Traffic on Bank Street from the Queensway to the Rideau Canal often slows to a standstill and that has transit groups renewing a push for dedicated bus lanes on the corridor now that Lansdowne 2.0 has been approved.
“For Lansdowne 2.0 to have any chance of success, proper public transit in the form of fully dedicated bus lanes is required,” says a letter from Strong Towns Ottawa to city council.
Strong Towns Ottawa advocates for accessible transit and housing. Board member Marko Miljusevic told Capital Current the city’s plans to improve public transport along Bank Street are inadequate.
The general travel lane is, effectively, a bus lane, while the lane used for parking should instead serve this purpose, he said. That “is really the issue with the congestion” on Bank Street, he says.
The city hosted a public consultation this fall to discuss implementation of peak-time dedicated bus lanes along Bank Street in the Glebe with peak traffic time between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. northbound and 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. southbound.
But ”most OC Transpo delays are not during peak-hours, they’re after 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.,” said Miljusevic. “While [the peak-time dedicated bus lanes] will add a bit of priority, it’s not actually when they need it.”
The November 2024 Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study found the primary means of commuting along Bank Street was public transit for 63 per cent of respondents.
“Bus routes 6 and 7 are some of the busiest in the city but they’re often stuck in traffic,” said Miljusevic.
The city does plan to remove at least 16 on-street parking spots to accommodate the peak-time bus lanes, a move expected to decrease transit time by 60 seconds a trip.
But that may impact local business. Darrell Cox, executive director of the Glebe Business Improvement Area (BIA), says having parking available is a factor in the success of area businesses.
“A large percentage of our customers are either local or they’re driving their car,” said Cox.
The Glebe BIA represents 370 businesses along Bank Street.
Cox says parking remains a challenge for many main street commercial districts but that parkades like the ones at Second Avenue and Lansdowne Park can accommodate increasing demands along Bank Street.
Although the buses running through the Glebe are some of the busiest, Cox says that transit riders use Bank Street as a corridor, not as a shopping destination.
“I think if you were to look at where people are getting on and off the bus, the majority are on their way to and from downtown,” said Cox.
“I think there’s a lack of confidence in OC Transpo right now,” he said, “I think if they could do anything to get the buses running on time, even if it includes some small scale bus lanes, it might help.”
Nick Grover, climate change organizer with Ecology Ottawa, says the disadvantages of having less parking can be offset with better public transit. Ecology Ottawa has released multiple traffic reports on road congestion and why the city should prioritize alternative modes of transportation.
“The city could and should absolutely convert two outer lanes to bus-only,” said Grover.
“When transit works, people will get out of their cars and use it,” said Grover.
River Coun. Riley Brockington, who voted against Lansdowne 2.0 recently, raised concerns about accessibility to the venue. While he does not believe The Glebe’s congestion along Bank Street will directly affect his ward, he’s concerned about transportation quality.
“I think one question that people have been asking is what are some convenient and efficient ways to get to Lansdowne,” said Brockington.
I’m not opposed to stadiums or those sorts of things but it makes no sense to put those facilities at Lansdowne where you have no public transit. The city’s priority is the car. [The city] can’t expand car traffic or try to maintain it, they have to work on reducing it.
Donald Swartz, Free Transit Ottawa
He urges drivers to use other north-south corridors such as Bronson Avenue, Colonel By Drive and Queen Elizabeth Drive.
“Bank Street is not meant to be a major arterial road from the deep south all the way downtown,” Brockington said. Capital Coun. Shawn Menard , in whose ward the changes would occur, did not respond to a request for comment.
“Bank Street is a transit corridor. Let’s treat it like one,” said Free Transit Ottawa Member, Missy Thomas in an article with the Centretown Buzz. Free Transit Ottawa (FTO) advocates for a “new vision” for OC Transpo.
Donald Swartz, an organizer with FTO, says that the effort to redirect car traffic is part of the problem.
“The city’s priority is the car,” said Swartz, “[The city] can’t expand car traffic or try to maintain it, they have to work on reducing it.”
“I’m not opposed to stadiums or those sorts of things but it makes no sense to put those facilities at Lansdowne where you have no public transit,” Swartz said.
The City of Ottawa plans to order a review of public transportation in Capital Ward in a bid to ease traffic standstills.
