Highway 417 Widening

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The idea is to demand more than just couples travelling to work together.

Why? Getting couples to carpool rather than take separate vehicles is an improvement.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Why? Getting couples to carpool rather than take separate vehicles is an improvement.

Most couples who travel the same corridor to work are not going to take 2 cars regardless, so 2+ is not much of an incentive/disincentive anyway.

[Dengler Avenue]

Is the city of Gatineau trying to make every one in the same quartier know one another? #SmallTownFeels #PetitCanton

As for The Queensway, 2+ should be fine. Most people are gonna be on the O-Train anyway. Sad to hear there won’t be a parking lot at Moodie Station though.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

HOV lanes work pretty well here in Gatineau. We don't have them on autoroutes though.

They also extend for long distances and focus on major choke points.

They're generally transit/taxi/3+.

Very efficient when I have had to use them.

These are bus lanes not really HOV. As you say they let someone or a bus skip the chokepoint but they don’t reduce capacity generally. Maisoneuve where the afternoon lane that could be used for blocks for Ontario bound traffic is a 3+ until the last minute.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by roger1818

* The 174 isn't a provincial 400 series highway, so if it had HOV lanes, single occupant EVs wouldn't be permitted in them unless the bylaw changed.

Is there a single HOV lane on a City of Ottawa owned roadway? I honestly can't think of one. Lots of bus lanes but not HOV.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

These are bus lanes not really HOV. As you say they let someone or a bus skip the chokepoint but they don’t reduce capacity generally. Maisoneuve where the afternoon lane that could be used for blocks for Ontario bound traffic is a 3+ until the last minute.

Then when you get to the bridge it is bus taxi and 2+.

Champlain is the same.

These lanes do take away road capacity though.

[Acajack]

Rapibus corridors are not open to 3+ and taxis.

[HighwayStar]

To all of you who enjoy the fruits of 2+ or 3+ HOV lanes, I salute you.. congrats and enjoy

But the questions remain:
- are you enjoying the HOV lanes because life has gifted you with a spouse who also works in the government?
... or ...
- did you make the conscious decision to drive to a neighbour who has *exactly* the same working hours and share the cost and/or time savings *specifically* due to the HOV route.

- if either of the above is true, and you change jobs, will you aggressively seek out a carpooling partner to continue this behaviour?
- Also, if you are enjoying the fruits of HOV due to an EV.. was that the main driver for your decision to buy an EV? Once they become more ubiquitous, that advantage will disappear quickly.

For me in the private sector, it is *completely* impossible to coordinate schedules in such a fashion. Fortunately, my commute is/was(1) against the flow. I could call on neighbours when necessary, but on a daily basis?? Forget it.

Sooo... the fundamental question is: WHO will change their CARPOOLING behaviour due to the addition of an HOV lane. I would really like to see a study, but I have to assume the answer is close to zero.

---------

Footnote (1) - I've recently relocated to Phoenix, AZ, so I'll have to live vicariously through you all for this Ottawa stuff, and especially the imminent (?) LRT opening.

[Acajack]

In my experience the 3+ HOV lanes in Gatineau actually siphon off transit users more than anything else.

You discover that the couple two doors down drives into town near your office around the same time that you take the bus. So you cancel your STO pass and give them a bit of money, and bob's your uncle.

That is generally what I have seen.

[Horus]

That seems like a pretty specific case, and could just as easily be offset by those who consistently see buses whiz by them in the 3+ lane and decide to try transit instead.

On a more personal note, the 3+ lanes were an absolute godsend for toting kids to/from daycare during rush hour.

[Marshsparrow]

HOV 2+ lanes then only benefit single parents and their children or babies... it should be 2+1 pet+ - that would be ideal!

[phil235]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

To all of you who enjoy the fruits of 2+ or 3+ HOV lanes, I salute you.. congrats and enjoy

But the questions remain:
- are you enjoying the HOV lanes because life has gifted you with a spouse who also works in the government?
... or ...
- did you make the conscious decision to drive to a neighbour who has *exactly* the same working hours and share the cost and/or time savings *specifically* due to the HOV route.

