Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by vtecyo

Now that I've fully watched the interview with him on the CTV site - I noticed that at 24 seconds he says the ticket he got literally tells him that he stopped at the light - then drove through it - but we know he made a right turn on Brittany drive. So if what he says about the ticket is true - then he doesn't deserve the fine.

He’s misreading the ticket. Nowhere on the ticket does it say he stopped. Watch the segment that is 2:33 and look at the :53 second mark.

The ticket says that the first picture shows the vehicle “approaching the intersection”, at which point the light had been red for 5.8 seconds. It does not say it was stopped at this point- you can’t approach something as you’re stopped.

Then the second picture (1.8 seconds later) shows the vehicle completely clear of the intersection. In his TikTok video, he says that this means he was stopped for 1.8 seconds, but the 2nd picture clearly shows that the vehicle has moved during that time.

If the driver had stopped at the intersection, the time elapsed between approaching the intersection and clearing it would be much longer as the vehicle comes to a stop and accelerates. They therefore conclude that he did not stop before turning right- that’s what the ticket is for.

I understand from other sources that the cameras do not take a picture if a vehicle is travelling <10km/hr. It is likely in this case that the vehicle never slowed below 10km/hr.

[Lakeofthewood]

Don't think there's a specific thread for the Wellington Street closure, so dropping this in here.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...inds-1.7113977

The conclusion seems pretty obvious, but the framing is interesting. It would make driving downtown more difficult, which is perfectly reasonable in the downtown of a City of 1,000,000 people.

[rocketphish]

Barrhaven gets new exit, otherwise little new for Ottawa in Ontario budget
Long-awaited Highway 416 interchange at Barnsdale Road gets funding

Nicole Williams · CBC News
Posted: Mar 27, 2024 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The province is funding a new Barrhaven interchange along Highway 416 to meet the needs of booming subdivisions in the area — one of Ottawa's few capital projects in the 2024-2025 Ontario budget.

The budget, tabled at Queen's Park on Tuesday, outlines $214 billion in provincial spending and a deficit of $9.8 billion.

"Not a lot of surprises," said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

"It's a budget that is based on the current financial situation … and it's a responsible budget."

Sutcliffe said he was pleased to see investments in infrastructure, with $190.2 billion set aside for major projects such as building highways, hospitals and schools over the next decade.

That includes funding for the long-awaited Highway 416 interchange at Barnsdale Road "to support population growth and development planned by the City for the Barrhaven South area."

Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill said this will be a "huge improvement" for residents in "one of the fastest-growing communities in all of Canada."

Residents buying up up thousands of homes south of the Jock River have long complained about how hard it is to get around.

Barrhaven has added about 3,500 people or 1,500 households a year, according to the city's 2023 annual report on development.

Barrhaven has only one exit off the 416 at Fallowfield Road. A second exit at Bankfield Road further south predominantly serves Manotick.

Barnsdale is in the roughly 10-kilometre gap between the two, offering an easy connection with Greenbank Road.

"This is much more direct for residents," said Hill of the Barnsdale interchange.

It's unclear exactly when construction would begin but "everything that the city has been able to do within its power, it has done," the councillor said.

Also listed in the budget is continued funding for the redevelopment of The Ottawa Hospital's new Civic campus and a number of elementary and secondary schools in the city and eastern Ontario.

There was little else in the budget earmarked for Ottawa capital projects — including Landsdowne 2.0 and the affordable housing units that are supposed to come with it.

Neil Saravanamuttoo, the Ottawa-based director of non-profit CityShapes, said there had been a request from the city for $20 million in provincial funding for the project.

"That's a disappointment for the people of Ottawa and it just means it'll be another $20 million that the taxpayers have to pick up," he said.

The budget does include $1.8 billion in new spending to help municipalities build housing-enabling infrastructure such as roads and sewers.

Municipalities will also be allowed to lower their property tax rates on new purpose-built rental housing to encourage construction of more of those units.

