West Side Action

You missed the latest post ...

2010-08-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

If you get this message, you are still subscribed to or are reading WestSideAction at the OLD blog site.

There is a new post at the new site, and it will not appear at this site! You are missing my post on why we need a downtown transit tunnel, no shades of Gray!

Here's what to do:
Go to http://www.westsideaction.wordpress.com/ and on the right side column, the RSS buttons. Click to start your free subscription for the posts only, or the posts and readers comments. If you subscribe, all new posts are sent to you automatically.

Once you subscribe to the new .wordpress location of WestSideAction, go back to the old site at http://www.westsideaction.blogspot.com/ and select the RSS button there to unsubscribe. Then you wont get any more of these messages telling you the site has moved.

Two steps: sign up at the new site, unsignup at the old site.

The new site will have all the new posts, and all the old ones live there too.

WSA is moving

2010-08-03T17:10:00.002-04:00

WestSideAction has moved from .blogspot to .wordpress.

Please subscribe using the RSS button there as future posts will be from the http://www.westsideaction.wordpress.com/ site only.

Sorry for the errors and omissions and oddities that appear for the next few days as I try to set up and get familiar with the .wordpress account.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

thanks for reading,

Eric Darwin

More on Bronson's fake trees

2010-08-03T10:05:00.003-04:00

I had thought Ottawa was perhaps unique in wanting to install fake trees on concrete foundations along Bronson rather than plant real trees with real roots.

The City is reconstructing Bronson next year. In their rush to pave over every possible inch of Ottawa space for rush hour commuters to head over to the greener pastures of Pointe Gatineau or out to Greely, they discovered they had no room left over for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, residents, adjacent businesses, kids heading to school or grandma heading to the lawn bowling club. No room for bus shelters, benches, or trees ... so the City proposes installing fake trees, as they don't require room for roots to grow, are immune to salt, etc. See the second illustration below for a sketch of the proposed artificial foliage, and don't forget those yellow and red cars are speeding along at 70 or 80, and the benches are on private property only if the owners cede the space to the city.

I had thought Ottawa was perhaps unique in wanting to install fake trees on concrete foundations rather than plant real trees with real roots. Alas, I was wrong. Regina is doing us much better. They are chopping down real trees to replace them with fake trees.

Victoria Park in downtown Regina is being refashioned. Supposedly, work crews digging to plant trees discovered lots of gas mains, wiring, etc in the area (who knew!?) and so the City is proposing "shade screens -- large metal frames of self-weathering steel that will rust to a durable orange-brown, linked with curving reflective strips of shiny aluminum" (National Post, pg A6,"Residents liken park design to Nazi camp").

The story goes on to describe residents as "disillusioned by the loss of trees and ... an emblem of tradition lost to modernism, and of nature lost to the city".

There are a couple of themes here worth pondering upon. One is the desire of City departments to get rid of real trees, with their inconvenient growth and variability and seasonal change. We have seen our cities steadily remove all large trees, and now apparently the small ones have gotta go too.

The other theme is the underground utilities. On Bronson, for example, we requested the City require new and reconstructed utilities be burried deep enough so trees could be planted. Oh, the looks of horror on their faces ... they had no intention ever of requesting let alone requiring utilities be located more than 36" deep. The role of landscaping was to fill in the left over spots, if there were any. That a street might have stakeholders or influence other than for utilities and commuters was unthinkable. Such unthinking gave us ugly Bronson in the 50's and such unthinking still prevails with (some) city staff and consultants today, over a half century later. Ugliness and disutility designed in from day one.

Raw 60's

2010-08-03T08:10:00.000-04:00

Raw Sugar coffee and tea house on Somerset at Cambridge is totally decorated in chrome tables and chairs, 60's fake leather, there are the appropriate figurines and a Hammond organ.

Yesterday, it was in my aunt's house, today it's a museum display. But the brownies still taste good.

The race is won ...

2010-08-02T08:05:00.001-04:00

A little while ago I posted this picture of the "loop" wires that were to be installed at the Preston intersection with Somerset. The street was also scheduled to be dug up ... would the street diggers remove the street before the wires got burried, or would the wire people install the wires only to see them dug up the next week ...

The diggers won. Bell and Enbridge are busy doing their infrastructure stuff before the sewer work is done later this month. So the traffic people won't find a street there to put their loop into.

Unless ... Bell patches the street and the traffic folks install it between the Bell work and the sewer work ....

Rideau Canal cruisin'

2010-08-01T08:05:00.000-04:00

The Kawartha Voyageur seen here at Hartwell Locks, near Carleton U.

If you think it looks too big to fit through the canal locks, you are right. It is too long. However, they roll up the awning at the front and the entire bow section swings up on a hinge, revealling the boat to be the square barge that lies beneath.

No 2 resumes passage, further blockage expected

2010-07-31T08:05:00.002-04:00

On July 29 Somerset Street was reopened under the new Chinatown Royal Arch, after a two month closure to vehicles. The No 2 bus route resumed passage through Chinatown.

The sidewalks have been relaid and provide a more comfortable and direct route for pedestrians again.

The scaffolding remains around the Arch for the use of the painters coming from China who will apply 17 coats of paint to the make the arch more colourful.

Meanwhile, just a few blocks further west on Somerset, construction has started for the new utilities and streetscaping. Major work will be completed this fall, but landscaping won't be completed until fall 2011. We can expect some further blockage of the street both this year and for about two months in 2011.

Gov't Downsizing

2010-07-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

These mini-traffic lights were on a post in Gatineau. I could not determine if they were for cyclists. Or pedestrians. Or if they went off and on with the bigger lights.

I recall seeing these everywhere in France, but that is because they skip the big light fixtures on the far side of the intersection in favour of big ones over the stop line only.

The plethora of push buttons didn't make it any clearer. I eventually walked my bike across against a red light (I was on a bike path detour that led me to the intersection and abandonned me).

It felt like bait and switch. Segregated bike path: good. Detour sign -- they were thinking of me! good. Abandonned at the intersection: bad.

Ottawa has more overhead traffic signals than anywhere I have been in the world (and that's lots of places!). More signalized intersections. More signals at the intersection. More posts. More big metal arms. More signage. No wonder we are high tax and low results sort of place, the highest and best use of tax dollars is installing signalized intersections. Maybe, just maybe, the new age of austerity will give us these cuter, more friendly and human scaled signals.

Enjoying nature

2010-07-29T08:10:00.001-04:00

I was cycling around the Ottawa West neighborhood the other day: Northwestern, Cowley, Patricia, Carleton.

This long lineup of parked cars is on the roadside parking lot where a neighborhood path goes under the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway. Once on the path, I looked for all these people, but the area was deserted.

Alas, they were just the abandonned bits of personal transporters left behind by cubicle farmers at Tunney's Pasture. Free parking, no posted time limit.

La Maison d'Oscar

2010-07-28T08:05:00.001-04:00

Animating LeBreton Flats streets

2010-07-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

The picture above is a new condo door installed by Claridge on its ground floor condos on Lett Street (LeBreton Flats, under the yellow tower).

It is highly significant.

City and NCC plans for the development call for animated streets, full of people walking, playing, shopping ... but the first phase building as regular sliding doors on all ground floor units. You know, patio doors. No lock nor key to access them from the outside. No lobby space inside those doors, just step straight into the living room. In short, the developer paid lip service to the notion of animated streets but built the opposite.

The second phase of the first building faces Lett and Fleet Streets. The ground floor units (mostly) have hinged glass doors. With exterior handles. And locks. So someone can actually come and go at street level.

It is an improvement.

Sidewalk to No-where

2010-07-26T16:12:00.000-04:00

the sidewalk on the west side of Sliddel approaching the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway

The sidewalk on the east side of Sliddel

Sliddel is a little street that connects the new trafic roundabout at Bayview-Burnside to the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway. As shown, it has sidewalk stubs that sort of die as they approach the NCC lands.

The City and NCC had no apparent problems with deciding where to put cars, curbs, traffic signals, and sod. They have lots more problems with pedestrians and cyclists.

Why dont the sidewalks go right out the traffic lights where people cross? According to city staff:
At the time of our project design, they indicated to us that they would not support a pedestrian crossing across the Ottawa River Parkway at Slidell Street.

That being said, we have just worked out some details with the NCC to improve the accessibility at this intersection, in advance of the completion of their overall plans for the area in conjunction with future developments. Painted cross-walks, pedestrian push buttons and depressed curbs should be installed at the intersection within the next few weeks.

Things are not quite so optimistic for cyclists. The roundabout lacks cycling guidelines, preferably instructing cyclists to take the centre of the lane. The City is consulting with the traffic and cycling dept to see if anything is warranted.

The east is red

2010-07-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

Woodblocks with Chinese wishes on them, to be stamped into the red cement at the Chinatown Royal Arch.

Placing the imprint at the corners of red cement inserts beneath the arch.

Detail of the roof tiles.

The road detour at the Chinatown Arch comes off at the end of this week.

Chinese artisans arrive next weekend for the next phase of the Arch project: installing 17 coats of paint on the arch.

For more frequent Arch pictures and news, go to http://www.ottawachinatownroyalarch.blogspot.com/

Highway to nowhere

2010-07-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

The city's roads department has its signals branch located on Gladstone on either side of the O-Train cut. The yards are full of signal poles and light fixtures. Mostly these lights are "out" at night; but one recent evening there were multiple heads cycling through red-yellow-green.

Immediately behind them is a dense patch of bush, through which a ped path winds that will someday become the cycling path along the Otrain corridor.

Metering thoughts

2010-07-22T09:22:00.001-04:00

The City continues -- with some delays* -- to replace parking meters with pay-and-display kiosks.

The old meters are not immediately removed, however, since motorists are used to what they look like and seek them out. Instead, each one is converted for six months or so to signs telling motorists to look for the pay-and-display kiosk.

After that breaking in period, the old meters are removed. All of them. A small percentage of them -- 12% -- will be retrofited to become bike hitching posts. The city will then go out to find places to locate these new posts.

Some meter posts perhaps should be removed. The ones immediately adjacent a curb, for example, which would sometimes get in the way of car doors [more car first thinking here...]. But the city being run on a rational and systems based approach, instead of removing just the problem posts removes ALL of them, and will send out crews to reinstall them in new locations. Criteria had to be developed for where they will be put. Not along the curb. Not along buildings or fences (as in the picture above) because then cycles cannot be put on both sides of the post.

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to identify which posts need to be removed, and left in place the ones that could be converted to cycle posts? Under the city's plan, we go to the expense of removing all the posts, developing a new location plan with all sorts of location criteria, and then reinstalling the posts, which is so expensive it will take years to get just some of them reinstalled. I'm willing to bet that while parking meter posts could be squeezed in anywhere they city wanted, the new cycling post criteria will be so tough we will shortly be told we can't have a post here or there because they dont fit the criteria.

Local businesses are annoyed at the lack of bike parking posts now. With the removal of the meters, there will be even fewer hitching posts. I already see cycles locked to benches and trees along Preston. Both the Somerset/Chinatown BIA and the Preston BIA have asked the city to do a one for one replacment of parking meter posts for cycle hitching posts, and the response was negative.

Next summer, when all the old parking meter posts are gone, and the few recycled cycle posts are in ... the shortage will become apparent. Four thousand parking meter posts will be missing, only 500 new posts may have been installed. Media can pencil it in for next June: write story on shortage of bike parking spots.

*delays ... the new pay-and-display kiosks are made in France. There have been delays getting them to Ottawa by shipping container as this is a peak-season for trans-atlantic shipping, and now the port of Montreal is closed due to a labour dispute.

A different climate

2010-07-21T11:37:00.000-04:00

This is the centre boulevard of Carling Avenue. The section from the Otrain to Bronson is to be reconstructed in 2011. This section will NOT be dug up should the city decide to run an LRT along the Carling median. Also note that the city plows streets to the side only, so the centre boulevard is not used for snow storage. So what is put down in the 2011 reconstruction is what we will see for the next half century or more.

At the open house, I suggested the median be landscaped properly. I suggested there be a 18" setback from the curb, then a 2' wall be constructed and the centre filled with great dirt or structural soil and planted with trees, shrubs, or even decorative grass. The City planners wagged their heads no...no...no. The stuff wouldn't survive. It couldn't possibly work. Besides, there's already a nice park to the south ... as if the NCC facilities obviate the city from ever bothering to do something nice to their lands.

Here is Allumettes in ~~Hull~~ Gatineau. Remember when Hull was the poor cousin to Ottawa? Well, the story is different now. Note the decorative centre light standards, the lush planting, the close row of trees, all apparently thriving in their hostile climate north of Ottawa.

The centre plantings are so lush they partially obscure the cars on the other side, thus reducing the apparent width of the road and ameliorating its impact on the urban environment. Gatineau can do it ...

Close up of plantings and two rows of curbs. Plantings included rose buses, lavender, shrubs, and trees.

A maintenance crew doing a summer weeding. They told me its once a year.

After weeding, a watering (fertilizer?). The resultant lush attractive streetscape shows the results of the manicuring work.