- if either of the above is true, and you change jobs, will you aggressively seek out a carpooling partner to continue this behaviour?
- Also, if you are enjoying the fruits of HOV due to an EV.. was that the main driver for your decision to buy an EV? Once they become more ubiquitous, that advantage will disappear quickly.

For me in the private sector, it is *completely* impossible to coordinate schedules in such a fashion. Fortunately, my commute is/was(1) against the flow. I could call on neighbours when necessary, but on a daily basis?? Forget it.

Sooo... the fundamental question is: WHO will change their CARPOOLING behaviour due to the addition of an HOV lane. I would really like to see a study, but I have to assume the answer is close to zero.

---------

Footnote (1) - I've recently relocated to Phoenix, AZ, so I'll have to live vicariously through you all for this Ottawa stuff, and especially the imminent (?) LRT opening.

Congrats on the move.

I'm not sure that government or private sector makes a difference. I've worked in both, and had flexibility in hours. I think the bigger difference is whether the employer has a carpool program. If there is a way to connect with someone else in your workplace that lives relatively close, it can be useful.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Horus

That seems like a pretty specific case, and could just as easily be offset by those who consistently see buses whiz by them in the 3+ lane and decide to try transit instead.

All I can say is that in my experience the 3+ carpoolers are all former 2-person only vehicles joined by a former bus commuter.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

HOV 2+ lanes then only benefit single parents and their children or babies... it should be 2+1 pet+ - that would be ideal!

Yeah right. Pets have such demanding lives outside the home.

[Tesladom]

Nicolas bridge replacement will allow for 8 lanes of traffic, but elevated stretch between Nicholas and Bronson will remain 6 lanes for through traffic for foreseeable future

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Most couples who travel the same corridor to work are not going to take 2 cars regardless, so 2+ is not much of an incentive/disincentive anyway.

You are making a lot of broad assumptions there. There are many reasons why couples might choose not to carpool. Rewarding those who do is a good thing IMHO.

Originally Posted by YOWetal

These are bus lanes not really HOV. As you say they let someone or a bus skip the chokepoint but they don’t reduce capacity generally. Maisoneuve where the afternoon lane that could be used for blocks for Ontario bound traffic is a 3+ until the last minute.

That is a very valid point. Given that they are primarily bus lanes and are heavily used by them, they don't want too much carpool traffic to interfere with the flow of buses.

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Is there a single HOV lane on a City of Ottawa owned roadway? I honestly can't think of one. Lots of bus lanes but not HOV.

AFAIK, there aren't any, but I read somewhere that the city created rules for how they could be used in case they ever decided to build them.

[Norman Bates]

With the Queensway closed tonight / tomorrow morning to allow for lane reconfiguration above Merivale Road, it got me thinking about future closures of highway 417.

I found a reference to a complete Queensway closure planned for July 3 to 5, 2020, to allow for bridge replacements, including that for the O-Train.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

With the Queensway closed tonight / tomorrow morning to allow for lane reconfiguration above Merivale Road, it got me thinking about future closures of highway 417.

I found a reference to a complete Queensway closure planned for July 3 to 5, 2020, to allow for bridge replacements, including that for the O-Train.

I imagine there will need to be one before then for the installation of the new Harmer pedestrian bridge...

Speaking of which.. anyone know what's going on with that!? I'm kind of surprised it hasn't been installed already.

[OTownandDown]

oh god, drove through the 'realignment' last night and today. Heading east is more like a mad-max free-for-all. Definitely going to be a lot of side-impact accidents over the next several weeks.

Nobody pays attention to the speed limits anymore because the construction hasn't impacted anything in a year, and now there's a sudden chicane in the highway for 50 metres, at 120km/hr and NOBODY held their lanes as I passed through.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

oh god, drove through the 'realignment' last night and today. Heading east is more like a mad-max free-for-all. Definitely going to be a lot of side-impact accidents over the next several weeks.

Nobody pays attention to the speed limits anymore because the construction hasn't impacted anything in a year, and now there's a sudden chicane in the highway for 50 metres, at 120km/hr and NOBODY held their lanes as I passed through.

Ya I went through there today as well. Luckily, the lines are nice and bright/thick and the Tesla had no trouble navigating the lane shifting during self-driving. If only all the other cars were self-driving though as some people were creeping into my lane!