Eric Darwin bikes through the recently reopened gate at Preston and Albert streets.
A popular shortcut used by the public to access biking and walking trails lining the Ottawa River has been reopened by the National Capital Commission, prompting praise from cyclists and pedestrians who were previously locked out.
The paved pathway, also known as the Preston Street Extension, sits on NCC land where Preston Street crosses Albert Street. On Sept. 29, the entrance to the shortcut was closed.
Safety risks were the reason behind the closure, the NCC said at the time.
“(The pathway) created a lot of illicit activity,” says Marc Corriveau, the NCC’s director of urban lands and transportation. “People and vehicles would go on site, there was illegal dumping and so on, so that’s why we had the gate secured.”
The closure prompted complaints from cyclists and pedestrians, who have been using the shortcut to access the Ottawa River shoreline for as long as 10 years.
Corriveau had said the NCC was open to unlocking the gate for pedestrians and cyclists, but not for vehicles – as long as the city was comfortable with people crossing the Transitway to get to the Ottawa River.
The city gave its approval on Oct. 20, and the NCC unlocked the gate the next day.
Eric Darwin, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, campaigned for the shortcut to be reopened on his blog.
The community association also wrote letters to Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar and NCC chair Marie Lemay asking for support, Darwin says.
When the shortcut was closed, people had to either travel to Booth Street, or else cross the O-Train tracks to Bayview Road to access the Ottawa River shoreline, Darwin says.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says she saw the alternative routes and asked the NCC to reconsider.
The shortcut is the only access point to the Ottawa River shoreline between Bayview Road and Booth Street, Holmes says.
“It’s unsafe to push cyclists over to Booth Street,” Holmes says. “The road is in terrible physical shape, and there are too many buses and trucks and cars.”
Cyclists were forced to ride on the sidewalk to avoid potholes and bumps, which then made it unsafe for pedestrians, she says.
“(Preston Street) is the safest route, it’s the most direct, and it’s historically been there,” Holmes says.
Whether the Preston Street Extension becomes a permanent shortcut depends on construction in the area, the NCC says.
In an email, the commission said it will try to keep the shortcut open as long as possible, but added that LeBreton Flats is continually undergoing changes.
Darwin says he understands the NCC isn’t promising to keep the pathway open forever, but adds that he’s grateful the community will be able to use it as long as possible.