Most of these measures encourage urban sprawl rather than making use of existing infrastructure in cities like Ottawa, said Saravanamuttoo, adding that method has done little to address the province's housing crisis.

With files from Ryan Patrick Jones

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...tawa-1.7156197

[rocketphish]

'New deal for Ottawa' includes funding for Road 174, new 416 interchange at Barnsdale Road
The deal was announced Thursday morning when Premier Doug Ford attended the Mayor's Breakfast with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Mar 28, 2024 • Last updated 17 minutes ago • 2 minute read

Ontario will pay for maintenance on Road 174 and consider assuming full responsibility for it from the city, fund a new interchange on Highway 416 at Barnsdale Road and help pay for a new police sub-station near the ByWard market as part of a more than $600 million funding deal with the City of Ottawa.

The deal was announced Thursday morning when Premier Doug Ford attended the Mayor’s Breakfast with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the Shaw Centre.

Ford’s “new deal for Ottawa” also includes money for road maintenance on urban and rural roads.

“Nothing is more important than infrastructure,” Ford told the gathering of some 600 people, noting the provincial Progressive Conservatives have invested some $185 billion in infrastructure in the province, including $10 billion invested in the new Ottawa Hospital Civic campus and CHEO.

The new deal includes $543 million in operating and capital funding to support Ottawa’s economic recovery and revitalization of the downtown core. It also adds $197 million over three years to fund operating costs, and another tranche of up to $346 million over 10 years in capital funding.

The maintenance on Road 174 will take place while the province conducts a three-year study on whether it should take financial ownership of the busy artery linking Ottawa’s eastern suburbs to downtown. There is conditional funding for emergency shelters and homelessness prevention, funding for the proposed Kanata North Transitway and funding for infrastructure to support new home construction.

In a folksy, off-the-cuff speech — Ford apologized to his teleprompter operator for ignoring his prepared remarks — Ford said Ottawa was one of his favourite cities and noted how downtown businesses are suffering from federal work-from-home policies.

“Hopefully the prime minister will call people back to work soon,” he said.

Sutcliffe presented the premier with a #TeamOttawa t-shirt, which Ford joked was his “$600-million shirt,” before sitting down for a Q&A chat with the premier.

Sutcliffe and Ford will hold a joint news conference later Thursday morning at city hall to provide more details on the deal.

More to come…

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...ange-in-ottawa

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Ford said Ottawa was one of his favourite cities and noted how downtown businesses are suffering from federal work-from-home policies.

He realized Ottawa was part of Ontario!! I'm still not sure he can point Ottawa out on a map though.

[Ottawacurious]

A New Deal for Ottawa
Agreement between province and city invests in Ottawa’s unique needs as national capital, regional economic hub

March 28, 2024

Office of the Premier: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1...eal-for-ottawa

OTTAWA — The Government of Ontario and the City of Ottawa have reached a new deal that recognizes and invests in the city’s unique needs as Canada’s national capital and eastern Ontario’s economic hub, helping ensure the city’s sustainable, long-term growth and prosperity. The agreement includes a phased plan to guide the upload of Ottawa Road 174 to the province, provincial support for the repair and upgrade of the city’s major connecting routes and rural roads, designing and building a new interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road, and improving public safety by opening a new police neighbourhood operations centre in the ByWard Market area.

“This historic new deal reflects our government’s dedication to the economic success of Ottawa and all of eastern Ontario,” said Premier Doug Ford. “I want to thank Mayor Sutcliffe for working with us to reach an agreement that will help Ottawa continue rebuilding its economy and deliver on key priorities, including building homes and highways. Now it’s up to the federal government to step up with support for our national capital, particularly when it comes to funding infrastructure and supporting shelters and asylum claimants.”

Ontario and Ottawa are calling on the federal government to step up with support that recognizes its responsibility to the national capital and helps restore public transit ridership while revitalizing Ottawa’s downtown economy.

