A planned footbridge over the O-Train tracks in the southwest corner of Centretown is drawing fire from the Dalhousie Community Association, which is concerned the proposed crossing may be too narrow and “dangerously” positioned.
The association says that the footbridge planned to connect the Civic Hospital neighbourhood to Little Italy needs to be wider and more carefully planned to intersect safely with an existing pathway in the area.
DCA vice-president Eric Darwin says the walkway is for pedestrians and cyclists to share, and he is asking city officials to make the path wider “so cyclists won’t feel they are scratching their knuckles on the side walls.”
The planned intersection with the other pathway along the O-Train tracks is at an abrupt, 90-degree angle, meaning it could be dangerous for pedestrians when bicycles make a wide turn, says Darwin.
The bridge is to be located near the corner of Carling Avenue and Preston Street.
Currently, the bridge measures four metres wide, says Robert Grimwood, the city’s project manager for sustainable transportation. This measurement includes a walkway for pedestrians and cyclists to share, which received a “satisfactory response” from the Centretown community through online feedback on the project’s web page.
Darwin says that having both pedestrians and cyclists sharing the walkway “is a recipe for disaster” when taking into account the turning of the bicycles and people hurrying to catch the train. Darwin asks for the bridge to be seven metres wide.
Space is an issue, says Hans Moor, president of Citizens for Safe Cycling. His concern, like Darwin’s, is the cyclists having enough room to manoeuvre around pedestrians at the crossing and on the walkway.
The City of Ottawa has a standard measurement for bridge construction of three metres, which can then be changed if necessary. Grimwood explains that Corktown Bridge is five metres wide and has plenty of pedestrian and cyclist traffic. He stresses that a final decision regarding the bridge has yet to be made.
Grimwood responded to Darwin “with concern and interest in [his] letter”. However, this is not the first time Darwin has mentioned the “one size fits all” standard for sidewalks being a problem in the city. Darwin and the DCA cited a study on pedestrian volumes in order to determine how wide sidewalks should be.
Grimwood says that Darwin’s wider walkway suggestion is more about segregating cyclists and pedestrians. He adds that the walkways are “multi-paths”, meaning that pedestrians and cyclists can both use the path.
While Darwin understands the “multi-path”, he still believes there will be conflict between the pedestrians and cyclists sharing the path. “It is only just possible for cyclists to pass each other, or a pedestrian and cyclist, but not for crowds or multiple users,” he says.
By adding the extra three metres to the bridge, Darwin says the expected traffic and turning of the bicycles will happen safely and efficiently, so as to encourage active transportation and transit usage.
Grimwood says that development for the bridge is still in discussion and the functional design for the bridge will be determined by the end of this year.
“We aren't asking for a Cadillac bridge,” says Darwin, “but the city's current proposal for a econo-bridge will fall short of demand as soon as it is built.”