Wellington Street Pedestrian Mall

[acottawa]

So I was walking along Wellington (on the sidewalk) this morning. Was passed by a 19 car motorcade.

Real pedestrian friendly place.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Ottawa being bold, dreaming large, imagining possibilities for new ideas... nope, not interested - CARS FOREVER - we really don't deserve nice things - but SoPa forever!

Ottawa is not willing to pay for "nice things" and the politicians will not walk and a road for the general public is better than a road reserved for politicians.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by acottawa

So I was walking along Wellington (on the sidewalk) this morning. Was passed by a 19 car motorcade.

Real pedestrian friendly place.

Walk on Wellington once since it closed, and I stayed on the sidewalk as well. As it stands, the roadway still feels "forbidden" and hostile.

If we do close it permanently eventually, we shouldn't even let the political motorcades use it. That's one the secure entrance at the end o Bank is for.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by acottawa

So I was walking along Wellington (on the sidewalk) this morning. Was passed by a 19 car motorcade.

Real pedestrian friendly place.

I could forgive the occasional motorcade but random official vehicles have zipped by almost every time I have walked there too. It is still nicer walking on the sidewalk without cars but even as someone who mostly walks and rarely drives the loss of the cross town route isn't worth it. It's too bad the downtown councilors instead of fighting for a bike lane didn't tray to get somewhere like George St and or York street pedestrianized as part of the trade off. The suburban guys care about that less though I know the BIA will have a hissy fit.

[acottawa]

It's too bad the downtown councilors instead of fighting for a bike lane didn't tray to get somewhere like George St and or York street pedestrianized as part of the trade off. The suburban guys care about that less though I know the BIA will have a hissy fit.

I wish they would focus on Clarence. It is pretty much a dream pedestrian street with a nearly-continuous row of restaurants/bars, large city garages for those who really want to drive and an LRT three blocks away. They had a pilot project that was sort of pedestrian that seemed to work well.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I wish they would focus on Clarence. It is pretty much a dream pedestrian street with a nearly-continuous row of restaurants/bars, large city garages for those who really want to drive and an LRT three blocks away. They had a pilot project that was sort of pedestrian that seemed to work well.

I didn't realize that was only a pilot. Isn't it being continued. Allowing traffic on that portion of Clarence is criminal. So people can endlessly circle around for the 7 meter spots on that street that are claimed at 5 until the next morning?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

So I was walking along Wellington (on the sidewalk) this morning. Was passed by a 19 car motorcade.

Real pedestrian friendly place.

I am failing to see the problem.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I am failing to see the problem.

Hard to claim it is a "pedestrian street" when there are large motorcades using the street.

[Admiral Nelson]

Arguing in favour of reopening to traffic based on negative perception of the status quo is arguing a straw man. For those with imagination, the status quo is not desirable either.

As is, the street is not particularly inviting to pedestrians. The space has not been redesigned. Not a dime has been spent.

It's irrelevant to point to a windswept street in the middle of winter with some authorized vehicle movements and declare 'the experiment has failed' and that it's better to revert to public vehicle access.

To be clear: the only experiment that's happened in the past year has been proving that the sky does not fall on traffic downtown with Wellington reimagined for another use.

Whether Wellington can 'succeed' in a reimagined state by whatever measure is an experiment that has not even started.

Originally Posted by acottawa

The reserved 4 lane road for politicians is just a dumb use of a street.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Likewise. I guess we’ll see if this pressure tactic spurs the Feds into action.

Ding ding. My guess is the City wants a quid pro quo from the feds for the transfer of Wellington and didn't like the feds' negotiating position. Likely they are seeking to apply pressure - knowing that the feds do not want Wellington reopened - and that once reopened, it is harder for the feds to close it. It would explain why even Ariel Troster voted in favour of this measure.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Admiral Nelson

Arguing in favour of reopening to traffic based on negative perception of the status quo is arguing a straw man. For those with imagination, the status quo is not desirable either.

As is, the street is not particularly inviting to pedestrians. The space has not been redesigned. Not a dime has been spent.

There are only two options on the table
1) The pre 2022 status quo
2) The 2022 status quo

Any other option requires significant funding and/or a major change of policy by the federal government.

The question before the city is whether 1) or 2) are better pending the possible emergence of a third (4th, etc.) option (if such an option ever emerges).

[Richard Eade]

Basically, I agree with this. Really, there were just the two options: A) either the road was opened again to public traffic; or B) it remained as a closed roadway.

Status quo (closed road) offered zero incentive for the Feds to do anything at all. The road was closed to the public, but open to the vehicles that it authorized. The ‘security’ issue was handled and the Feds spent ZERO dollars getting that outcome. And, if it looked awful, then the Feds could legitimately point at the municipality.