Another section, planted solely in tall grasses.

Thick planting of attractive greenery makes a rich boulevard -- only in Gatineau you say, pitty.

An older section, with higher planter walls making a clearer separation of the roads on each side of the centre boulevard.

Carling Avenue boulevard. Other than the car models, its exactly the same as 1955. Will it look the same in 2055??

More on Bronson Road Diet

2010-07-20T12:21:00.000-04:00

This morning the CBC did a follow up interview on the problem with Bronson. They interviewed Dan Burden, who is a leading proponent of road diets. I have used his materials in suggesting to the city that Bronson needs to be put on a diet, and their answer, without any justification, is always ... "no".

You can listen to his interview here: http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/
Select the story called "road diet". He points out that some cities are already up to their thirty-third road being put on a "diet" and dear old Ottawa won't even consider putting one road on a diet. Sigh.

New and Improved ?

2010-07-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

It has stopped raining. These puddles at the corner of Louisa and Preston are a real wet foot hazard and splash hazard to summer pedestrians; and will be slush and ice hazards in the winter.

We can put a man on the moon, send a politician to a conference, but somehow can't quite get the water to drain off crosswalks or sidewalks.

Bronson road diet

2010-07-19T11:20:00.001-04:00

Your blogger was interviewed on CBC radio this morning about the Bronson issues. He was also a news story in the local news lineup. You may be able to hear the interview by going to
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/

and selecting the "fake trees" item.

The story must have gotten some feedback, since they followed up looking for additional people to interview in the coming days on the subject of road diets.

Place de Dominos

2010-07-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Over the last while, workers have been busy on scaffolding painting the exterior of Place de Ville. The plain square glass box dates back to the late 1960's. It lacks any sort of top or lid, and was bronze and black. Workers are painting various parts of it with primer, then the final coat of ... bronze and black.

In its current condition, it reminds me of the new building complex in New York, called the Domino. The building exterior is a box that has been articulated with various coloured squares. The building lots like a colourful domino, and is to be built on the site of the former Domino sugar plant.

While this isn't a former sugar plant, it is a cubicle farm, and I think it could be improved with a polychrome paint exterior. And I would make some of those paints the ones that change colour if hot, or wet. In this way, the building would be a cheerful colour when wet, a cool colour in heat waves, a warm colour in winter ... sort of like those colour-change hot wheel cars we had when we were kids.

Light shining on St Anthony

2010-07-18T08:05:00.001-04:00

St Anthony school on Booth Street is getting some new windows. The new pattern, shown in the photo below, looks more in keeping with the architecture of the school than the old windows coming out.

Milky rain, milky rain

2010-07-17T08:05:00.001-04:00

It was raining the other day, and there was this curious milky substance running down the curbside gutter. I followed it back to the source: the road construction sign.

The back of the sign is painted white, and in the rain the paint just washes off.

I wondered if maybe the sign had anti-graffiti treatment on the back, so the paint would not stick.

In the meantime, what does all this while paint do to our sewers?

Look up, way way up...

2010-07-16T08:05:00.002-04:00

No, this is not a story from The Friendly Giant.

Charlesfort is an Ottawa builder of deluxe condos. His exteriors have character, drawn from past architectural styles. He built The Gardens at Bronson/Albert and one at Bronson near Carling in the MacIntosh style (not Apple, nor Steve Jobs, but in the style of a Scottish architect).

Their latest projects are in the art deco style. Shown above is the roof line of the Hudson in downtown Ottawa on Kent Street. The style attracts the eye upwards, only to be distracted by a large silver chiller unit mounted on the roof. Tacky. (the picture was taken from Somerset St, the red brick building in the foreground is another project).

I was surprised to see the chiller looks different now than from a few weeks ago. It is no longer bright silver, it seems to have been painted with a muted sky and cloud motif, that makes it blend in much better with the skyline. Kudos to the condo board or Charlesfort for doing so.

The same firm has similar art deco style buildings underway on Richmond Road near Woodroofe and opposite City Hall on Lisgar. But next time, just put the chiller inside a mechanical penthouse. It's better to design it right than to cover it up.

The race is on ...

2010-07-15T08:05:00.002-04:00

Preston reconstruction is almost complete. Final details are going in ... like the traffic loops.

The loop shown above is going to be installed right outside May's Chinese Restaurant at the corner of Somerset and Preston.

Except ... on August 3rd Somerset is going to be dug up big time for the same treatment as Preston got for the last few years: new pipes, utilities, and protected parking bays. Guess what -- the spot shown above will be getting a six foot or so wider sidewalk. And four trees.

Will the city get the wiring installed in enough time to get it torn out in August? Or will they be so slow the installation crews will arrive to find the road already gone?? Stay tuned for the great race...

Economical thirst quenching

2010-07-14T08:05:00.003-04:00

My bike panniers will each hold a six pack very nicely. It's a bit too precarious to fit in a 12 pack.

If you go to the LCBO, two six packs will cost you the six pack price times two.

If you go the Beer Store, their policy is two six packs will cost you a twelve pack (and two twelve packs costs same as a 24).

I think the Somerset Beer store is a fabulous place. Except ... expect some long lines if you show up at 10am Monday (recycling day).

Lemieux Island area (iv)

2010-07-13T08:05:00.003-04:00

At the south (Ottawa) end of the Prince of Wales railway bridge over the Ottawa River, the City has installed large gates & fences to keep peds and cyclists from using the bridge as a shortcut to Gatineau.

Thwarted peds have kicked down the fence, whose posts were bolted into concrete, etc etc.

There is a security guard on the Gatineau side, 24/7. If someone crosses the bridge, he points out the fence is there to keep people off because it is dangerous to use the bridge. So he sends the ped or cyclist back to the Ottawa side. There is a certain logic in this.

Would it be too logical to notice the obvious: there is a strong desire by peds and cyclists to use this bridge to join Ottawa and Gatineau. * Rather than a fence, how about installing a deck and repairing the cable railing, and actually let people use the bridge. Imagine, an interprovincial bridge without cars! Naw, couldn't be done.

*Even Mr Greber called for it to link the Airport Parkway via a road through Carleton to the Champagne Parkway to the bridge to Fairy Lake Parkway to the Gatineau. We hopefully will never get such a road ... but a cycle path would be useful.

Is street cuisine killing our trees?

2010-07-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

For years chip wagons parked outside the (now demolished) Canadian Tire store on Richmond Road. The store may be gone, but the chip wagon remains.

All winter, the snow bank between the chip wagon and the line of trees abutting the school yard is sodden and discoloured with greasy water that somehow gets discarded on the public boulevard. The patrons lined up don't seem to notice or mind.

Now, one of the 30' high trees along this stretch has died. If grease clogged the tree arteries and killed it, what is it doing to our human arteries??

And will the chip wagon remain once the many condos are occupied at 101 and 111 Richmond Road (to say nothing of those on the Our Lady of the Condos monastery site...). Invite guests for dinner ... take in chips ... um um. Ottawa street cuisine at its finest.

Lemieux Island area (iii)

2010-07-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Lemieux Island has a pleasant park on west and south sides of the Island. Most of the Island is fenced off to guard the water filtration buildings.

This vehicle-proof gate and lengthy stone barricade prevents vehicles from accessing a service road around the south side of the Island. The narrow road/path beyond has nice pedestrian-scale lighting and is a popular dog running / dog swimming / occasional-human swimming area.

The barrier to prevent unauthorized vehicle access, which is fine. But why does have have to block 100% of the paved surface, forcing peds to walk on the freshly seeded sides? Doesn't anyone plan for pedestrians or cyclists??

While not terribly attractive, this barrier on Echo Drive is much more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Just cycle or walk on through. Easy peasy. No curbs to jump, nor fences to climb. This type of barricade is compliant with the ideals of bicycle boulevards (long stretches of street that thwart through-cars but encourage cycling).

Lemieux Island area (ii)

2010-07-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

A few years ago the City ran one of its high pressure water mains along the north side of the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway (said expressway being at the top of this slope) from Lemieux Island towards the downtown.

The city contractors re-landscaped the dug up areas. Surprise, surprise, the shrub beds withered away, the trees languished ... and for the last few weeks the NCC has be re-doing the city work. Shown above are new shrubs on the slope between the expressway and the river edge bike path near the Prince of Wales bridge.

The shrubs are planted, mulched, and being watered.

The NCC also replaced a number of the trees the city planted.

I wonder how the NCC views the City's attempts at landscaping? Like a little child, trying, but failing and inept? Like a recalcitrent child, who goes through the motions but sullenly and without interest in the result? Or like a pesky mosquito, just brush it aside and do what needs to be done, properly?

Interprovincial Transit Link

2010-07-09T14:39:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, the NCC held a public open house on proposals for improving interprovincial transit. I blogged on my general preferences (a LRT link using the Prince of Wales bridge) a few days ago, http://westsideaction.blogspot.com/2010/07/interprovincial-transit-opportunity-to.html.

At the meeting, a number of matters came up that caused me to ponder.

Bridge repairs... the cost of the LRT on the loop was much much higher than that of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). I inquired as to why the order of magnitude numbers for LRT were so much higher since both were surface crossings. Well, to use the Chaudiere, Alexandra, or Prince of Wales bridges, massive rebuilding would be "required" of these older structures. This rebuilding cost was added to the LRT cost.

But wouldn't these repairs and rebuildings still be required if there was no LRT and the bridges continued to be used by cars and buses like they are today? Yup, I was told, they would require the same rebuilding, at the same costs.

So why do the planners add the reconstruction cost into the LRT option cost when it is a cost that has to be met anyway, even if LRT is not built? The bridge repair costs are not unique to choosing the LRT option. [hint: by adding bridge rebuilding costs, costs might be divided three ways - city, province, feds - instead of remaining 100% to the bridge owner. Nice try for shared dollars, but it makes LRT scarily expensive when the bridge cost will be paid whether we stick with roads or go with whatever form of transit we choose].

Something similar comes up for the Preston Extension. Preston is to be extended out meet the intersection of Vimy Place in front of the War Museum. This road link will be built early in the DOTT process so cars can avoid construction on Booth. After LRT is running, motorists continue to benefit from having a new four lane road built across the Flats. Surely this cost should be stuck in the road budget, but no, its put into the LRT construction budget.

DOTT Capacity: In the many DOTT meetings I have attended over the past years, the consultants always use passenger forecasts that INCLUDE ALL THE STO passengers in the tunnel. They do not assume there is any STO bus service left through the downtown.

There are several options for Quebec links if the linkage is by LRT. One is for Quebec-bound residents to go into downtown Ottawa subway stations and take an LRT to Bayview, and then transfer to a separate LRT service to Gatineau. If their destination was other than downtown Gatineau, they would then need to transfer again to bus service.

The other option was for a separate Gatineau-bound LRT train to run through the downtown tunnel, across the Flats, and then over to Gatineau, making the whole interprovincial trip in the same vehicle. This is a more attractive option than having to transfer LRT trains, and ties in nicely I thought with the design of the Bayview Station which allows trains leaving the downtown to go west or north/south without transfers, ie same car service from the downtown to airport, or downtown to Baseline. I was really surprised then to hear some of the experts at the event declare that the tunnel would be full to capacity with OC Transpo LRT trains and there simply would not be room for Gatineau-bound trains unless another tunnel was bored just for the "loop" service.

While I confess to some scepticism about this advice, I do wonder if the DOTT planning team is planning their station designs so that someday a third or fourth track could be added to the two originally planned, ie, keep the same stations and escalators and mezannines but increase the carrying capacity by adding additional tracks.

Bus noise: I am concerned to see some of the interprovincial transit options including running way more STO buses through the downtown than before. Way to go ... Ottawa residents will pay to go deep underground while Quebecers inherit the streets. Result: despite the reputed superior fashion-sense of Quebecers, there would be no net improvement to the street environment.

And, the NCC evaluation criteria did not seem to consider the noise of BRT on adjacent residents or quality of life in downtown neighborhoods. Traffic noise is a big factor for downtown residents, it is bizarre to be planning for major increases in bus use without even mentioning the noise and dirt and deteriorated quality of life that would engender.

Almost as bad, and taking some sort of prize for short-term thinking, was the suggestion to run STO buses across the Prince of Wales bridge to a transfer station on the Flats at Bayview. It was a mistake made decades ago to convert the Alexandra bridge from rail to car, and now we are looking at mega-bucks to convert it back ... why on earth would we do the same mistake to the POW knowing that in 20 to 30 years we would be converting it back to rail?

Finally, a comment on how we treat transit users. A certain percentage of users have limited transportation choices, due to income constraints. They'll take the bus because they don't have a {second, third} car. They are captive. They will suffer through buses that get caught in traffic. Or are routed into giant ditches, while motorists get millions of dollars spent to have "scenic" routes into the core.

