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To the soundtrack of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” a group of Stittsville residents opened Ottawa’s newest “expressway” Sunday.
“We came here to celebrate!” proclaimed resident Glen Gower, his tongue in cheek, as the cover was pulled from a mock green and white traffic sign for Rosehill Expressway.
“Just beyond this hill is one kilometre of wide open roadway. No stop signs,” Gower said. “Forget about the fact that it goes by a school site or a park or people’s homes. No. This is a raceway. A great way to get as quick as possible from Hazeldean (Road) to the Queensway.”
But don’t think that Sunday’s lighthearted street side protest — with its theme music, free coffee and face painting — means residents aren’t hopping mad about the city’s plans to close Johnwoods Street between Rosehill Avenue and Maple Grove Road.
Area residents came together Sunday to unveil the Rosehill Expressway sign to voice their concerns over the Johnwoods Street conversion. Ashley Fraser.
Johnwoods has become a favourite north-south thoroughfare for drivers, especially on Ottawa Senators game nights, something the city says it was never built to handle. On Wednesday, the 350-metre stretch will be closed and work begun to convert it to a linear park with pedestrian and bicycle path.
Instead, traffic will be routed along Rosehill between Johnwoods and Huntmar Road. The city has installed green “flex stakes” down the centre line of Rosehill and will consider additional traffic calming measures in the future if needed, but residents worry the suburban street will be treated as a speedway by commuters.
A view of traffic down Johnwoods Street.
Residents first heard about the plan to close Johnwoods at a meeting in May 2016, Gower said.
“We were told it was a fait accompli. We were told it was happening. They said, ‘You can give input on park design.’ We immediately put in our concerns about the traffic flow.”
The plan to close the section of Johnwoods dates back years and was part of the agreement with the developer, Mattamy Homes, said Coun.. Shad Qadri.
“Johnwoods is a very narrow road, a rural street, it was never built to take the traffic it is today,” Qadri said. “Rosehill was designed as a collector road with sidewalks on both sides and meant to handle traffic.”
Next spring chicanes will be built on Rosehill near Santolina Street to narrow the road and slow traffic flow, he said. The city will also do another traffic study on Rosehill to see how it’s been affected by the Johnwoods closure.
The city hopes commuters heading for the Queensway will stay on Hazeldean until Huntmar Drive rather than face the dogleg through Johnwoods and Rosehill.
Mike Lomond, a resident on Rosehill Ave., stands at one of the slowing measures added to the street. Ashley Fraser
Rosehill resident Mike Lomond doubts that will happen, since drivers can avoid several traffic lights by cutting through on Rosehill.
“Traffic goes on the route of least resistance,” said Lomond, who built and painted the “Rosehill Expressway” sign.
“We’re not saying that (Johnwoods) shouldn’t close,” said Carol Lenz, who lives on Alton Street, another potential north-south route drivers might take after the block Johnwoods is closed.
“We’re aware that it’s going to close. It’s a definite thing. What we’re saying is that this needs to be fully, completely studied with an area traffic management survey. We need to have these pieces of information and safety equipment in place ahead of these closures. Temporary closures and temporary flex states are not going to cut it.”
Qadri said there’s no point in adding more traffic calming until planners know for sure how many drivers choose to Rosehill route.
“If you’re going to put traffic calming measures, the questions are what do they need to be and where do you need to place them,” he said. “Will people still come down Johnwoods to Rosehill from Hazeldean? It’ll make their trip a little more awkward.
“The city won’t put unwarranted stop signs at any intersections. If the study shows that they need to install stop signs along the way, then that’s what they’ll end up doing. But that’s just me sitting here guessing what the necessary measure are.”
For now, the Rosehill Expressway sing stands at the corner of Johnwoods and Rosehill to greet Monday morning commuters. Qadri said it will be up the city to decide whether it will be allowed to stay. “There are rules and bylaws for that kind of thing. I’ll let the city handle it.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
.
