Much to the chagrin, no doubt, of some loyal residents, Ottawa could learn a lesson or two about transportation management from Canada’s largest city.
In Toronto, where an extensive transit system funded by both the city and the province sees about 1.5 million riders per day, people still drive cars.At rush hour, drivers on Highway 401, Ontario’s busiest roadway, expect to see bumper-to-bumper traffic through Toronto, and factor in delays when timing their trip.
Each day, approximately 900,000 vehicles, including trucks and through-traffic, use the highway. In 1997, to combat the problem the Ontario government began building a ring road, linking Brampton to Markham. Now a privately owned toll route, Highway 407 is used by a full one-third of the vehicles that use Highway 401.
This should give residents an insight into recent discussions about widening the Queensway, as well as into the city’s new official plan.
First, although city council has deemed it priority No. 1 to expand the current transit system, people are not going to leave their cars at home to take transit. Ottawa does have the award-winning Transitway, which removes some bus routes from traffic congestion — but it has had that for years and the Queensway gridlock still remains. The city should continue to develop the O-Train because trains pollutes less than buses, but by itself it does not stop people from driving.
Second, it shows that despite other options, drivers will still continue to drive the route closest to the downtown. If 900,000 people still drive Highway 401 per day, what incentive is there for the drivers who use the Queensway daily to use an alternative form of transportation? Third, it shows the validity of a ring road. Despite Highway 407’s location along the outer perimeter of the GTA and a toll of $3.30 plus 13 cents per km, people drive that route to bypass congestion.
In forming a transit plan, Ottawa should consider each of those lessons learned from Toronto to devise a plan specific to its own needs.
The first step in the plan is to lobby the province to rescind its Queensway widening project. Though it may ease gridlock for a short time, there will likely be a need to again expand the highway as the city grows. The time and money needed to expropriate land, tear up existing streets, and demolish housing is not worth the effort.
Instead, the focus should be on building a ring road bypass between the Highway 416 junction to the west and an area near the Innes Road off-ramp of the 417 in the east as suggested by the province in 2001. This option allows the province to negotiate almost exclusively with the NCC as the bypass would be built on Greenbelt land, allowing the NCC to redirect monies to other recreational and agricultural lands. This option also provides a major highway link to Ottawa’s expanding airport, easing congestion along Bronson.
Finally, a toll should be imposed on the current Queensway. This would promote the bypass as an affordable means of through-traffic and give downtown commuters an incentive to use OC Transpo.
—Adam Bramburger