But if we want transit to be a viable, lifetime option for individuals who do not have cars (the young, elderly, lower income, students, enviro-nuts, etc) or who can choose to drive but don't, or if the city wants to shift modal split onto transit to avoid building ever more roads, then it has to offer attractive amenities to induce the ridership that has a choice.*

For the downtown loop, I love the idea of the LRT taking the Prince of Wales bridge because it offers great views to riders; and if the other part of the loop used the surface of the Alexandra bridge (which was designed and built, like the POW, as a railway bridge) then there would be even greater views. Imagine, taking the loop would be a scenic, attractive activity bringing sensory pleasure to the ridership. It would even induce tourist traffic just because it would be so nice. Sane tourists going to big cities use transit and avoid bringing their private car downtown -- or does Ottawa want to remain small-town with acres of its core dedicated to storing automobiles?

If transit is to be a viable competitor to surface roads and private cars, then it can't always be shoved onto the least-attractive corridors or into ditches. As far as I know, LRT trains won't shrivel up in the sunlight, passengers won't morph into zombies if they have a nice view. Maybe the comatose cubicle farm inhabitants snoozing in their LRT trains will wake up with some of that famous NCC landscaping.

*[I kinda like the Ottawa River Parkway routing option for the west LRT just for that reason: it gives transit users a first class view. And it might even do that by bumping two lanes of the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway off the waterfront.]

Lemieux Island area (i)

2010-07-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

The area of Ottawa near Lemieux Island is full of little mysteries. Shown above is River Street (no road signs...) which connects the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway to Lemieux Island. The road was recently rebuilt and seed sprayed on both sides after years of digging it up for the high pressure watermains.

The sides are fenced to keep cars from using them for Bluesfest parking.

South of the parkway/expressway, the little street is now named Sliddel, it runs past the city parking branch offices to the new traffic roundabout that makes a three point meeting of Sliddel with Bayview and Burnside Road. This is a very attractively landscaped little bit of roadway. I remain astounded the city put in such intensive landscaping in a to-be-redeveloped-someday-area and then it refuses to plant even a single tree in other neighborhoods (eg City Centre Avenue, or along Albert-Scott).

The nice landscaping along Bayview. The area beyond has yet to be remediated (de-polluted) and will someday be redeveloped with streets and apartments. In the meantime, the city steadfastly refuses (as it has since I started nagging them in the 1980's) to do any landscaping along Albert Street as it's "only temporary" although redevelopment is not likely before 2030.

Prince of Wales maintenance

2010-07-08T12:59:00.000-04:00

Picture taken yesterday from the bike path on the west side of the War Museum, looking upriver. A service vehicle is on the Prince of Wales bridge near the Quebec side.

Closer view, shows the vehicle has two sets of wheels, rubber ones for the road and steel wheels for driving on rails. What it is doing?

Men in cherry picker extendable arm are working on the side of the bridge.

Arm continues to extend, now right under the whole bridge, the men are beyond the far side of their vehicle. It is rather like using your left hand to scratch your right side.

Working on the underside. Double click to enlarge.

Recently while cycling past the Quebec side of the POW bridge I noticed a security guard on duty, guarding the track/bridge. Upon questioning, I found out there is a guard on duty 24/7. He prevents people from cutting across the river via the bridge (the big fences at each end having been kicked down by thwarted peds). Upon further questioning, he said he was guarding the Fibre Optic Cable (FoC -- as seen frequently painted on downtown streets, along with Bell and other cables that get marked). What is there to steal in FoC? I thought FoC was plastic tube, not copper wire.

Chinatown life

2010-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Chinatown arch takes shape

2010-07-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Ottawa Chinatown Royal Arch has taken a huge step towards its final form with the addition of ceramic roof tiles imported from China.

Suddenly, instead of a scaffolding-hidden pile of concrete and forms, the beauty of the future arch is emerging.

While crews work on the roofs, other crew members are preparing to lay curbs and new paving for the sidewalk and road under the arch. The arch is significantly ahead of schedule. No 2 bus users may get their Somerset route back before the end of July!

There are more details at http://www.ottawachinatownroyalarch.blogspot.com/.

Interprovincial transit opportunity to choose your mode

2010-07-06T00:04:00.001-04:00

Prince of Wales rail bridge from Ottawa to Gatineau

Tuesday from 5.30 to 8.30 at City Hall (main floor) there will be a public display of the options for interprovincial transit between Ottawa and Gatineau.

Options include which mode of transit to use: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or LRT. Route options include connections via the Alexandra Bridge (or under it, in a tunnel under the river, and remember the tunnel under downtown Ottawa is already very deep down so this doesn't require a steep slope, and the Rideau station has been designed with this connection in mind); a west connection on the Prince of Wales Bridge or Chaudiere Bridge; and maybe connecting these two crossings to make a loop.

Mode: Ottawa is growing out of its BRT system and converting it to an LRT system including a downtown tunnel. Gatineau, smaller than Ottawa, is just building its Rapibus BRT which will last it 30 years until it too is converted to a LRT.

It just doesn't seem logical to me to opt for a BRT linking the two cities. The idea behind the tunnel is get the buses off the downtown streets (so the streets can be redeveloped and landscaped for pedestrians and cyclists), and this means getting the STO buses off the streets too.

And we don't want large BRT stations at LeBreton Flats or near the National Gallery to transfer passengers to the LRT. So, my choice for the mode is LRT for the loop. In Gatineau's small downtown, it is probably premature to run the LRT in a tunnel; I suggest it would be fine to run it on the surface for the next several decades where it would serve to animate the street life.

Route: in the west, either the Chaudiere crossing or the Prince of Wales Bridge will work. But since the LRT route will help intensify development, it makes the most sense to me to run it on the POW bridge so it services all of LeBreton-Bayview redevelopment areas, and connects with the future North/South line along the O-Train corridor (which might extend right over to Gatineau on the POW). While a bit further than the Chaudiere, the POW bridge would be car-free so service would be faster. The already-planned Bayview Station has been designed to handle east-west and north-south traffic and all its transfers, permeatations and combinations.

I also don't think they would need to double track the Prince of Wales bridge at the beginning, five or seven minute scheduling should be possible even with a single track bridge. Indeed, it might be possible to initially run the whole loop only in one direction on one track, and later expand it to two ways on two tracks.

On the east side, it intrigues me that the LRT could run on the old Alexandra Bridge rather than in a tunnel under it. Of course, car traffic would be booted off, and the bridge would revert to its original rail function. It is sort of poetic justice that rail structures were converted to roads in the 50's and 60's and now they could be converted to LRT service*. And the views from the LRT would be fantastic from both bridges, which can be a great feature attracting ridership.

City hall is air conditioned, so its a great time to come down and tell the City and NCC what you want to see for the interprovincial transit connection.

If you can't get there, you can go to this web site and make your comments. If you are really lazy, you can just copy and paste the shortcut to this blog posting: www.http://interprovincial-transit-strategy.ca/

*expanding on this idea of converting rails to roads and back to rails, the parkway along the canal would be a great conversion back to surface LRT (streetcar service) which would include Lansdowne Park, the Glebe, Main Street, Ottawa South, to Billings.

Arty mainstreets

2010-07-05T08:00:00.004-04:00

precast block awaiting its hole

Shown above is a precast foundation block for urban sculpture. When planted into a hole, only the top portion shows. Upon this plinth will be mounted civic art work. On Preston, these will be Italian-style columns. On West Wellie will be sculptural renditions of fire hydrants. The Preston art pieces will arrive mid-August, according to city officials supervising the final touches on the street.

precast block inserted in hole, surface pavers relaid

I really look foreward to seeing these art pieces, as they will be the first of their type for an Ottawa main street, as far as I am aware. They are very different from the Bank Street bike racks, which are an artful rendition of a utility device. Clever. The west side sculptures coming this year will be sculptural art for its own sake. Two very different approaches, both valid, both enhancing the streetscape (we hope) and leading to more lively streets ... streets that are about more than just parking cars.

Unknown offence

2010-07-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

There's a big hubabaloo in the Centre of the Universe (tm) about arrests without cause (just being in Toronto should have been enough cause for criminal prosecution).

Here in Ottawa, we have our own cryptic crimes (tm) -- see sign above along the "virtual LRT line" (as bus rapid transit is now being rebranded in some cities). What is the offence? The fine is known, and it indicates the city has its revenue enhancement priorities straight. Safety considerations seem to have been let fade away, however.

A hole grows in Westboro

2010-07-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

The foundation/parking garage hole for the 101 Richmond condo.

City discovers flat sidewalks !

2010-07-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

One of my major complaints about Ottawa city sidewalks is that they grovel and contort themselves for the convenience of motorists. They dip low at driveways, so motorists don't have to rise up to cross the sidwalk, but the pedestrian must go down slope then up slope. Some sidewalks end up looking like roller coasters. These are difficult to keep clear in winter, and every driveway dip turns into a salt and slush puddle or slippery ice surface all winter.

Honestly, the city couldn't have designed a worse sidewalk for pedestrians if their goal is to thwart any pedestrian movement at all.

A few years ago, they installed a bunch of sidewalks in the "toronto style", in which the curbside part of the sidewalk slopes at every driveway but the lawnside of the sidewalk doesn't. This design is equally awful: it puddles at driveways, and the slope is so steep (eg along Gladstone west of Preston) it is scarey to walk on winter or summer. Gotta serve those motorists!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the design shown above being installed on Athlone north of Scott. It is a style I associate with Nepean and suburban areas: the whole curb is sloped, so motorists have to really slow down to cross it and climb the six inch height in a six inch run. But the real treasure is on the sidewalk surface: its flat. No roller coaster. No dipsey doodle. No 10 degree sidewalk tilt. Seldom any puddles or maim-the-elderly-so-we-don't-have-to-pay-them-pension ice puddles.

I had thought the city boffins didn't like this design, not for its sidewalk charactertistics, or its motorists characteristics, but because of its legal implications: because the curb is sloped, there is no physical indication of where the legal curb cut or dip is, so driveways can be widened without planning permission.

For whatever reason, I am delighted to see it on Athlone and look foreward to seeing it elsewhere.

Just for the record, here is an example of the idiotic extremes the city now goes to to avoid motorists crossing the curb having to climb any slope: along Preston, the sidewalks dips even when it is 15' in from curb ...

Ed.Note: David Reevely over at the Citizen picks up this story and takes it on:

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/greaterottawa/archive/2010/07/02/sidewalks-matter.aspx

Gardening in Centretown

2010-06-29T08:00:00.003-04:00

This new garden was installed last week in front of a row house on Lisgar. The corrugated metal (sewer) pipe porch pillar catches the eye, follwed by the bright painted corrugated fence panel on the right. The similar panels on the left of the walk are painted black. The sidewalk is actually at right angles to the public sidewalk, but the boardwalk cover is angled slightly, which adds interest (and possibly, like the NCC stairs along the canal which are also at a diagonal, disorienting...).

The garden plantings are in the usual modern style of few plant types repeated in patterns. The architect who lives here has done a great job of making an interesting garden to watch whilst walking by. It may take several minutes of observing the garden before noticing the door step has been raised, which contributes to the "different" look and feel.

I like this garden because much of the result comes from good design rather than buckets of money.

383 Albert, transit oriented parking requirements

2010-06-28T13:00:00.002-04:00

The pictures above show the Claridge proposal for three residential (condo) towers in downtown Ottawa. As noted in a post a few days ago, they are to be built on the lot between the Crowne Plaza Hotel and 151 Bay condos. The current parking lot location abuts Barabarella's dancing establishment, which will remain after this project is built.

The two 28 storey and one 22 storey towers will have approx 481 apartments. They are located directly above the proposed west downtown LRT station which is under Albert Street. Perhaps those delighted looking ladies in the photomontage just exited the LRT and are headed towards Minto Place ...

The city rationalizes a big part of its LRT expenditure on intensified infill development around the stations. As part of this intense Transit-Oriented-Development (TOD) the plans call for high density and reduced parking.

Claridge is proposing to provide 365 residential parking spaces (365spaces/481units=75% parking). This is less than what developers usually provide for condos, for eg along Richmond Road, West Wellie, or Champagne Avenue they provide 113% (1.13spaces per unit). Better developers provide reserved prime spots for VirtuCar since each VirtuCar satisfies approximately 17 households, ie eliminates 17 parking stalls which cost developers approx $30k each to build (several developers I talked to said the 30k cost/price is cost recovery). Claridge is also providing 241 bike parking spaces (50%) which I suspect is way too low.

So what does the City of Ottawa require as the MAXIMUM number of spaces the developer can provide for this Transit Oriented Development, so as to encourage people to walk and use transit?? Why ... the maximum number of spaces within 600m of a transit station is ... wait for it ... 722 spaces, or 150% parking. Think about that: the city's maximum number of spaces to encourage transit usage is HIGHER than developers want to provide or normally provide either in the downtown core or inner suburbs. Is our TOD policy as farcical as it looks? Makes me wonder what other marvellous things are in that policy.

Hintonburg wall mural

2010-06-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

This new mural is facing the parking lot entrance to the Hintonburg Community Centre on West Wellie.

It has all the characteristics of a good location: blank block wall, facing a parking lot entrance and parking spaces, visible with great sight lines from the street.

