The City of Ottawa is conducting a study to see how to successfully integrate the planned light-rail transit system into the downtown core.
The proposed LRT system will run under Queen Street and have three stations downtown.
The Downtown Moves study will cover many transportation issues, including improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.
Nelson Edwards, a City of Ottawa urban planner, says the study will affect the area from Gloucester Avenue to the north, Bronson Avenue to the west, and the Rideau Canal to the east.
The study was approved by the transportation committee earlier this year and will wrap up in December 2012.
The study looks into the implications of light-rail transit and improvements that could be made to existing infrastructure, such as sidewalks, bus shelters and segregated bike lanes.
“We’re looking at the quality and character of the streets, not just the fact that you’ve got a sidewalk to walk on, but what is the quality and character that makes that walking experience an enjoyable and preferable way to travel in the downtown,” Edwards says.
The study was launched at the Downtown Moves Mobility Summit held earlier this month.
“They say, 'oh you can’t do it in Ottawa,’ and you think, well, if you can’t do it in Ottawa how on earth can you do it in New York City?” Edwards says.
Downtown Moves will draw on other cities' studies, he says.
“I think the Downtown Moves is this common space that will help orchestrate all these major projects and ideas and come up with some really clear recommendations, like how to improve crosswalks, sidewalks, re-forest if you will, re-tree the downtown streets and create nice avenues,” Edwards says.
Making sure bus stops have newspaper boxes, recycling bins and adequate shelters are also part of improving the transportation experience in the downtown.
“Some concrete improvements will be literally concrete, will be making sure there are broad pedestrian sidewalks to handle the volume of pedestrians, to see if we can create boulevard space that would have such things as trees, benches, and bike racks,” he says.
The city will hold an open house about the study sometime in January, says Edwards.
“We’re going to bring out what we’ve heard, and say, 'are we going in the right direction?'” Edwards says.