“This is a big win for Ottawa,” said Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. “These investments will relieve significant budget pressures for the city and will help us to deliver better services to our residents. It’s also an example of what happens when elected officials do what the voters expect them to do: work together to solve problems and build better, safer, more affordable communities. I want to thank Premier Ford and Minister Bethlenfalvy for being great partners and for understanding the unique challenges that Ottawa faces.”

In recognition of the unique economic and social challenges faced by the City of Ottawa, which has had a slower rebound from the effects of the pandemic and is an economic and social service hub for people across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, Ontario is providing up to $543 million in operating and capital funding tailored to fuelling Ottawa’s economic recovery and accelerating revitalization of the downtown core. Funding will further support upgrading and building essential road and highway infrastructure to support the local economy and drivers across Ottawa’s large suburban and rural footprint.

The agreement includes up to $197 million over three years in provincial operating supports and up to $346 million over 10 years in provincial capital supports, including:

• Maintenance and rehabilitation for Ottawa Road 174 while a three-stage phased assessment of potential provincial ownership of the road is underway.- Funding to help revitalize the downtown area, with dedicated funding to Invest Ottawa.
• Funding to support public safety and address increased levels of crime, which have had an impact on city services.
• Additional conditional funding for emergency shelters and homelessness prevention to address the needs of increasing levels of homelessness.
• The repair and upgrade of major connecting routes and roads critical to keeping the people, goods and services of Ottawa moving.
• Advancing design and construction of a new interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road to support population growth and development.
• Funding for the Kanata North Transitway to support economic growth and recovery.
• Support for housing- and community-enabling infrastructure through the Building Faster Fund, conditional on the city achieving at least 80 per cent of its housing targets.

In addition to financial supports, Ontario commits to working with Ottawa to explore opportunities to fund and build more infrastructure, including through the Building Ontario Fund and policy changes to assist the city in removing barriers to getting more homes built faster.

The City of Ottawa has made a number of reciprocal commitments to Ontario, including opening up municipal lands for housing development to support shared housing priorities, ensuring Ottawa meets and exceeds its housing targets, strengthening the city’s vacant home tax, implementing efficiency measures that minimize the property tax burden on Ottawa’s people and businesses and facilitating the development of a long-term care home at The Ottawa Hospital.

Together, Ontario and Ottawa are calling on the Government of Canada to provide federal support on shared priorities, including shelter supports for asylum claimants, infrastructure funding to support new housing, and support for Ottawa’s unique and excess costs arising from managing protests and demonstrations in the capital.

In addition, as the largest employer in the city, Ontario and Ottawa ask the federal government to do its part to help revitalize the downtown economy. The federal government has an important responsibility to revive Ottawa’s downtown and ensure the city’s unique character and attractions continue making the nation’s capital a tourism destination for Canadians and international visitors.

[Ottawacurious]

RE: The Kanata North Transitway, there's a call to the Federal Gov't to "$80 million in matching funding to advance the Kanata North Transitway"

https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgroun...eal-for-ottawa

[J.OT13]

Pretty disappointed with this. Good to see Kanata North BRT, but nothing for Baseline, which would be important to link the O-Train lines and provide some redundancy. And of course, the Kanata BRT requires an even split between Province, Feds and... of course the City. GTHA gets 100% funding on major subway and rail projects, we get 1/3 on one short BRT project.

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Pretty disappointed with this. Good to see Kanata North BRT, but nothing for Baseline, which would be important to link the O-Train lines and provide some redundancy. And of course, the Kanata BRT requires an even split between Province, Feds and... of course the City. GTHA gets 100% funding on major subway and rail projects, we get 1/3 on one short BRT project.

What an extremely "Ottawa" outcome that we manage to get SOME funding of a BRT and it's not even the one we need the most, it's to a suburban business park...

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

What an extremely "Ottawa" outcome that we manage to get SOME funding of a BRT and it's not even the one we need the most, it's to a suburban business park...