In the foreground is the volunteer planted perennial garden recently installed by ... hintonburgers.

Fence me in...

2010-06-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

This Albert / Bay Street building used to have a deocrative iron fence around its side garden. It was removed about 20 years ago, but this segment was left behind, because the trees have incorporated the fence into their trunks.

Cliff becomes hole

2010-06-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

The view from Primrose of the lot beside the staircase up to Upper Lorne Place and the upper section of Primrose.

The former cliff becomes a squared-off hole, ready for footings.

Neighbours tell me there will be a 3 storey house, with entrance and parking garage off Upper Lorne and the house having secondary entrances off the staircase. That is similar to what was there a number of years ago, when the existing red house at the foot of the stairs had its main entrance on its second floor off a landing on the stairs.

Dubious new building

2010-06-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Double click on the picture to enlarge, and look for the horizontal "cracks" on the panels above the right-most garage door.

This view is from Laurier Avenue of the back of the new Export Canada building that faces Slater and O'Connor. These concrete panels are in various shades of dark gray. I don't know if they are supposed to show this much colour variation, or if they will age to a similar colour. But right now they are ... of dubious delight. And a bunch of the panels show horizontal "cracks" and scratches that are visible now and will probably be more visible with time. Not awe-inspiring.

Does anyone like these panels, and if so, why?

Downtown delights

2010-06-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

A view down a downtown driveway to a patio and spiral staircase to an upstairs balcony.

Outside a fairly plain small office tower, a neat row of shrubs, fence, and bright colourful display of impatiens. Simply delightful.

Maclaren Tower - bye bye red brick

2010-06-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

The two photos above are of the senior's residence on Maclaren street. The photos were taken from the small part of the apartment lot that opens onto Somerset, beside Hartman's grocery store.

New balcony railings were installed earlier. Now framing is being attached to the red brick tower to put a new skin on the building (and hopefully upgrade the insulation at the same time). Soon, the only brick visible will be on the inset balconies, and the traditional red brick residential look will become some sort of panel exterior.

This makes an interesting project for sidewalk superintendents.

Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge "play ball"?

2010-06-24T08:00:00.007-04:00

The lot shown in the pictures below is bounded by Queen street on the right (north); Lyon in the foreground (east side); and Albert Street to the left (south). Claridge, a prominent Ottawa condo developer, owns it. Your photog is standing at the foot of the downramp from the Crowne Plaza hotel:

This view is from the corner of Albert and Lyon, at the foot of the ramp up to the Crowne Plaza's awful driveway ramp entrance. The red brick building at the far side of the lot is 151 Bay, a fourteen storey condo built by Teron in the 70's as part of the Delta Hotel and office tower complex off to the right:

Here is a view from the west corner of the lot, near the Bay/Albert intersection. The CS CO-OP building is immediately to the right, not shown in this photo, which is the site of the proposed new main Library and the entrance to the LRT station a hundred or so feet down:

Here's a view of the lot from the fourteenth floor of 151 Bay Street. Barbarella's strip club is the low rise building on the left side of the lot, the Crowne Plaza and Constitution Square office buildings are beyond:

The Downtown Ottawa transit tunnel (DOTT) project for our underground LRT system will run under Albert Street (the right side of the above picture) beside the largely vacant lot. To the right, just off the edge of the picture, is the Cs Co-Op lot, which is proposed to become the site of a large new Library building. The western portion of the downtown will be served by a underground LRT station. The station would have two entrances:

one to the east end of the station platforms, coming up beside the fountain in front of Place de Ville, serving the downtown office buildings; and
one entrance from the west end of the platform, coming up through the Library building, and serving the concentration of residential high rises there.

The two figures below are lifted from an earlier DOTT planning report showing the two entrances in a bird's eye view and a cut-away drawing showing the entrance under the Library block and an optional one in the east under the Constitution Square complex.

double click to enlarge

Claridge is proposing three towers for the lot: a 28 storey condo (twice as tall as the Teron red brick condo already on the Bay street end of the block); a second 28 storey condo tower (taller than the Crowne Plaza, shorter than Place de Ville tower C); and a 22 storey condo tower. The height will be 81m (the current zoning permits 60m); all on a one storey commercial podium.

There is evidence in the literature that builders will pay a premium of up to 25% for sites close to a transit station. In this case, Claridge bought the site some years ago. So it has increased in value a lot. In turn, he can charge a premium for the condos there (about 4%), due to their proximity to the LRT station. Link: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_15290467 The story in the link -- from Denver, another snowy city like ours -- shows the proximity to transit is the second most important factor for residents there in selecting their high rise location.

And it would be very attractive to live in a complex directly connected to a transit station: all indoor connections via LRT to two universities and one college; to the Rideau Centre, convention centre, St Laurent, to the train station and eventually to the airport. And to many employment centres. The location will appeal to students, professors, young professionals, and seniors. So will Claridge build the link to the LRT station?

I think if this was an office structure, Claridge would not hesitate to build the link. In this case and given the hot condo market, I think he would sell out easily whether the link to the station is across the street or within his building concourse. If I were Claridge, I'd build an elevator down to the station that was from a separate transit lobby connected to the condo concourse so residents could stay indoors, and public sidewalk users could access the elevator down- lobby from the sidewalk (but not enter the condo lobbies).

But, my sources indicate Claridge is not excited about a direct connection. Apparently, part of the problem is the unknown cost of maintaining the elevator, escalators, and lobby, which would become the eventual responsibility of the condo owners. In this case, I think it logical to structure the access structures as a condominium itself, with the the three Claridge towers owning a part, and the city owning a part. Count the users every three years or so, and split the maintenance costs between the parties according to how many people use the elevator from the sidewalk vs the condo. The uncertainty risk is then split amongst several parties.

Another complication is that in the current DOTT plans, the city-constructed station entrance comes up through the new Library site. If the Library is not under construction by 2017, then a temporary building to house the top of the elevator shafts and escalators would be required on the Library site, to be later incorporated into the Library building. But what if the city gives up on the Library entrance for the opening of the LRT and instead builds the entrance on the north side of Albert, on the Claridge lot, as part of their condo development, and leaves the the Library access for construction later, when the library complex is actually built?? (this also gives more flexibility in where the station access would come up in the Library building -- on Albert street side or the Slater street side...)

I trust the city has senior staff -- backed up by some imaginative staff capable of thinking outside the box (and they do exist) -- negotiating with Claridge right now to come to some workable solution for a direct connection to the LRT station. If agreement is possible, it creates a valuable precedent and market vote of confidence in the value of connecting with the LRT underground.

Residents of Hintonburg

2010-06-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Now we know what they are called:

Rememberance of people & things past ...

2010-06-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

In Cambridge MA this neighbourhood commemorates people with signs. Virtually every corner was named after someone. A veteran. A resident.

Nothing special was done the corner to designate it a "square" as far as I could see, it was still the small inner city intersection of two residential streets.

But it certainly gave an amazing sense of history, of continuity, of neighbourhood, of topophilia, to the area. There were individuals here before you, who made a difference. Who were they?

If I was doing this in my west side neighborhood, I think signs honouring residents would be the start, but they could also commemorate events, geography, history ...

History is written by the victors, so the saying goes, and history tends to commemorate the upper classes who have the means to memorialize it.

For every cute wooden house in Upper Canada Village there were dozens of families huddled in tents, which are conspicuously absent from the village.

In citiies like Ottawa, neighbourhoods with clusters of academics and senior civil servants (or neighbourhoods that interest these classes) will get historic commenorations, like Sandy Hill, The Glebe, and Lowertown. Dundonald Park, surrounded by large victorian/queen anne homes, gets a historic name board; Plouffe Park gets a standard sign board. There is less history for the poor.

Beneath our feet

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

This inlaid paver pattern on Kent Street in front of the Hudson condo towers shows how a simple design can be effective for pedestrians and viewers from upper floors of the condos.

Most refreshingly, it broke out of the normal square patterns usually used, where some different coloured or textured blocks are substituted for others to make a pattern that keeps the overall rectilinear rigidity inherent in the blocks. In this pattern, the base blocks were laid over the whole area and then a saw cut was made in curvilinear pattern for the constrasting dark blocks to be inserted.

Iregular shaped blocks are not widely used in public spaces. Below are 'flagstone' type pavers with a cobble border and wider paver border.

a leaf falls ...

2010-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Property owners take a variety of measures to discourage skateboarders from using walls as boarding surfaces. Usually, there are little clamps on the leading edge of the wall preventing a smooth run along the wall. A typical plain clamp is shown below. The other pictures are of a much more decorative and friendly-looking maple leaf that landed on the edge of the wall. Seen at World Exchange Plaza in downtown Ottawa.

Centretown Cat House

2010-06-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

As seen on the second floor roof over a bay window, with special feline access via the second floor window, disco ball, toys, and the passing parade of humans stuck on the sidewalk down below.

Carling Ave open house

2010-06-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Dow’s Lake Pavillion (Vista Room) ground floor

1001 Queen Elizabeth Drive

Street closures unfriendly to cyclists

2010-06-17T11:01:00.002-04:00

This is a typical street closure in Ottawa. Closed to cars ... open to pedestrians ... and closed to cyclists?

Cyclists approaching this particular barrier on Spruce Street can choose to ride on the sidewalk (naughty naughty) or squeeze through the centre bollard or side spaces (provided no one is parked close).

Why not remove the centre bollards and let cyclists carry on through? Yes, I know some motorbikes would go through too (they already do, on the sidewalk, I watch them daily do this on the Elm closure on the next block).

Bushwacking for cyclists

2010-06-17T08:05:00.003-04:00

Last week a group of concerned citizens participated with the City and its consultants on the routing exercise for the O-Train corridor cycling path (cyclopiste de Preston). Participants represented the NCC, Dalhousie and Hintonburg Community Associations, CfSC and Cycle Vision Ottawa members, a landscape architect, engineer, planner, and others.

The cycling arterial will connect the Ottawa River cycling paths to the Otrain at Bayview, run along the tracks behind the City Centre complex, under Somerset via a new underpass, behind the PWGSC complex at 1010 Somerset, and come out at ground level again at Gladstone. Then a short overground stretch would take it beside the city signals yard annex, under the existing Qway overpasses, to Young Street, where it would join a rebuilt existing path along the east side of the Otrain cut all the way to Carling. The NCC person was present on the bushwacking expedition to consider, amongst other things, where it goes at Carling and how it connects to the Farm paths.

The areas behind the City Centre and 1010 Somerset proved to be very dense bush, with constant surprises hidden in the tall grass, weeds, and shrubbery: the odd half truckload of asphalt or cement, bits of rail, sleeping bags, laptop computers, etc. It is difficult to imagine a safe-feeling path there given the area's current appearance, but with tree thinning, opening up vistas, improved fencing, path lighting, and some suggested alignment and elevation mods, it will work well with current and future developments proposed along the corridor.

The cycling underpass under Somerset is also planned to handle the possibility of a LRT station at that location. If all goes to plan, the underpass would be constructed in 2011 with the path completed in 2012.

If you click on the word cloud to the right of this blog posting, select Cyclopiste de Preston to read earlier posts on each segment or use the search button.

Bronson deja vu all over again

2010-06-16T10:51:00.001-04:00

Last night was the second PAC (Public Advisory Committee) meeting on Bronson. After the hard time the city planners and consultants got at the first meeting in April, the May meeting disappeared in favour of a mid-June date.

The city and consultants got ideas from the public (me: the Bronson 2 lane plus two way left turn lane model) and the community associations (2 lanes plus turn lanes at intersections, a livable streets model that has worked so well for fixing roads with similar volumes in Toronto) and a lot of pressure from the Councillor to do better.

So they came out in full force last night. The city or the consultants hired more consultants to review their work (guess what: given the same marching orders and look-up tables, they came up with the same results -- well, duh!). They dragged out a planning junior who offered to stand at intersections with PAC members to consider how to improve ped movements -- if feasible and not interferring with car traffic flow. They brought in a landscape architect with large maps with huge coloured blobs on them identifying areas for pedestrian improvement and landscaping -- many of the blobs were on the paved road surface which is not exactly ped amentity space.

To cut to the nub: the city inisists Bronson must stay as four lanes all the way through, no alternative configurations can be examined.

They did claim to abandon their prior suggestion to widen Bronson by at least 2'. Well, sort of. In an effort to promote consistent lane width, they would still widen Bronson in the area south of Gladstone; and in the north portion of the street where there was more land available, they proposed chewing away at adjacent green space to make the road lanes 35% wider than elsewhere. Mere details.

Our planning politburo continuously chanted that their priorities were peds and cyclists first, transit, then private cars. Even the most naive participant would have a hard time swallowing that. For example, their ped first plans didn't quite allow for consistent minimum width (2m) sidewalks: near Gladstone that meant sidewalks combined with bus stops combined with traffic signals and wooden utility poles would be a princely 1.5m wide. On a busy corner. With the commercial storefront door also opening onto the sidewalk. Better hope those pedestrian hordes are real friendly. And turning cars don't cut too close.

