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The opening of the Confederation LRT Line is an exciting moment in Ottawa’s public transit history, but OC Transpo must use it as an opportunity to improve service for all users, including those who won’t ride the train on a daily basis, says east-end Coun. Tobi Nussbaum.
What effect the $2.1-billion LRT line, which opens sometime next year, will have on local bus routes in Vanier, Overbrook and other neighbourhoods east of the Rideau River, in particular, is the subject of a public forum on Tuesday co-organized by Nussbaum and Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury.
The meeting is intended to give residents a chance to hear about OC Transpo’s plan for local bus routes and suggest how they would like bus service and reliability to improve. The key local routes include 1, 7, 9, 12, 14, 18 and 19.
“This is an area of our city where we have really high transit use by users who may not be personally benefiting from the LRT,” Nussbaum said.
One of Transpo’s top priorities in the months leading up to the launch of LRT line is preparing riders for the change. In April, it kicked off the million-dollar Ready for Rail marketing campaign.
Transpo learned in focus groups that riders just want a stress-free journey and transit reliability. One surprise for bus commuters might be the transfers between buses and trains. Bus routes will be designed to bring people to LRT stations for the trip downtown. The “fare paid zones” in stations will make sure people can get off a bus and head for a train without having to pass through fare gates.
The plan is starting to take shape, but Nussbaum said there’s still time for public input.
“It’s not finalized yet and I’m glad it’s not,” he said.
People living north of Montreal Road will likely still ride a bus to and from downtown. But even though it may seem counterintuitive, others may take a bus east to St. Laurent station or south to Tremblay or Hurdman, and catch the train.
The president of the Overbrook Community Association said he hopes some of the local service that previously saw buses loop through the neighbourhood instead of sticking to the main roads — which was cut as part of the 2011 cost-saving optimization exercise — will be restored.
“That’s a challenge we’ve been talking about forever, that’s something we would hope be addressed,” Rawlson King said.
Obstacles to access St. Laurent station when the adjacent shopping mall is closed, such as lack of sidewalks and sprawling parking lots, also need some attention, King said.
Chris Penton of the neighbouring Vanier Community Association hopes specific challenges with some of the local routes will be fixed.
The 12, for example, is often jam-packed on its westbound journey between Blair and Rideau by the time it reaches Vanier, he said. The buses also bunch up at times, leaving some riders waiting a while for the next bus.
Nussbaum said frequent trip cancellations on routes 7 and 9 have also been raised as a problem.
Transpo split route 5 into two routes last year to connect with future downtown O-Train stations and improve reliability. The 19, which now operates between Bank Street and St. Laurent, may — if service has improved — exemplify how splitting other cross-town routes is a good idea.
But, Nussbaum wondered, do riders prefer cross-town routes to avoid transferring or would they be open to Transpo splitting routes if such a move would improve reliability?
“These are the types of questions it will be important to put to users,” he said.
The East of Rideau transit forum is Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8 at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre (300 Pères-Blancs Ave.).
mpearson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
What effect the $2.1-billion LRT line, which opens sometime next year, will have on local bus routes in Vanier, Overbrook and other neighbourhoods east of the Rideau River, in particular, is the subject of a public forum on Tuesday co-organized by Nussbaum and Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury.
The meeting is intended to give residents a chance to hear about OC Transpo’s plan for local bus routes and suggest how they would like bus service and reliability to improve. The key local routes include 1, 7, 9, 12, 14, 18 and 19.
“This is an area of our city where we have really high transit use by users who may not be personally benefiting from the LRT,” Nussbaum said.
One of Transpo’s top priorities in the months leading up to the launch of LRT line is preparing riders for the change. In April, it kicked off the million-dollar Ready for Rail marketing campaign.
Transpo learned in focus groups that riders just want a stress-free journey and transit reliability. One surprise for bus commuters might be the transfers between buses and trains. Bus routes will be designed to bring people to LRT stations for the trip downtown. The “fare paid zones” in stations will make sure people can get off a bus and head for a train without having to pass through fare gates.
The plan is starting to take shape, but Nussbaum said there’s still time for public input.
“It’s not finalized yet and I’m glad it’s not,” he said.
People living north of Montreal Road will likely still ride a bus to and from downtown. But even though it may seem counterintuitive, others may take a bus east to St. Laurent station or south to Tremblay or Hurdman, and catch the train.
The president of the Overbrook Community Association said he hopes some of the local service that previously saw buses loop through the neighbourhood instead of sticking to the main roads — which was cut as part of the 2011 cost-saving optimization exercise — will be restored.
“That’s a challenge we’ve been talking about forever, that’s something we would hope be addressed,” Rawlson King said.
Obstacles to access St. Laurent station when the adjacent shopping mall is closed, such as lack of sidewalks and sprawling parking lots, also need some attention, King said.
Chris Penton of the neighbouring Vanier Community Association hopes specific challenges with some of the local routes will be fixed.
The 12, for example, is often jam-packed on its westbound journey between Blair and Rideau by the time it reaches Vanier, he said. The buses also bunch up at times, leaving some riders waiting a while for the next bus.
Nussbaum said frequent trip cancellations on routes 7 and 9 have also been raised as a problem.
Transpo split route 5 into two routes last year to connect with future downtown O-Train stations and improve reliability. The 19, which now operates between Bank Street and St. Laurent, may — if service has improved — exemplify how splitting other cross-town routes is a good idea.
But, Nussbaum wondered, do riders prefer cross-town routes to avoid transferring or would they be open to Transpo splitting routes if such a move would improve reliability?
“These are the types of questions it will be important to put to users,” he said.
The East of Rideau transit forum is Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8 at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre (300 Pères-Blancs Ave.).
mpearson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