That's what happens when you have a clueless mayor who is just interested in the amount of $$$ he got from the upper government he can brag about, and doesn't care where it goes.

[J.OT13]

It's a very car centric deal. It has Sutcliffe's finger prints all over it. It's by design.

[ponyboycurtis]

The 174 between the split and a bit past Blair is in DIRE need of resurfacing. Eastbound in particular.

City of Ottawa should be handing out vouchers for shocks and bearings.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

The 174 between the split and a bit past Blair is in DIRE need of resurfacing. Eastbound in particular.

City of Ottawa should be handing out vouchers for shocks and bearings.

Yeah I really hope if the 174 can get uploaded to the province, we can push for upgrades like better maintenance of the road surface, more lighting (particularly in the pitch black stretch between Gloucester and Orleans. More uniform signage, etc.

Speaking of roads in dire need of resurfacing, the stretch of McLeod St. that bridges the two segments of Metcalfe just north of the Museum of Nature is in downright appalling condition.

[FrostyMug]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Yeah I really hope if the 174 can get uploaded to the province, we can push for upgrades like better maintenance of the road surface, more lighting (particularly in the pitch black stretch between Gloucester and Orleans. More uniform signage, etc.

The stretch between Gloucester and Orleans through the Greenbelt is highly unlikely to get lighting. It's the Greenbelt after all, so why would we light it up? It's just more light pollution.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by FrostyMug

The stretch between Gloucester and Orleans through the Greenbelt is highly unlikely to get lighting. It's the Greenbelt after all, so why would we light it up? It's just more light pollution.

Light pollution is going to damage the greenbelt now? Light improves safety. With no exits on a limited access highway it might not be worth the cost but please don't dismiss it out of hand because of light pollution.

[orleans_man]

Originally Posted by FrostyMug

The stretch between Gloucester and Orleans through the Greenbelt is highly unlikely to get lighting. It's the Greenbelt after all, so why would we light it up? It's just more light pollution.

I think people simply look at the eight lane highway running through the Kanata greenbelt and wonder why does that have lighting and the one that runs through the east end doesn't. Maybe there is a really good reason? Or, maybe not?

As a taxpayer - I would like to see them remove the lighting along the Kanata stretch so we don't have to pay to unnecessarily "light-up" the Kanata greenbelt and maintain the lights. I think that would make everyone happy

[rocketphish]

Speed cameras in Ottawa are popping up where you might not expect them
The city maintains that public safety is the only reason for them, although fines from speed cameras brought in $9 million in 2022 and more than $11 million in 2023.

Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 04, 2024 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 3 minute read

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how the proliferation of municipal speed cameras is making driving a bit unnerving on city streets?

These are not the cameras located at intersections to nab irresponsible drivers who jump red lights and cause collisions. Or cameras rightly installed in school zones to discourage speeding and protect children and other pedestrians. The cameras that are mushrooming all over the city in what are called “municipal safety zones” are meant to curb excessive speeding on neighbourhood streets — but are causing consternation among some commuters.

Don’t get me wrong, road safety is of critical importance, and we should all applaud any government attempt to stop irresponsible drivers who speed and put lives in danger. But the thing with what the city calls “automated speed enforcement” cameras is that they are often on major roads such as Walkley Road, Hunt Club, Bronson Avenue and King Edward Avenue, where sometimes they catch you by surprise.

Of course, traffic experts are probably right to say that as a driver you have to be aware of all road signs. Indeed, ahead of installation signs warned of the imminent arrival of the cameras.

I hadn’t really paid particular attention to these cameras until a few months ago, when I found myself at a gathering where some people were talking about “Big Brother” cameras on streets watching and invading your privacy. I didn’t make much of it, until weeks later in a chat with some neighbours, when the issue came up again. One had been caught by one of the cameras. Another said he was on Walkley, unaware cameras had been installed, doing 53 km/h in a 50-km zone, and for weeks since has been dreading getting a ticket. At the time of writing, he hadn’t got one. But you may have.