The city planners rushed through the traffic and lane width stuff at breakneck speed, anxious to get to the brightly coloured dots (three colours! -- but alas no daisy shaped flower dots like I wanted) and magic markers (many colours!)

with which the remaining PAC members were to mark up big road maps with "suggestions" for consideration and implementation "where feasible" after "review by the TAC" (Technical Advisory Committee, ie the traffic engineers).

The landscaping proposals were somewhat attractive but severely constrained. Nice architectural drawings (planning porn) of benches and planters were shown, but won't actually be built along Bronson -- all the space has already been taken up by the ~~pedestrian priority~~ car lanes. Instead, they will be located on private property set back from the sidewalk where private property owners are willing to sign legal contracts permitting the city to do so. No word on how many of these planters and benches we might actually see, and many PAC members expressed scepticism that absentee landlords would ever consider these. Would even quasi-public landowners be intersted? -- the community minded Bronson centre itself has been busy removing trees each year and expanding the car parking zone in front of its building.

Double click to enlarge. The top two views illustrate a typical section of Bronson. Don't forget the car is speeding along at +60. The ped light is on the curb line, which is good. The proposed tree is on private property, if permission can be attained. The lower drawings show proposed treatment where parking lots abut the sidewalk. The planter and tree are on land cheerfully ceeded by the property owner who didn't mind the loss of revenue space.

The plans also showed lots of trees along the sidewalks -- of the side streets. These were shown based on the assumption that the Bronson reconstruction project would allow them to be planted there, as they were outside the current bounds of the project mandate. Oh dear.

But on Bronson itself, there wasn't room for any trees. So the architects proposed mechanical trees, artificial trees, that would be "planted" along the curb line with mechanical shading devices for peds. In the pix, they look sort of like those big plastic banana leaves you can get at IKEA to decorate your kids room. The tree trunks will help separate peds from cars.

Double click to enlarge. The top illustrations of are of benches, planters, brick pavers and other "landscape integration opportunities" all of which are on private property provided by willing and eager property owners. The bottom illustrations are of the bus shelter (also likely located on private lands) and the "architectural feature" are the artificial trees that substitute for the real thing since the pedestrian priority plans lack space for much of anyting except roadway.

It wasn't all bad at the meeting though. Staff and consultants were eager to be nicer than they were at the first meeting. They agreed to ped lighting along Bronson, with the posts located on the curb line (this is important as it restricts the apparent lane width, promotes subjective ped safety, and goes against the engineering view that the street and sidwalk should be one large open space for the safety of motorists and convenience of winter snow removal).

They proposed coloured concrete paving in the major intersections (easy to do! economical! they do it all the time!) even though that idea went down in cost and maintenance flames when studied for four years on Preston. Sidewalks will be made of concrete, perhaps stamped with a pattern, because interlock pavers like used on West Wellie, Richmond, Preston and other west side sidewalks "just won't stand up to our climate and heavy sidewalk plows and will look awful in ten years" (on this I share some sympathy: the city frequently demonstrates it is unable to maintain interlock pavers, whereas poured concrete is pretty simple stuff).

Summary: Car commuters to Pointe Gatineau win big. Peds get some lighting and fake trees. Adjacent land owers might get their front properties relandscaped provided they are willing to give up the space. Cyclists get nothing. PAC gets to hear more "mights" and "where feasibles" than normally treated to. Sidewalks get rebuilt, sometimes narrower, a few times a bit wider provided the room can be appropriated from green space. Decorative overhead wiring will stay on this "scenic entry route" to Ottawa.

C'est la vie in Ottawa.

Borrow, adapt, learn

2010-06-16T08:00:00.003-04:00

The top two pix are of a small apartment building kitty korner the downtown Ottawa bus terminal. Its fun to look at as you walk by, the tilted windows add a nice sense of whimsy as do the flying roofs.

Below is Strata Centre on the MIT campus in Boston. It is full of fun angles, and the interior spaces -- a sort of atrium-cum-courtyard piazza -- are fun to walk in. It has a number of architectural jokes, including heavy brick walls that start in mid air two or three floors above your head (they are suspended walls), and I hear, a leaky roof.

Innovation in architecture and urban planning is carried out by more confident cities than Ottawa, and more timid places copy and paste, or borrow with adaptations, to retry those solutions in another context. Sometimes that makes a solution in search of a question. In others, it gives inspiration that shows lesser cities what can be done without the adapter risking their funds on innovation.

I posted the Rowe's Wharf pictures a few days ago and compared it to the Ashcroft Our Lady of the Condos site proposal.

Someday, maybe we will move beyond imitation and return to innovating. We used to do that well: the BRT transitway; NCC bike paths; the skateway on the canal, Sparks Street mall. Many innovations come about by force of a strong personality in the command office or a planning dept. They are virtually guaranteed not to be the product of a complicated committee consisting of various stakeholders working a cross purposes (viz Lansdowne).

Nanny Goat Hill infill

2010-06-15T16:42:00.002-04:00

An infill house is being constructed at the north end of Upper Lorne Place, where the staircase goes down to Primrose Street. This picture is taken from the bottom of the stairs. The back of the Dominican College library is in the background, which holds some Dead Sea scrolls.

View from the top of the stairs. The house will be three floors, with a garage on the Upper Lorne Place side.This house will have high visibility from all four sides -- thus far we have no idea about what quality the exterior will be or what its design is.

Primros

Chinese arch progress

2010-06-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

Six sections of roof will be installed on the Chinese Arch on Thursday. Today, in preparation for that lifting, the pieces were moved out onto Somerset street below the arch.

For more details, subscribe to http://www.ottawachinatownroyalarch.blogspot.com/

Great for dog walkers

2010-06-15T08:00:00.004-04:00

On Spadina Avenue in Hintonburg, as it approaches West Wellie, the city has planted trees on both sides of the street right on the centreline of the concrete sidewalk that runs up the rest of the street. The black post in the foreground is a bike rack that also serves to protect trees from plows, etc.

I find it curious that with all the spare space off to the side, the tree was planted in the direct line of the sidewalk. Are trendy Hintonburgers all so thin they can slip by this tree? Do they all walk dogs? Are the sidewalks not going to be plowed? Is it traffic calmings for aggressive pedestrians?

Collatoral damage

2010-06-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

On May 3rd, new shrubs and trees for Preston are stockpiled near the street. Note especially the trees in the background.

On May 7, the shrubs and trees are planted at the corner of Primrose. Note the Bell person hole in the sidewalk.

May 10th, Bell removed the planted material and leaves them on the side of the adjacent building, bare roots exposed, no pots, facing south.

The greenery fades ...

Bell "restores" the site. Dead shrubs removed. Note the mulch area is compressed by the steel plates that were stored there. Some rose bushes of the "pancake" variety remain.

11 June, landscaping resumes. These trees were stored near the site, out of the ground, since 3 May. Not many leaves left. New shrubs supplied and planted.

Not to worry, the city tells me. Bell had to pay for the new shrubs.

It still spells waste to me.

Yuca-Yay !

2010-06-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

Back in December 09 http://www.http//westsideaction.blogspot.com/2009/12/yucca-yuk.html I posted about the theft of the yucca plants from the front of the city parking garage that runs between Laurier and Slater. On the Laurier side there is a nice little strip of garden space. Then someone stole the nicest yucca plant (looks like a cactus, and yes, is winter hardy) from the west end of the garden, and sometime later, the one from the east end of the garden.

As shown, the City has replaced the plants and added some too. Looks nice. Kudos to whomever at the city actually notices these things and acts to repair the damage. And a plague of earwigs and slugs on whomever stole the yuccas in the first place.

Another Bronson Plan

2010-06-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Members of the Dalhousie and Centretown community associations met to create a suggested Bronson layout that would be a first step to creating a more liveable street. Here are my notes on the proposal for a new Bronson between Albert and Gladstone:

Drawing up a plan by ourselves has certain disadvantages -- we cannot estimate turn lane lengths, for example. But we are suggesting these things to the planning group in an effort to get started on a plan that might, with tweaking, be acceptable to the neighborhood and many stakeholders.

First, let's differentiate this plan from the one recently outlined on posts last week on this WestSideAction blog. That plan, for 2 lanes of traffic with a centre TWLTL (two way left turn lane) was developed because I had the traffic literature and volume data to back up the suggestion, ie, I know it will work.

The plan we suggest now is one we have not had time to find traffic literature to support, but there are enough similarities to the 2+TWLTL that we think it will handle the same volume of traffic while delivering more neighborhood benefits. At this point it should be pointed out that while we target handling the current volume of road traffic on Bronson, we by no means consider this sacred: the city is growing, it cannot endlessly stuff more traffic onto Bronson, at some point, it's a "no more" situation, and we see no reason why the volume last week is more defensible a upper limit than a volume some day in the future. If the redesigned road handles slightly less traffic, or with slightly more delays, so be it.

The basic outline of the plan is as follows:

reduce Bronson to two through lanes, with additional left turn lanes at signalized intersections such as Laurier, Primrose, Somerset, Christie, Gladstone. This should handle the current volume without delays.

in between these three lane sections, introduce one parking lane, probably on the west side (as there are fewer intersections on that side)

only the two through lanes to paved in asphalt, parking bays to protected by curb extensions with trees and utility poles such as light fixtures. Parking bays to be paved in interlock pavers or textured pavement so there is a clear and consistent message that this is a two lane road and not a four lane road interrupted by bulb outs

this 2 lane plus parking bay layout will permit the widening of the side boulevard by at least two feet on each side of the road. Coupled with paving sidewalks right back to the property limit, we will achieve wider sidewalks plus room for curb-side planting of trees at 12-16' centres

an experienced landscape consultant needs to be engaged to plan a very aggressive tree and shrub planting scheme including the city aggressively incorporating the adjacent dead spaces between most buildings and the front lot lines, ie on private property

reduce the posted speed limit if required to accomodate a tighter built environment and traditional main street character

With respect to lane size, the two traffic lanes should be of the city's standard width for vehicles plus cyclists in mixed traffic. We are not suggesting a painted bike lane. The turn lanes should be of a standard vehicle width without extra space for cyclists as cyclists in the turn lanes should "take the lane" if mixed with traffic, or if less confident, pause at the far side of intersections and turn 90 degrees with to stay on the curb edge.

We suggest that in this plan, funding be set aside to improve the parallel low-traffic-volume on-street cycling facilty. In particular, consider making Percy Street a two-way cycling facility with southbound cyclists mixed with traffic on sharrow-marked streets, and northbound cyclists in a painted counter flow lane along the east curb that is well marked as a no-stopping zone.

Obviously, there are many details to be worked out, but we are attempting to address the most salient issues so that this plan can be drawn up and considered as a credible alternative to the current unsatisfactory four lane carbuncle now in place.

Here are some more specific suggestions for designing this street as a two lane street:

Bronson/Albert: on the NW corner, widen the sidewalk right back to the property line with a retaining wall by the Juliana (consider purchasing additional land here to widen the sidewalk another 3') and directing the sidewalk to vear NW (using some of the park space here, a stone retaining wall to hold up the sidewalk will be necessary) to align with the path on the west side of Commissioner; landscape lushly as this is a key pedestrian/cyclist link into the downtown core.

all one-way side streets approaching Bronson to be of the latest one-lane standard widths with lengthly curb extensions on the side streets (the current streets are a mish-mash of widths and many are too wide; the idea is to clearly signal that motorists have entered side streets and are not on cut-through arterials

all east-west crosswalks at all signalized intersections to be scored poured concrete; all north-south crosswalks at side streets and Primrose and Christie to be light-coloured interlocks

to reinforce the main street character and promote main-street style redevelopment, all Bronson sidewalks to be brick or coloured pavers, with appropriate celebratory fixtures at intersections

when laying out utilities, try to position manholes not on crosswalk locations; and fire hydrants not along the parking bays

Of course, there will be much consultation expected with respect to landscaping, ped lighting, overhead lighting, tree locations, etc but for now the above material should be sufficient to layout a street geometry for consideration by the traffic engineers and the larger community.

Recall also a previous suggestion that the road be restriped in August in the new layout for a trial period before reconstruction begins.

Caring about Carling

2010-06-10T13:49:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first Public Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for the Carling Avenue reconstruction project from the O-Train to Bronson Avenue. Scheduled for 2011, its for a complete rebuild of the street: new sewers, water mains, dozens of cable and gas pipes, curbs, sidewalks, lighting...everything.

The handout emphasized the following priorities in this order: pedestrian, cycling, transit, vehicle. Of course, the the Technical Adisory Committee (TAC) had first whack at the project and they specified two through lanes in each direction, a bus lane, a cycling lane,very generous turn lanes, etc etc all of which exceeds the available right of way. Now, which elements do we guess might get dropped? No points for the correct answer: car lanes, bus lane, bike lane if room, "2m sidewalk (where feasible)". So much for ped priority. And for streetscaping ... to be added in at the end on the leftover spaces.

