Ottawa commuters get 1st look at new transit plans
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 | 11:06 AM ET
CBC News
Commuters in Ottawa's east end got their first look at four new proposals for a citywide transit system Monday night, and initially they appeared to prefer the options that included light rail.
About 50 people turned out for the first of a series of consultations, this one at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Centre in the city's Orléans community.
"When I work downtown, I use the buses as often as I can. It's not bad, it actually does quite OK. I don't mind it. But I think rail would be a little bit nicer. It has a little bit faster transport when I go downtown, perhaps a little more comfort," said Frank Lindenbach.
All four options presented to city council Monday involved digging a tunnel through the downtown area.
"I think, if we're going to put a tunnel in, you might as well go all out, not just the buses, because, you know, [you] go through the trouble of digging everything up, you might as well go all the way," said Orléans resident Betty Chu.
Going all the way would include converting much of the current bus transitway, and the city's O-train, to electric rail. That's one of the four options unveiled Monday, with an estimated cost of $3.2 billion to $3.8 billion each. The options include:
- Buses only; the city would keep the city's diesel single-track O-train line, but would not add any other light rail lines.
- Buses and a train with twin tracks that would run north-south from the University of Ottawa, through downtown, to the airport and to a station at the south end of Bowesville Road in Riverside South.
- An east-west light-rail line that would run from Baseline station north to Lincoln fields and then east to Blair station.
- The east-west line, while the twin-track north-south rail line to Bowesville station would also be built.
Mayor Larry O'Brien was on hand for Monday night's presentation. He has waffled on transit plans in the past, but he was quick to point to this new direction as delivery of an election promise.
"Fifteen months ago I was elected as mayor to press the reset button on mass transit, and today is a great day, because today is the first concrete proposal from city staff that shows us that we have a way forward in mass transit," O'Brien said.
The city will be accepting public comments on the four options through open houses and online consultations during the next two months, and staff will table the recommended option in mid-April.
That option will go before the joint transit and transportation committee on May 21 and to city council on May 28.