There was no reason that the Feds had to do anything, since they already had what it wanted. The city could have waited for the Feds to get around to noticing that something other than a closed road would be preferable, But, like LeBreton Flats, there would be nothing to push the Feds into actually doing anything for years. And with the huge renovation currently happening within the central lawn, any work on landscaping could be a decade, or more, away.

“But, but, it could be so much more.” I hear you say. To that I would reply: “Imagination doesn’t tear up asphalt. It doesn’t plant trees and flowers. Imagination is not money, and money is what it would have taken to do anything with the street.”

The Feds had no reason to put any money into re-imagining the street; and the city simply doesn’t have any money.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Basically, I agree with this. Really, there were just the two options: A) either the road was opened again to public traffic; or B) it remained as a closed roadway.

Status quo (closed road) offered zero incentive for the Feds to do anything at all. The road was closed to the public, but open to the vehicles that it authorized. The ‘security’ issue was handled and the Feds spent ZERO dollars getting that outcome. And, if it looked awful, then the Feds could legitimately point at the municipality.

There was no reason that the Feds had to do anything, since they already had what it wanted. The city could have waited for the Feds to get around to noticing that something other than a closed road would be preferable, But, like LeBreton Flats, there would be nothing to push the Feds into actually doing anything for years. And with the huge renovation currently happening within the central lawn, any work on landscaping could be a decade, or more, away.

“But, but, it could be so much more.” I hear you say. To that I would reply: “Imagination doesn’t tear up asphalt. It doesn’t plant trees and flowers. Imagination is not money, and money is what it would have taken to do anything with the street.”

The Feds had no reason to put any money into re-imagining the street; and the city simply doesn’t have any money.

And yet PSPC is funding the study on what to do with the road now. The road didn't need to reopen for that to happen.

This is just a lazy excuse to justify reopening the road. It still doesn't accomplish anything because the one thing you say it would accomplish was already happening.

[lrt's friend]

The justification for re-opening Wellington Street is the elimination of ugly concrete barriers before tourist season begins.

The wheels of government move very slowly and there is zero possibility of something worthwhile being implemented by tourist season 2023.

As it stands, the ugly barriers are a monument to the Trucker Convoy. The only thing worse, would be two rusting trailers placed at each end of Wellington.

I am all eyes and ears for proposals for the future of Wellington Street, but that is not going to happen before summer.

[Richard Eade]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

And yet PSPC is funding the study on what to do with the road now. The road didn't need to reopen for that to happen.

This is just a lazy excuse to justify reopening the road. It still doesn't accomplish anything because the one thing you say it would accomplish was already happening.

Gosh! You are right, the government said that they were starting a study. What was I thinking?

Oh, yeah, I was thinking: 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'

I wonder how many studies the Federal Government did over the last 60 years, or so, with regard to the LeBreton Flats area, and doing something with it?

Having the government say that they are starting a study certainly does not mean that any action is imminent.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The justification for re-opening Wellington Street is the elimination of ugly concrete barriers before tourist season begins.

The wheels of government move very slowly and there is zero possibility of something worthwhile being implemented by tourist season 2023.

As it stands, the ugly barriers are a monument to the Trucker Convoy. The only thing worse, would be two rusting trailers placed at each end of Wellington.

I am all eyes and ears for proposals for the future of Wellington Street, but that is not going to happen before summer.

This.

[YOWflier]

There must be a lot of confidence in “the process” producing anything of merit any time soon if it’s crucially linked to the street remaining closed.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by YOWflier

There must be a lot of confidence in “the process” producing anything of merit any time soon if it’s crucially linked to the street remaining closed.

When the government forms a committee to oversee a study you know s***’s about to get real.

[roger1818]

Glen Gower mentioned this in his weekly video update this week (starting at 6:45). I tend to agree with a lot of what he says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXDGarZ1J8w&t=405s

Unscripted Transcript:

On Thursday at Transportation committee Transportation committee approved temporarily reopening Wellington Street. Now it's not doesn't mean it's going to be permanently reopened it's temporarily reopened and uh what I sense is a lot of consensus amongst city council to work with the federal government to eventually reconfigure that street. It right now is a five-lane thoroughfare and really not functioning well as a street it's a it's a road it's a busy road. It handles a lot of traffic and I think what I'd like to see is uh eventually some some better facilities for pedestrian and cyclists. Perhaps instead of a five lane road we could get down to a smaller roadway um and uh anyhow there's still a lot of work to be done, a lot of studies to be done on traffic impacts, and so on. A lot of work with the federal government and we'll have more on that soon. More of that I'm sure over the next four years at Council as well. That goes to city council for discussion on Wednesday uh no a week from Wednesday. Lots going on at City Hall

[J.OT13]

Can't say I understand how re-opening the road puts the City in a better position to negotiate with the Feds.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Can't say I understand how re-opening the road puts the City in a better position to negotiate with the Feds.

I believe that the hypothesis is that the feds have an ideal solution now (city-funded stroad reserved for federal politician and police use) and therefore have little incentive to negotiate.