查看原文...
“We came here to celebrate!” proclaimed resident Glen Gower, his tongue in cheek, as the cover was pulled from a mock green and white traffic sign for Rosehill Expressway.
“Just beyond this hill is one kilometre of wide open roadway. No stop signs,” Gower said. “Forget about the fact that it goes by a school site or a park or people’s homes. No. This is a raceway. A great way to get as quick as possible from Hazeldean (Road) to the Queensway.”
But don’t think that Sunday’s lighthearted street side protest — with its theme music, free coffee and face painting — means residents aren’t hopping mad about the city’s plans to close Johnwoods Street between Rosehill Avenue and Maple Grove Road.
Area residents came together Sunday to unveil the Rosehill Expressway sign to voice their concerns over the Johnwoods Street conversion. Ashley Fraser.
Johnwoods has become a favourite north-south thoroughfare for drivers, especially on Ottawa Senators game nights, something the city says it was never built to handle. On Wednesday, the 350-metre stretch will be closed and work begun to convert it to a linear park with pedestrian and bicycle path.
Instead, traffic will be routed along Rosehill between Johnwoods and Huntmar Road. The city has installed green “flex stakes” down the centre line of Rosehill and will consider additional traffic calming measures in the future if needed, but residents worry the suburban street will be treated as a speedway by commuters.
A view of traffic down Johnwoods Street.
Residents first heard about the plan to close Johnwoods at a meeting in May 2016, Gower said.
“We were told it was a fait accompli. We were told it was happening. They said, ‘You can give input on park design.’ We immediately put in our concerns about the traffic flow.”
The plan to close the section of Johnwoods dates back years and was part of the agreement with the developer, Mattamy Homes, said Coun.. Shad Qadri.
“Johnwoods is a very narrow road, a rural street, it was never built to take the traffic it is today,” Qadri said. “Rosehill was designed as a collector road with sidewalks on both sides and meant to handle traffic.”
Next spring chicanes will be built on Rosehill near Santolina Street to narrow the road and slow traffic flow, he said. The city will also do another traffic study on Rosehill to see how it’s been affected by the Johnwoods closure.
The city hopes commuters heading for the Queensway will stay on Hazeldean until Huntmar Drive rather than face the dogleg through Johnwoods and Rosehill.
Mike Lomond, a resident on Rosehill Ave., stands at one of the slowing measures added to the street. Ashley Fraser
Rosehill resident Mike Lomond doubts that will happen, since drivers can avoid several traffic lights by cutting through on Rosehill.
“Traffic goes on the route of least resistance,” said Lomond, who built and painted the “Rosehill Expressway” sign.
“We’re not saying that (Johnwoods) shouldn’t close,” said Carol Lenz, who lives on Alton Street, another potential north-south route drivers might take after the block Johnwoods is closed.
“We’re aware that it’s going to close. It’s a definite thing. What we’re saying is that this needs to be fully, completely studied with an area traffic management survey. We need to have these pieces of information and safety equipment in place ahead of these closures. Temporary closures and temporary flex states are not going to cut it.”
Qadri said there’s no point in adding more traffic calming until planners know for sure how many drivers choose to Rosehill route.
“If you’re going to put traffic calming measures, the questions are what do they need to be and where do you need to place them,” he said. “Will people still come down Johnwoods to Rosehill from Hazeldean? It’ll make their trip a little more awkward.
“The city won’t put unwarranted stop signs at any intersections. If the study shows that they need to install stop signs along the way, then that’s what they’ll end up doing. But that’s just me sitting here guessing what the necessary measure are.”
For now, the Rosehill Expressway sing stands at the corner of Johnwoods and Rosehill to greet Monday morning commuters. Qadri said it will be up the city to decide whether it will be allowed to stay. “There are rules and bylaws for that kind of thing. I’ll let the city handle it.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
.
查看原文...
