NCC unveils new segregated pathways on LeBreton Flats
"It was open in the winter, but now the landscaping is done and the final touches added so people can come and start enjoying the area."
Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Jul 07, 2022 • 38 minutes ago • 2 minute read
The newest section of Ottawa’s multi-use pathways has a true multi-use feature: Segregated lanes for walkers and cyclists.
The 600-metre section links the Ottawa River Pathway to the Pimisi LRT station and is the first element of the National Capital Commission’s redeveloped LeBreton Flats. The path was open in the winter as part of the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail, but was spiffed up with new paint and signage in time for Canada Day.
The trail features paved lanes for east and west cycling traffic and a blue, non-slip-surface lane for pedestrians.
“We’re really proud that this first part of LeBreton is officially open,” NCC spokeswoman Dominique Huras said. “It was open in the winter, but now the landscaping is done and the final touches added so people can come and start enjoying the area.
“People love it, from what we’ve seen on social media. They love the division between the cyclists and the pedway.”
The new path is one of the improvements laid out in the NCC’s strategic plan for the Capital Pathways, some 220 kilometres of trail through the region. The 10-year plan, approved by the commission’s board of directors in October 2020, calls for a safe network of off-road trails linking the region’s scenic and cultural destinations for use by cyclists, pedestrians, runners and people with mobility impairments.
The strategic plan sets out standards for the network such as maximum slopes, minimum widths, guidelines for intersections, vegetation and sightlines, and also identifies high traffic, “pedestrian priority zones” where walkers must be given right-of-way over faster-moving cyclists.
Meanwhile, a section of the Ottawa River Pathway between the Portage Bridge and the Supreme Court of Canada building remains closed until September to accommodate rehabilitation work on the crumbing Parliament Hill escarpment. A detour routes travellers along Wellington and Laurier streets.
Next summer, the work will continue further east, closing the path between the Supreme Court and the Rideau Canal. The area was seriously damage during the record high flooding of 2019 and 2017.
The first NCC bike paths opened in 1973 with 40 kilometres of paths along the Rideau Canal, Rideau River, Ottawa River from Parliament to Britannia Beach and north into the Gatineau Hills along the Gatineau Parkway.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ncc-unveils-new-segregated-pathways-on-lebreton-flats
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