For almost 40 years, Ottawa residents have enjoyed the convenience of downtown-to-downtown travel between Canadian cities, but that might soon come to an end if Mayor Larry O’Brien has his way.
Currently, service from Ottawa to Montreal is one of the most popular routes for passengers riding Greyhound buses, likely because riders can hop on in the downtown core of one city and hop off in the downtown core of another in less than two-and-a-half hours.
But the mayor is working on a plan to relocate the Greyhound bus terminal on Catherine Street, to the Via Rail station on Tremblay Road.
Reports say O’Brien has already spoken with the Greyhound Canada Transportation Corporation and Via Rail Canada and that with public approval, the terminal could be moved within a few months.
But such a hasty timeframe hardly gives the public a chance to inform themselves about the issues at play here. What’s the rush?
There’s a very good argument to be made for creating an inter-modal transportation system in Ottawa by creating a hub where buses, trains, taxis and public transit can all converge at one convenient location to best serve travellers who need to make connections from one mode of transportation to another.
Vancouver and some cities in Eastern Canada have been successful with the inter-modal system, but let’s face it, Ottawa’s public transit system isn’t exactly the envy of the world.
Besides, why anyone would choose Tremblay Road for such a hub?
Yes, once the light rail transit plan comes to fruition, Tremblay Road will be connected to the rest of the city via the transit way. But it’s still far from central and even further for those coming from the westend in Kanata or Stittsville. And we’ve all seen how speedy the process of bringing an LRT plan to Ottawa has been these last few years. So, then why rush to bring the Greyhound and Via Rail systems together now?
Many passengers riding Greyhound buses are students and commuters who live downtown. With the bus terminal at Catherine Street, many people can walk to the station from where they live. And not to mention, public transit systems are already having trouble making room for wheelchairs and strollers. Let’s not add to the mix dozens of hefty suitcases, if we don’t have to.
Furthermore, if the city is trying to increase intensification by concentrating more population in the downtown core as opposed to allowing for more urban sprawl, then this plan to take the bus terminal out of the city centre goes directly against that vision for Ottawa.
In his haste, O’Brien even left Stewart Robertson, the Vancouver real estate entrepreneur who owns the property on Catherine Street, out of the loop. Reports say Robertson found out about the plan when reading the newspaper.
Robertson is reported as saying he was actually negotiating a new long-term lease with Greyhound, with the conditions that he renovate the building, when Greyhound cut off communications last spring.
If Robertson is willing to tidy up the current station, there is no good reason for relocating the buses out to the suburbs now. Let’s slow down and not be hasty. Good things come to those who wait.