and entertaining myself. Complaining about "non-local" when doing urban planning is the equivalent of NIMBYism.

The city and its surrounding municipalities are a giant ecosystem that is impacting each other directly and indirectly.

You drive past 6 park and rides on the way into downtown from Rockland. I have zero sympathy that you get stuck in traffic during your +50km commute. Cities should not be designed for people to build SFH homes 50km outside the city, get into their gas guzzlers, and drive an hour into the city every day. That is something you’d learn in even an introduction to urban planning course. People that live outside the city are city-moochers. You want every advantage of living near the city, but you want to help pay for none of it. You are 100% evading paying city property tax. Your property tax in Rockland means nothing to the city of Ottawa. It doesn’t even pay for your subsidized exurbs lifestyle. Wanting city streets designed for city residents is the exact opposite of NIMBYism. Literally the exact opposite. The commenters on this forum are heavily suburban/rural, so you may garner a bit of support, but your take is flat out incorrect.

Originally Posted by YOWetal

The vast vast majority driving into downtown still live in the city limits. Us downtown dwellers might want to put artificial 30 speed limits on every street but eventually we will get outvoted. The position of mayor is weak as it's really just one vote on council. Watson has done an unprecedented job. Maybe Mckenny also knows the system well enough to get things done but I doubt she could make much progress with the hold suburban block has on council.

Watson has done an unprecedented job??? Thank you for the good early morning laugh. He’s done an unprecedented job at dividing the city, creating a toxic city hall, ignoring downtown and inner-city voters. Not only could he be the worse mayor in Ottawa history, he might be the worse mayor in Canadian history. He should resign immediately.

Downtown streets haven not been put “artificially” to 30 speed limits. These are speeds that create a safer environment from pedestrians and cyclist in heavy pedestrian areas. It is helping to preserve lives from motorists speeding through dangerously. City streets are not only designed for car traffic. Come on guys, this is basic intro level stuff here.

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by GeoNerd

You drive past 6 park and rides on the way into downtown from Rockland. I have zero sympathy that you get stuck in traffic during your +50km commute. Cities should not be designed for people to build SFH homes 50km outside the city, get into their gas guzzlers, and drive an hour into the city every day. That is something you’d learn in even an introduction to urban planning course. People that live outside the city are city-moochers. You want every advantage of living near the city, but you want to help pay for none of it. You are 100% evading paying city property tax. Your property tax in Rockland means nothing to the city of Ottawa. It doesn’t even pay for your subsidized exurbs lifestyle. Wanting city streets designed for city residents is the exact opposite of NIMBYism. Literally the exact opposite. The commenters on this forum are heavily suburban/rural, so you may garner a bit of support, but your take is flat out incorrect.

Man you need to chill, I'm not here to get personally attacked, especially with completely inaccurate assumptions you have of me. You've been distorting all my comments. I never asked for any sympathy nor support, I'm not here to "win" a point. I'm not here asking for freebies or acting entitled. I'm purely stating the context of our reality.

-Roads were/are blocked, cars have to find alternative routes.
-the situation isn't bad compared to if we had the full office work force on the road network right now.
-Regardless of where people live, a clogged road infrastructure is very bad for the local economy.
-The situation is not black or white, there is many little complexities that come into play when planning a city. which include neighboring municipalities regardless of if we want it or not. They are just a variable part of the problem.
-I'm not gonna lecture you on the meaning of NIMBYism, but not wanting people commuting in your local area is exactly saying "not in my backyard".
The whole truck traffic on King Edward/Nicholas is a result of Rockcliffe's NIMBYism towards Vanier Parkway.

I'm all in on improving streets for pedestrians, cyclist, local users, tourists, semi-local users. I never said that my route needed to be prioritized over local residents. I said that I was lucky to be finding an alternative route. So don't point a finger at me insinuating that I'm an entitled selfish system abuser.

Here are some rectifications about personal assumption that you've made:
-Did I complain about being stuck in traffic? No.
-I said that I live in Clarence-Rockland, not Rockland. This is like saying someone in Vars lives in Urban Ottawa (very inaccurate).
-You don't know my route, I drive through exactly 0 park and drive.
-You don't know the type of vehicle I have.
-You don't know my life context and the reasons for why I live where I do.
-You don't know what type of education I have.
-I'm contributing to city taxes indirectly and I am not "avoiding" it. You are insinuating that I purposely relocated away from the city to cheat the system which isn't true. And for your information, drivers are financing 70-90% of the road infrastructure through gas tax (which is going up), license and registration, ..., on top of contributing to the public transportation budget.

So I'd appreciate when debating topics with you on this forum, you don't direct your arguments to my personal lifestyle that you have no clue about.

[GeoNerd]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

Man you need to chill, I'm not here to get personally attacked, especially with completely inaccurate assumptions you have of me. You've been distorting all my comments. I never asked for any sympathy nor support, I'm not here to "win" a point. I'm not here asking for freebies or acting entitled. I'm purely stating the context of our reality.

Well, I’m sorry you feel personally attacked. That is not my intention. You can’t gauge tone over text. We are allowed to disagree and have a spirited debate without one or both parties feeling offended. I guess that is a byproduct of the climate of our present day society.