By now I was intrigued, and went looking for the cameras. I drove around area streets, including Walkley, Smyth Road, Alta Vista Drive, Hunt Club Road, Heron Road and St. Laurent Boulevard, and indeed, cameras dotted these streets. I was familiar with those in school zones on Smyth and Alta Vista, but seeing Walkley, east of Conroy Road, named a “municipal safety zone” was a surprise.

I called the city to find out more, and learned that, so far, there are 40 cameras in municipal safety zones all over town, with about 20 more to come. Soon, there probably won’t be a street corner in Ottawa without a camera. The city maintains that public safety is the only reason for them, even though fines from speed cameras brought in $9 million in 2022 and more than $11 million in 2023.

Krista Tanaka, the city’s associate director of traffic services, said the cameras are helping to reduce speeding, pointing to data from a pilot project that showed a 200 per cent increase in compliance with the speed limit and a 72 per cent decrease in drivers travelling at 15 km/hr over the posted speed limit. “Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras continue to show similar decrease in speed at locations across the city,” Tanaka said in an email. “With the program continuing to show success, the city is expanding the program with the goal of reducing risk for our most vulnerable road users.”

Are these cameras invading privacy? The answer is No, according to the Automated Speed Enforcement website. It says that the data from the cameras is encrypted and stored on a secure device, and once the information is downloaded, what’s on the storage unit is erased. Besides, the ASE system is not video-based, and doesn’t capture and store video image. Only the still image of a vehicle’s licence plate is captured. Which means the ASE cameras are unlike CCTV cameras, which are often continuously shooting and capture and store video images in a target area.

That should ease privacy concerns, but clearly, the cameras are here to stay, so watch out for them before they get you.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa journalist and commentator. Reach him at nylamiles48@gmail.com

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/ad...ot-expect-them

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by orleans_man

I think people simply look at the eight lane highway running through the Kanata greenbelt and wonder why does that have lighting and the one that runs through the east end doesn't. Maybe there is a really good reason? Or, maybe not?

As a taxpayer - I would like to see them remove the lighting along the Kanata stretch so we don't have to pay to unnecessarily "light-up" the Kanata greenbelt and maintain the lights. I think that would make everyone happy

Two roads in my area have been lit up running across the Greenbelt and I am so thankful. Deer is a major problem and there have been many accidents, not good for drivers nor the wildlife that is injured or killed. Traffic volumes and risks to wildlife should be considered when deciding on lighting a roadway in certain less urban locations.

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Light pollution is going to damage the greenbelt now? Light improves safety. With no exits on a limited access highway it might not be worth the cost but please don't dismiss it out of hand because of light pollution.

I drive the 417 between the 416 and Eagleson often at night. Rarely do I find myself on the 174 between Montreal and Jeanne d'Arc at night, but in the last couple months, I have driven that stretch at night... when it's wet - it really needs street lights. If it was controlled by the province, there would 100% be street lights.

It's 4 km between the Moodie and Eagleson overpasses on the 417 and that stretch contains 26 street lights. It's approx 3.5 km between Montreal and Jeanne d'Arc and there seems to be some illumination east of Montreal Rd. so there wouldn't need to be 26 light standards.

Also - if anyone wants some nostalgia, drive the 417 west at night (between 1-5 am) and experience the nice old halogen lights from downtown to Carling. Once it switches to LED you can really tell the difference. I love driving in the halogen (metal halide).

[orleans_man]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Two roads in my area have been lit up running across the Greenbelt and I am so thankful. Deer is a major problem and there have been many accidents, not good for drivers nor the wildlife that is injured or killed. Traffic volumes and risks to wildlife should be considered when deciding on lighting a roadway in certain less urban locations.

Yes - I agree that it makes sense -> my sarcasm didn't really come across in the text - I don't actually advocate the removal of the lighting on the 417

I think the highways in the East end (174) should be built to the same standards as others with similar traffic volumes. As I get older, I really need all the light I can get when I drive