Street with bike lane.
The city received 271 written comments from individuals and groups such as business associations, community associations and cycling organizations.
The business community and cyclists disagree over which of the three routes would be best. Individuals who submitted comments overwhelmingly supported placing the route on Somerset Street with 155 votes, followed by Gladstone Avenue with 41 and 26 votes for Laurier.
Despite the strong support for locating the route on Somerset Street, the Chinatown Business Improvement Area opposes the idea.
Spokesperson Grace Xin said that her organization is opposed to the route on Somerset Street because it will further strain parking and impair people’s ability to visit the new royal arch. She also questioned the reliability of the city’s claim that the bike route will draw people to Chinatown businesses especially during the winter.
In addition, Xin said that 105 of Chinatown’s 120 businesses submitted written statements opposed to locating the route on Somerset Street but the city lumped all the statements into one representing the Chinatown BIA.
“Fairness and support hasn’t been given to small businesses in Ottawa, we’re one of the important pillars in the city’s vibrancy, charisma and economic growth,” said Xin.
Xin said she would rather see the route run along Gladstone Avenue where there are fewer businesses and more parking lots but said it would be important to consult the stakeholders there.
The Preston Street BIA supports the Gladstone route, too, because it more directly connects with Little Italy’s restaurant and shopping district.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes put an immediate halt to the pilot project in April when she found out that city staff would go ahead with the project without conducting public consultations.
The city will submit a final report to the transportation committee at the end of the year.