So, I spent the evening in plesant dialogue with the city planner and his consultants, educating them as to local pedestrian desire lines, questioning them on traffic volume assumptions, and suggesting the ideal Carling-Avenue-according-to-Eric plan.

These discussions can have fun elements. I pointed out the out drainage outlet for Dow's Great Swamp BEFORE the Rideau Canal was built and the dam built to create Dow's Lake, as it crosses Carling Ave it will present a "soft" layer of surficial geology (you can trace all through the neighborhood, its location revealled by the map and along the streets by the tilting houses on unstable foundations). I also pointed out the very busy Tim Horton's located on that strip, one which they (and many neighbours) are unaware.

Some agreements come easily: get rid of the acceleration or merge lanes at Carling EB at Preston, and Carling WB at Booth. This will also reduce the pedestrian crossing distances.

The TAC proposes this cross section: two lanes of traffic (plus turn lanes, some of which are VERY lengthy) plus one transit lane, plus one bike lane along the curb. The difficulty with the curb-side bike lane arises at Commissioner's Park (Dow's Lake tulip festival) where tour buses park against the curb ... and will be parking on top of the bike lane. Maybe the bike lane should be between the car lanes and transit lanes?

An idea well received was to replace the median lighting fixtures (which are sort of freeway style) with either outside curb poles (located right on the edge of the curb, this helps close in the perceived road width thus calming traffic and protecting peds) OR with more decorative fixtures somewhat like was done on King Edward (but not with those particular poles), OR mid-height dual purpose lighting poles as was done along Bank Street south of Gloucester. The current lighting style is too freeway-like and must go.

Does Carling have enough ped traffic to warrant ped lighting all the way along the sidewalks? Or would it be sufficient to mark intersections and where pathways join the sidewalk with clusters of lights and brick pavers in a ped scale, ie treating the sidewalk lighting as a series of nodes rather than a linear strip.

There is a grass median from the O-train to Booth. As we go east up the hill to Bronson, that shrinks to a dusty, dirty, heaved concrete wasted space. Since traffic volume decreases drastically east of Booth, to be 16,000 or so vehicles per day, I suggested two general traffic lanes are not needed, leave it as one lane(plus turn lanes) plus transit lane plus bike lane (since going up hill I have a harder time keeping to a straight line). This would allow for wider sidewalks, a side boulevard, or a landscaped centre median.

The centre median itself is pathetic. The soil is compacted, the greenery is "naturalized" (ie, weeds). I suggest that the first foot in from the curb be porus pavers, then there be a 2' high concrete wall, creating a giant planter along the median. This planter would be filled to a depth of two or three feet with structural earth or planting mix, and planted with locust or russian olive trees (very salt hardy) and a dense underplanting of shrubs. [note that the city does not plow snow onto the median, only to the road edges, so the one foot setback from the curb should function fine].

The consultants were less than thrilled with the planter idea. Too much salt spray, it will kill it all. My response: the examples they cite are all suburban with huge rights of way and windy conditions, this is a more urban street with a lower speed limit (which could be made even lower, please) and the wall will reduce salt spray. If the trees die, then leave the planter with grass -- it will thrive better than it does now! Or plant something like decorative grasses that grow in clumps 12 and 24 and 35" high for a textured landscape, and that die back in the winter and are immune to salt spray.

I understand the engineer mentality might find the planter idea offensive at first glance. But let's be imaginative, experiment, try something .... even if it is only for two of the blocks (one east and one west of Preston?) at first. Build it. See if it works. Expand a year later if successful (this would require setting aside some budget for that from day one). Too often the city takes the cheapout route: the NCC will make nice landscaping over there, so we don't have to do anything at all over here.

Here are few other ideas to consider: ban right turns at Preston and at Booth on red lights, to calm traffic and make it safer for cyclists; don't make the sewer upstream from Preston the same size as Preston, make it one size smaller, so the upstream people (ie Glebe) don't fill it to capacity so it floods the downstream end.

And here's one idea that needs to be killed: the TAC wants a continuous left turn lane on Carling EB from Preston to Booth; AND a continuous left turn lane on Carling WB from Booth to Preston; AND a Carling WB right turn lane onto Preston. Will there be any median left? This proposal takes catering to rush hour traffic to the extreme. Why does the whole street have to be built to handle the ninety minutes of rush hour volume, and why are Pointe Gatineau commuters so privilaged as to determine the whole design of the street and intersections? Heck, they aren't even paying for this!

Our streets cannot handle 30-50% more traffic as the city grows over the next few decades ... there just isn't room ... so why do we try? Build the roads for a balance of users (peds, cyclists, cars, transit) and balance of liveable city concepts, and drop the urgency to cater to suburban commuters. That means the rebuilding of Carling could handle the current traffic volume OR less. Then there would be no need to widen Carling as is in the current plan with its generous turn lanes. Unwidened, it can be made friendlier to peds, transit users, cyclists...and the environment.

Last note: the PAC set up for Carling consists of invited groups, individuals, property owners, BIA's, councillors. I represented the Dalhousie Community Assoc. I was the only invitee who showed up for the meeting. There will be a general public meeting on June 22nd. In the meantime, let your councillor and community association know what you want, if you care about Carling.

Sculpture you can use

2010-06-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

These two stainless steel sculptures or art installations were very entertaining. They proved to be irresistable attractions to many passers by. These girls used them for impromtu gymnastic exercises. The little boy in the picture spent a lot of time running up the slope trying to get to the top. He never did, but had lots of fun trying.

These pieces were on the short part of the pier at Rowe's Wharf in Boston. There is a gent sitting on the sea wall to the left. The arch through the buildings is on the immediate right.

I cannot imagine Ottawa having such a useful installation. First black mark: its interactive. Secondly, it's fun. Third, there aren't any instructions. Fourth, bureaucrats would panic at the notion someone might fall and hurt themself. Yes, for sure Ottawa could provide such an installation, but only if it were fenced off or guarded. Now, if we ever that scrap metal tree proposed for Nepean Point behind the National Gallery, perhaps a local wall climbing club could ascend it ...

Our Lady of the Condos, archly

2010-06-08T04:02:00.001-04:00

The Ashcroft proposal for redeveloping the Sr of the Visitation site on Richmond Road got a rough hearing the first time out. I am not a great fan of public meetings where dialogue and idea sharing is replaced by sound bites, but hey, it takes all types. And it does serve for some people to vent.

The proposal had many reasonable elements, such as keeping the wall along the sides and back, additional setbacks for the 4-5 storey structures in the back half. It had some I didn't like too much: the height and size of the middle building (a hotel, perhaps?) and the overall height of the Richmond frontage. Intensification is the name of the city's growth strategy, and that means redevelopment of properties.

One element that really intrigued me was the proposed arch along the Richmond frontage. It kept the old buildings cloistered, rather than the more typical opening up of a sight line to the road. The Arch through the building looked a bit small, but it needs to be in scale with the old monastery. I thought the Ashcroft proposal was a good start, an excellent basis for more dialogue.

Now the city has hired three outside reviewers to go over the plan. Hey, if Dark brings light to the Lansdowne, it might work for the Glebe-lite.

While in Boston recently, I sought out the Rowes Wharf development simply because of its big arch through the building. Now the scale is rather different from Richmond Road: it's by the Ocean, the adjacent buildings are HUGE, its wa-a-a-y more RICH than anything we are proposing. And it makes a very fine space, a fine portal. Here are some photos, including some up through the cupola which forms a sort of light tube right through a dome-top room which must have neat views 360 horizontally as well as up and down.

Rowe's Wharf building, Boston.

When walking through the arch, building entrances are to right and left.

View through to the Ocean from the street. Note cupola room above.

From the piazza looking straight up through the dome, the cupola room, out to the sky.

Of Mascots and Marketing

2010-06-07T10:33:00.001-04:00

Preston Street BIA in a brilliant marketing stroke invented Luigi, a mascot for their signage during the reconstruction years.

He was certainly popular. People got out of their cars to take their picture with him. Bluesfest goers gathered round the signs for group photos.

The volunteer T-shirts at last-year's Italian festival said Luigi's Security or something similar. Perhaps coincidentally, I noticed this Luigi doll on a doorstep.

Yet, the street seems strangely lonely now, without his face on banners and signs.

I think he should be given new life. He adds personality to the street.

In a related vein, I saw in the paper that Vancouver's Chinatown held an online poll to select a mascot. They choose a cutsey panda bear for their mascot.

The Bronson diet literature

2010-06-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

Bronson today

Example of an after diet road: two through lanes, centre turn lane, bike lanes, usable sidewalks. Could be improved by adding trees to the boulevard.

If you are keen on reading more on putting "four lane" roads onto a two lane diet, start reading here: (note that some references take you to same key documents, but there are references to new sources at each of these)

http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/content/reading/road-diets-3/

http://www.congestion.kytc.ky.gov/roaddiets.html

http://www.walkable.org/assets/downloads/4%20Lane%20Conversion.pdf

http://www.walkablestreets.com/diet.htm

http://publications.iowa.gov/2888/

http://www.mnltap.umn.edu/Publications/Exchange/2008-3/ResearchAnalyzes.html

http://www.urbanstreet.info/2nd_sym_proceedings/Volume%202/Knapp.pdf

http://www.iowadot.gov/crashanalysis/pdfs/ite_draft_4to3laneconversion_papersubmission_2005.pdf

There is lots more literature out there. Google "the conversion of four lanes", or "road diets" to get started, and follow the links and citations in the articles. There are many many references to cold climate, snow climate, and Canadian city examples cited. And there are many studies on streets with a similar profile and even much higher traffic volumes than the section of Bronson north of Somerset.

Bronson south of Somerset

2010-06-06T09:56:00.006-04:00

What can be done south of Somerset? So in this post, the Somerset to Gladstone stretch.

South of Somerset the traffic count goes up. Recall that the Laurier to Somerset section had 16-20,000 AADT (annual average daily traffic) with under 4% trucks. South of Somerset, it increases to 21-26,000 AADT with almost 5% being trucks (2003 and 2008 traffic counts).

This is still within the "normal" band of volume suitable for converting a four lane road into a three lane road. But it is at the upper limit. I predict Ottawa engineers would be very unhappy trying these volumes (some road diets have worked with volumes of up to 31,000 AADT, but it depends on the number of intersections, driveways, road geometry, etc).

There are measures that can make it possible to convert busy stretches of Bronson from four lanes to three. The key to handling the volume lies at the intersections. Gladstone is a busy intersection. It needs major repair. It is grossly difficult to cross for pedestrians and cyclists, especially going east-west along Gladstone. Would you let your 9 year old walk to school at that crossing?? I didn't think so. How about your 85 year old mother? (the latter may depend on whether you are in her will or not).

Yet to make the stretches of Bronson between major intersections work as three lanes, the intersections themselves have to be set up to handle the volume of traffic efficently for cars.

My suggestion would be to try Bronson north of Somerset as three lanes this summer, by repainting the lanes. When that works, examine how to repaint the section from Somerset to Gladstone in 2012, before actual road rebuilding is done in 2013. Use the lessons learned from the first summer's effort; and convene a genuine discussion amongst stakeholders at the Gladstone end as to what the problems are there, what the potential solutions are, and send in the painting crews. Paint is cheap; lives are not.

A better variation on the above "timetable" would be to postpone the reconstruction of Bronson south of Somerset by one year. This would give one season (2010) to try the painted option on Bronson north of Somerset; and one year to construct the new road (2011) and a year to observe the new street, its landscaping, wider sidewalks, etc and determine if the correct balance of user interests has been attained (2012).

As for the stretch of Bronson south from Gladstone, I am reluctant to go there. I lack enough first hand knowledge about the traffic flow there at all seasons. I do know from sitting at Harvey's (we retired people get very modest dinners out), it is alternately hilarious and scary to watch the steady volume of pedestrians trying to cross Bronson at Arlington. And I hate crossing Raymond. Or walking under the Qway. And the stretch up to Carling is awful for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. While I seldom drive a car, I simply will not try to turn left off Bronson onto Isabella to get to the Qway. Too dangerous.

Note: these Bronson posts have been edited a bit and put into a single word document, which I will send to anyone who wants it. Of course, I have already sent it to Councillor Holmes and the traffic engineers for Bronson. Please send links to your concillor, candidates for office, and anyone else. Then go the public meetings to be held for Bronson and let them know, loudly, what you think.

Bronson: the great divide

2010-06-05T13:00:00.002-04:00

Over at the Spacing Ottawa blog, Evan Thorton has some interesting views on the effect of the difficult-to-cross Bronson. His site even has a movie of Bronson!!

go to http://spacingottawa.ca/2010/06/04/city-plans-to-widen-centretowns-great-divide/

Bronson: getting the diet started

2010-06-05T07:00:00.005-04:00

Wonderful Bronson today.

In the first post of this series, I tried to show that Bronson only looks to have two through lanes in each direction, but functions as two turn lanes with lane-swerving through traffic, the speed of which is set by the fastest driver. The engineering literature abounds with case studies and policy recommendations on what to do with this type of bad road condition: narrow it to three lanes.

The most likely approach that the literature recommends for the section from Laurier to Somerset (given the traffic volumes, number of side streets, driveways etc) is to narrow it to two through lanes of traffic, with a common two way left turn lane in the centre. At the end of this series will be some links to the literature so you read all about the many examples yourself, why they work, etc.

Ottawa is in my opinion a very conservative city. I don't see city traffic officials getting excited about narrowing Bronson. They currently seem fixated on the Bronson serving rush hour commuter traffic from the suburbs and other cities at the expense of any and all other stakeholders (residents, landlords, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists, transit users).

Given that our patient, Bronson, has clogged arteries, and some advisors want to stuff him with more fat (more cars) ... how do we get them to try a diet? My suggested answer lies in the proposed reconstruction of Bronson in 2011-2012. Rather than redesigning the street in a new slimmer body of curbs, boulevards, etc in 2011 why not go on a quick diet this summer.

One night in early August, erase the current painted lines that show four lanes. Repaint with two wider lanes that are friendlier to cyclists and through traffic (but don't paint bike lanes yet) and a two way left turn lane that is also generously wide (15'). Just do the section from Somerset north to Laurier, or to Slater if the city feels comfy doing that. Wait and watch. Count the cars. Survey the residents and businesses in October. See if the road can handle the volume safely, and if people are happier.

The traffic engineering literature predicts they will be happier and motorists will drive safer with no delays. If this works, keep it all winter. This diet approach has been proven to work in other northern climate snow cities like Ottawa.

Then, with happy results in hand, finalize the new curb and boulevard designs for implementation in the fall of 2011. The new Bronson would be slimmer, sleeker, with trees on both side boulevards, decorative pedestrian lighting for wider, pedestrian friendly sidewalks. Residents would stop shuddering as they do now at the mere thought of the old Bronson. Accidents would decrease. Travel times would not decrease. Pointe Gatineau commuters would continue to travel through. Landlords will soon see lower tennant turnover. Properties will be fixed up. A traditional main street will get a second chance at life.

All because of a sudden diet, kick started by a new paint job.

Next: south of Somerset

Example of a four lane street turned into 2 through lanes, TWLTL, bike lanes. No on-street parking in this model. The sidewalks and boulevards should be made wider to complete the conversion to a livable street. Ped scale lighting would be nifty too.

Bronson: the choices are stark

2010-06-04T09:00:00.004-04:00

Bronson north of Somerset is busy -- at rush hours. Outside the peak commuter hours, the street is not all that busy. But the wide street with four lanes makes pedestrian crossing unsafe. Landscaping is minimal. The housing and apartments suffer from high tennant turnover because of noise and dust. A classic case of urban street in decline. Thus far the city's idea for this street is to widen it.

Looking at the section from Laurier (top of the hill) to Somerset, the traffic volumes are 16-20,000 vehicles per day (the AADT or Average Annual Daily Traffic count). Volumes have not increased between 2003 and 2008.

There is extensive traffic engineering literature that describes what should be done to a four lane urban arterial with this volume of traffic: put it on a diet, narrow it to three lanes.

At first this may seem counter intuitive. How can a busy, congested four lane road be improved by making it narrower? The answer lies in challenging the assumption that it is four lanes, but as demonstrated yesterday, it is really a road consisting of a right turn lane, a left turn lane, and through traffic that lane switches throughout the length. It does not currently function as a four lane through road.

There are two models of three lane roads that are recommended in the literature to replace the awful arrangment currently on Bronson.

Two lanes + turn lanes at intersections: this layout would reduce Bronson to two lanes of through traffic, with the addition of a left turn lane at major intersections (Laurier, Primrose, Somerset). The former curb-side lanes would be used for parking bays, or a wider boulevard with trees, lamps, and wider amenity space that could reintroduce city life to this abused traditional main street. For an example of this treatment, look at Preston.

Two lanes + TWLTL: this layout has two lanes for through traffic (which is more than the street functionally has now) and a centre lane that is Two Way Left Turn Lane. The centre lane is usually wider than the through lanes, and has arrows painted on it to show when left or right turns are permitted. On streets with the volume of this section of Bronson, the traffic literature shows this to be a very safe solution that will reduce traffic accidents, maintain traffic volumes, and drastically increase the satisfaction of road users, residents, and businesses.

The second approach often does not permit on-street parking or even off-peak parking. But the curb side lanes can be wide enough (15') to permit safer cycling, plus wider sidewalks with curbside tree planting to calm the environment.

Next: how to get 2 lanes + TWLTL on Bronson.

Bronson: the clogged artery

2010-06-03T14:00:00.006-04:00

Bronson from Queen Street to Somerset Street is up for reconstruction in 2011 and in the following years the stretch from Somerset to the Queensway. The April proposal from the City consultants was to widen the street and narrow the sidewalks. This was to make the lane sizes match the city's standard lane widths.

The problem with the City's current approach is that it assumes Bronson is a four lane street. And that it is congested. And therefore, the solution is to widen it.

I don't think Bronson IS a four lane street, and there is a whole pile of traffic engineering literature to support my view. Bronson only LOOKS like it has four through lanes. In fact, what it has is a right turn lane, a left turn lane, and through traffic that alternates from lane to lane to get through. Because the street looks wide, it encourages faster movement. The pace is set by the fastest car, which is the guy who passes on the right and changes lanes frequently. All this lane changing makes for fender benders. Cars find it hard to get on or off the street, because of the two lanes of opposing traffic to cut across. Pedestrians and transit users find it really unsafe to try to cross the street. It is not a plesant street to live along or have a business on.

Consider this analogy: Bronson is a patient with clogged arteries. The City's doctor (engineer) sees the constricted artery, and suggests we pump the patient with more fat and gunk since not all of it is getting through. Surely a more reasonable approach is to put the patient (Bronson) on a diet, so that the artery can handle the appropriate amount of traffic safely and without killing the residents, businesses, and adjacent communities.

Tomorrow: how to handle the current traffic volumes

LRT station design

2010-06-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

On behalf of the Dalhousie Community Association, comments were submitted on the guideslines for the LRT stations.

You can read about them here: http://dalhousiecommunityassociation.blogspot.com/2010/06/dca-comments-on-lrt-station-design.html

If you are reading this blog, and interested in some of the nitty-gritty of how stations impact our neighborhood, it might be worth a read. The city's document on LRT guidelines themselves is a thick document, probably available at their website.

Square Boston

2010-06-03T09:08:00.002-04:00

The squares above are just two of dozens embedded in the sidewalk piazza near the Chinatown Arch in Boston. Are they fossils? Rock carvings? Chinese characters?

The Boston sidewalk squares shown below are definitely Chinese. They were located on the sidewalk leading up to the Chinese arch. The centre portion was scribed granite block, surrounded by ordinary concrete pavers, set in the join of regular poured concrete sidewalk.

The Ottawa Chinatown BIA is considering something similar for the reconstruction of part of the Chinatown sidewalks in 2011.

Signs of the times

2010-06-02T14:00:00.001-04:00

A few posts ago, the lighting store on Richmond in the heart of Westboro was featured. It is moving to Spruce Street. The Signman is also moving from its location opposite Loblaw's Real Cdn Superstore to Laurel Street.

There are few vacant storefronts on the western portion of the Somerset-West Wellie-Richmond Road strip, and more storefronts being constructed. The further east one goes, the more vacancies appear, for longer periods. As Westboro prices continue to climb, there will be adjustments in the retail market and eventually the condo market too.

Balloon view of west side Ottawa

2010-06-02T09:13:00.003-04:00

Aerial shot of the west side taken from the CTV balloon on Sunday. Double click to enlarge. The view is looking south, the islands in the Ottawa River and former paper mills are in the foreground.

Place du Portage in the foreground, Parliament beyond.

Thanks to Danielle for the photos.

Festival Dalhousie

2010-06-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a busy one in our west side neighborhoods. There were a number of festivals, parades, and cultural events.

It was Budda's birthday. Shown below is the float that was the key piece in the parade from the Buddist temple on Somerset Street (beside the Plant recreation centre):

The Vietnamese community held a fundraiser at the site of their proposed museum and cultural centre at the corner of Somerset and Preston, diagonally opposite the refugee memorial. I was particularly interested to note the proud wearing of the South Vietnam military uniforms by veterans of that war.

Framed on Booth Street

2010-06-01T09:01:00.001-04:00

Steel framework goes up for the Z6 condo on Booth at the corner of Balsam (near Gladstone). Steel frame construction is lots of fun to watch because the progress is so fast and its "toylike" - shades of Meccano or plastic girder sets!

Boston transit

2010-06-01T08:33:00.000-04:00

One of the newest stations on the red line, near the Charles River, in Boston. The red line is a true metro, with wide cars, third rail, underground in the city but on a grade-separated right of way in the 'burbs and on bridges.

Stairs were poured concrete, but with rubber pads making the climb much easier on the feet. Escalators were provided only for the up direction.

Ottawa plans a sterile zone along its LRT tracks. Draw a line 45 degrees up from the rail, remove all vegetation, so nothing can fall on the track. Boston showed a more tolerant attitude. At this station, there were lots of trees -- probably self seeded -- very close to the train and the rail. Pleasant.

Cornerstone foundation

2010-05-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

The basement foundation for Cornerstone supportive housing for women apartment building on Booth, just south of Somerset, has been poured in place.

Boston bike box

2010-05-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

A bike box is a painted area in front of the stop line. It permits cyclists to advance to the head of the queue of vehicles and go into the intersection first. It is especially useful when making turns. The motorist must stop at an advanced stop line considerably short of the intersection where motorists are used to stopping. It protects the safety of cyclists for left, right turns and straight through motions.

In Boston, I saw one hundred percent respect by motorists for the bike box. Otherwise, motorists were quite aggressive. Every car stopped at the advanced stop line. In London England, no motorist would be caught dead respecting a bike box.

Boston motorists were aggressive. So were pedestrians. Walk signals at most intersections were pitifully slow, late, delayed, or otherwise made inconvenient for peds and catered to motorists. The walk signals counted down from the first moment the walk signal came on (Ottawa's count down only on the dont-start phase).

Garden delight

2010-05-30T15:00:00.002-04:00

This snap is of the the poppies growing in the community garden in front of the Dalhousie Community Centre, tended by Ida H.

She started another garden at the corner of Upper Lorne and Somerset, which is also thriving.

Fenway Park, Boston

2010-05-30T10:05:00.000-04:00

Note how the stadium seating cantelevors out over the public street. This would certainly save space at Lansdowne Park and add some interest to walking along Bank Street.

Advertisement outside the stadium. Click to enlarge and read the text.

How would Ottawa bureaucrats cope with signs that prohibited stopping on such variable dates, times, and durations?

Around the outfield there were bars. Entrance was off the street. There was a garage door that opened up to permit viewing of the field. A wire mesh kept the balls away from the customers. I do not know if a game ticket was required for these bars, or if the show was free. At the back of the bar, was a raised washroom with a window above the men's facilities so that patrons never lost sight of their beer, their table, or the game.

Sidewalk sales

2010-05-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

One of the purposes of the new wider sidewalks on traditional mainstreets is to encourage merchants to display merchandise outside, which enlivens the environment with changing displays. Recently, Preston Hardware has started taking advantage of the very wide sidewalk in front of their store.

Part of the display is pretty ordinary hardware stuff: wheelbarrows, lawnmowers. The BBQ on a stone-faced cabinet is more different, and reflects the trend to "outdoor kitchens", although a visit to any of the remaining Italian households in the neighborhood will reveal a kitchen in the garage for summer cooking and pickling. There is a house near mine where the Asian residents have a large outdoor grill (perhaps removed from a chip wagon) attached to the window frame and they cook outside by reaching through the window.

In the fall, I expect the hardware store to have wine barrels, crates of grapes, etc on the sidewalk, like Musca's does now on Somerset Street.

What else would be interesting for a hardware store to put out on the sidewalk? Sledge hammers? shower stalls? waterless toilets? A door knob display? Let me know what you think would be neat on the sidewalk, and I'll pass the suggestions on to Preston Hardware.

Boston trash

2010-05-29T09:56:00.001-04:00

Conventional plastic-bag-lined garbage containers were rare. These compactor models were ubiquitous. There are solar panels on the roof of the can to power it.

It was necessary to pull the door open quite a way before placing the garbage in the compartment and closing the door. It was not possible to insert a hand or arm into the container.

Periodically, the compactor compresses all the garbage into a smaller pile, so the can needs not be emptied so often. Nothing blows around either. Here is a row of three containers, for bottles/cans, trash, and paper.

The top two pictures were of models used in Cambridge MA and the bottom one is of the WMI containers used throughout Boston itself. The end panel has an advertising sleeve with a Boston U advert.

Postal Presence

2010-05-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

All along Preston new posts shrouded in plastic have appeared. They are the new pay and display parking system to be rolled out all over the city in the coming months.

They are coming by the truckload. Once operating, the old meters will be left in place for bit, but with the inside payment mechanism removed, so that parkers who migrate to the old style meters will be met with a sign advising them to go to the pay and display system (example on the middle meter below):

Boston granite

2010-05-28T09:45:00.000-04:00

Boston makes impressive use of granite for many things. There were granite curbs everywhere, and granite bollards:

This low curb lining the pedestrian sidewalk on a recently redone street has generous use of granite for some pavers and low curbs. Note the little post to mark the indent for the bench. Also envy the lush planting in the boulevard.

In addition to this little granite posts, big ones were used for street signs in a few places.

Granite curb marked with rust from the snow plow blade. This was in a park and ride lot for the LRT/subway.

Here is granite milled into a curb for the end of planter strip separating aisles of parking in the park and ride lot.

In Ottawa, granite curbs are used on Parliament Hill and parts of Confederation Boulevard.

Cycling Progress

2010-05-27T11:45:00.001-04:00

The Public Advisory Group for the proposed downtown-area segregated cycling track meet last night. It's a diverse group including 3 BIA's (Chinatown BIA, Somerset Village BIA, Bank St BIA), two community associations (DCA, CCA), cycling advocacy groups (Cycle Vision Ottawa, Citizens for Safe Cycling), politicians former and current, etc.

City planners unveiled the route choices and the criteria they used to narrow the list down to a smaller set of five leading options. They applied a numerical rating scheme to winnow the choices, which came in for a lot of discussion. The selection remains somewhat arbitrary and contestable.

The most remarkable thing about the two and half hour session was the dialogue between the various parties. Unlike some recent public meetings I have attended where the focus is on loud sound bites establishing positions, the discussion last night revealled that the cyclists understood business owners' concerns, the attendees could see the political minefield, there were some admissions from the BIA's that segregated cycling tracks might actually have some benefits for the downtown community and businesses.

Councillor Holmes emphasized that rather than the top scoring project being selected, it had to also satisfy all 3 key stakeholder groups (business, residents, cyclists), but her preference for putting the track on quiet residential streets parallel to the main streets like Somerset, met with determined opposition from cyclists who felt the track had to be where cyclists want to go. And cyclists want to go to the same places as motorists -- the main street.

A couple of key observations:

the city's technical criteria were very tough, as it sought to minimize car displacement. But the downtown isn't exactly overflowing with spaces not already dedicated to some current use, especially the car. Something's gotta give.
the city's criteria considered cyclists' desires only within the designated study area, and while they were aware that cyclists connect with adjacent areas, this was not measured. Obviously the Corktown Bridge over the canal and future Somerset bridge over the Rideau River to Overbrook were big on cyclists' minds.
the criteria evaluation form was too complex to present at a public meeting, yet on closer examination by the PAC was found to be too simple and too easily contestable. In short, it would satisfy no one.
all the top five route options use Somerset west of Bronson. This is a major problem for the Chinatown BIA as the street is the major parking supply and delivery area, and there are no nearby alternative parallel streets and residential streets are already overrun with cars. Suggested solution: limit the segregated track, from Percy/Bay to the Canal.
the business of business is business, regardless of what mode the customer used to get to the business. Business owners have to move beyond car parking focus. I was surprised to hear a BIA rep complain that off street parking lots were being "lost" to condos. Does anyone contest that the condo delivers more customers than the parking lot ever could? Question: will a bike lane here deliver more customers than on-street parking does?
I cannot imagine that the Merivale strip (or similar suburban strips) would be made atttractive to pedestrian shoppers or cyclist shoppers by improving the landscaping along Merivale. Face it: it is a car-oriented form of development. Downtown BIA's have to stop trying to provide more parking than the suburban big box lots -- it just cannot be done without destroying the very urban features of the downtown neighborhoods that attract residents in the first place. Downtown businesses have to get over thinking of themselves as "regional attractions" for suburbanites and focus on their real market. This includes tourists visiting the core, local residents, local businesses, etc. Merivale strip will never be a tourist destination; downtown shouldn't cater to cars.

I found myself wonder, where do business owners live? Too many that I know live in the suburbs while having their businesses in the central city. Thus they commute by business-expensed car. They live their evenings and weekends in a suburban lifestyle. It's not surprising then that they want convenient parking (preferably provided free, by the taxpayer) for their business, as that is how they structure their own lives. I wonder if business owners who live in the core, who walk to work, have the same mind-set that favours car shoppers and car parkers, or if they are more open to the benefits of wider sidewalks and improved cycling facilties as being the cheapest way to get more customers coming by their place of business?

If there was a consensus last night, it was that dialogue was good, the groups understood each other, that a rushed choice might well be a bad choice, and maybe it would be better to talk more and select the route mid-winter for install in spring 2011 rather than late fall 2010.

Note: for 20-some years I ran a storefront business. Only a tiny portion of my customers came by car. But 99% of comments about location came from car drivers. I think in many ways its like the weather: people seek safe topics for small talk, chit chat, and "isn't parking awful" is a safe, seldom-contested tongue flapper. Downtown businesses need accurate data about who shops and what the future can be. They have to ignore the "noise" about parking and focus on improving business. Businesses fail all the time, for a variety of reasons. During construction, it is easy to blame the road work. Post bike track, it will be easy to blame the cyclists.But mostly businesses fail because the owner misjudges the market. Correlation to road work, or cycling tracks, is not causation.

Boston artwork

2010-05-27T09:39:00.001-04:00

Many buildings in Boston (and neighboring Cambridge) are old, and require regular maintenance to the exterior brick, granite steps, stone foundations, etc. So I was not surprised to see these piles of sorted construction materials in the yard of Radcliffe College (Harvard U).

All around me was the steady clink clink of bricklayers and masons restoring the steps and walls of one of the ancient colleges.

But upon closer inspection, I noticed this sign:

Please don't climb on the exhibit

Boston bike priority

2010-05-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Construction on a bridge made for narrower lanes and congestion. Cyclists were encouraged to take a full lane. Motorists fell behind them patiently.

Bike rack choice

2010-05-26T09:35:00.002-04:00

There is an imposing architect-designed bike rack in the foreground that complements the building style. Despite the generous locking rings, the rack is not popular, as evidenced by the jam of cycles on the traditional rack just beyond.

Boston cycle path

2010-05-25T21:34:00.001-04:00

The following pictures were taken on the cycling path along Vassar Ave in Cambridge (Boston) MA. Vassar goes through the MIT campus, and recent streetscaping had been done to narrow the road, add boulevard trees, and a bike path which was heavily used when I viewed it on several occasions. In the picture below, it transitions from on-road to being at the same grade as the sidewalk, set back from the street by a row of trees.

Despite being in front of the most prestigous engineering school in the world, there is a puddle in the path.

The path was blue asphalt where cars and cyclists shared pavement. Here is a car crossing of the path. Note the car has to rise up a slope about six inches which helps convey the message to the driver that they have left the car realm:

Note also the paving change where the sidewalk is crossed by the driveway.

The photo below shows another example. The path is set back from the travelled portion of the road about 16' -- the width of the parking space plus the boulevard with trees. The example below allowed vehicles to access a small parking and loading zone. Other crossings were at building entrances (drop off and pick up zones) and into very large parking garages which would have a similar traffic volume to many residential streets.

Here is a closeup of the sign that advises motorists to watch for cyclists and yield to them:

Here the path passes by the parked cars in the distance, the path is blue where it crosses a driveway, and has rougher textured pavers and then ped pavers where it crosses a major pedestrian path at an intersection (foreground):

The Bell tolls for Peyton Place (ii)

2010-05-24T10:58:00.023-04:00

the new facade shows evidence of good planning. The brick facade and new storefront treatment gives the building weight at the bottom. From the sidewalk, the emphasis will be on a three storey height, with the glass tower slightly less visible above it.

the current store fronts at street level

proposed: steel arches, new glass facades

existing west facade seen from Gladstone

proposed: west facade

The Bell tolls for Peyton Place

2010-05-23T11:01:00.003-04:00

One of the earliest apartment complexes built in Ottawa are the three towers on Bell Street. Back in the 50's, adult children usually lived at home until married. Those who moved out ... lived single ... without mom's supervision ... must have been immoral. There was a popular TV show at the time called Peyton Place, the term became attached to early apartment buildings that catered to singles.

The view below must be familiar to everyone:

Well, the bell tolls for Peyton Place. After years of deterioration, the building has been sold to a redeveloper who will renovate the interiors and put on a new exterior cladding. This will enclose parts of the balconies of many units, to make the inside space bigger.

view from the Qway, after renovation

More tomorrow.

Stairway to Development

2010-05-22T13:37:00.001-04:00

The forrested slope on the south side of the Primrose staircase up Nanny Goat Hill has been cleared. The stone retaining walls that reminded me of Machu Pichu have also been removed. A multi-level infill house is proposed for the site, with entrances on the Upper Lorne side and onto the landing of the staircase. The previous staircase used to have an entrance onto its staircase also.

Ye Olde LeBreton Flats

2010-05-22T10:02:00.001-04:00

click to enlarge

Notice Britannia Terrace (parallel to Duke street) which is now disappeared. The new Claridge condo on the Flats is right on the ACE of Terrace.

Note Queen Street is not shown as jumping over the cliff, but Maria Street (now Laurier Ave) apparently does. Suitable for Nanny Goats maybe.

Slater Street ends at Bronson (then called Concession). It was later extended just below the section of Albert that is shown on a diagonal. The extension was to permit the streetcar (Ottawa Electric Railway) to connect to Albert, which accounts for the narrow right of way on the part of Slater. The foundations of the old houses shown between Albert and Slater are still visible as depressions and hollows as you walk up Albert towards the downtown.

Note too that Empress, by the Good Companions centre, was called Nelson Street.

Bridge Street was later extended south over the aqueduct to incorporate Cortland Street, and after demolishing lots 22-27 became Booth Street. I remember when the five sided intersection was still operating at the corner of Albert-Rochester-Broad-Wellington (called Richmond Road here, when west of Broad).

Preston Street is barely visible below the parcel of land marked John Rochester (after whom the whole area was called the Village of Rochester, or Rochesterville as it is put on my original house deed as surveyed by N Sparks). The Rochester lot became a huge building, demolished c1982 (I have pictures of that somewhere) in which the transatlantic cables were woven and taken by rail and ship to Halifax and Newfoundland. It was the largest or longest building in the British Empire at one time.

Primrose Street was then called Maple, I have a "for let" sign used to rent the house I now live in, the sign refers to the address as Maple Street. Primrose used to be only the section above the cliff, it was changed to Primrose below the cliff (the only flower in the forest of street names) when the city incorporated the Experimental Farm which got to keep Maple Lane.

Notice how close Nepean Bay (the Ottawa River) is to Albert street on the far left. Huge portions of the bay were filled in in the 50's to create the land for the parkway.

Lighting Up the Neighborhood

2010-05-21T10:14:00.005-04:00

In ecology, we think it normal that there be a succession of land uses. The swamp gives way to the meadow, to the woods, and ultimately to the climax forest or mature ecosystem. The ecosystem is of course subject to external disturbances.

Retail main streets are similar. It wasn't many years ago that the stores along West Wellie and Richmond Road were ... shall we say, a bit sad. Since then, the area has rejuvenated with the fresh influx of a new species of shoppers. As part of the change, some existing businesses get forced out, no longer popular or doing enough business to warrant the increasing rents.

West Wellie is an interesting case where rents have risen a lot, so much so that there are many storefront vacancies along the strip. The supporting hinterland behind this street isn't strong enough to maintain certain businesses. Carbon Computing, for example, does not depend on Hintonburg for its life. In Chinatown there are also many vacancies, and for longer periods of time.

At a recent meeting, we were speculating how long before the developers who can't find developable space in Westboro or Centretown and move into Dalhousie. And we were predicting what types of businesses would be forced out of the expensive West Welllie/Richmond Road and perhaps there would be a migration over to Somerset.

I noticed Eric Cohen's Lighting store on Richmond Road just west of Churchill is moving. Where to? Spruce Street, which isn't exactly a shopping mecca, but is in an up and coming Little Italy neighborhood. Personally, I'd rather he had put his storefront on Preston, like Darryl Thomas Textiles did. Both are destination stores, where people come from all over the region and are willing to search out the business for its unique products. So people will find his business tucked away on Spruce. The building is attractive, heritage-looking, always has a dozen bikes parked in front of it (day and night). It also has a number of annexes and add-ons to the left of the photo - quirky and quaint might be the terms.

In some ways, this is a homecoming for the store owner. For a number of years he lived in one of the Bronson Hill mansions, at Laurier/Cambridge, a beautifully maintained house now much less well cared for. Welcome back.

Constitutional Privilage to Park Cycles

2010-05-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

These two pictures are of the indoor bicycle parking facility at Constitution Square downtown. It is a three tower office tower complex. The bikes take up at least 8 car parking spaces. This photo was taken late in the afternoon, so many cyclists would have already left work. It certainly holds one lot of bikes.

I wonder how many other parking garages or hidden cycle parking lots are in the downtown, unseen by the public and thus contributing to the unseen and uncommented upon growth of cycling as a mode of transport.