Subject: Blog Post about Kitchissippi Parking Strategy
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2015 20:01:52 +0000
From: Leiper, Jeff <Jeff.Leiper@ottawa.ca>

Hi all

For your information, the following blog post is going to be going up on our website shortly. We intend to talk about this at the Forum next week, and also to invite people to come to the public consultation. Of course, my door is always open and I welcome your thoughts on these matters.

Jeff

Parking in the Westboro Village retail area has been a persistent issue for years – and more recently, it seems to be growing along Wellington West as well. Businesses are concerned that they’re losing customers to suburban malls that offer easy car access, and even some residents find that parking is scarce when they need or want to drive to a local merchant.

When there’s parking pressure, cars begin circling the block for in order to find a spot. This creates traffic congestion and wasted time, increased air pollution and decreased pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Particularly in Westboro, the studies in 2011 and preliminary numbers I’ve seen from a 2014 study seem to bear this out. Parking demand already seems to be outpacing supply. One of the options we have at our disposal is paid parking, which could help create greater parking availability. As a growing urban area, we need to look at this carefully and seriously. But let me be clear about three things:

• First, I will work to ensure that paid parking is not the only option: we must look at ALL options, including creative solutions not currently on the table.
• Second: previous discussions of this issue have been hampered by a lack of public discussion and information sharing.
• Third: in discussing whether paid parking or other tools are warranted in our neighbourhood, I will ensure we don’t look at one area alone. Westboro and Wellington West are different areas with different needs, but they are also tightly connected and serve many of the same customers.

So, when I found out that this summer, a new parking study was to be conducted for Wellington Street West, I asked the Parking Services department to ensure that both the existing Westboro studies and the newer data from Wellington West be considered together as one master strategy.

Kitchissippi Parking Strategy.

This innovative new approach meets my three criteria, which I’ll repeat: 1) full consideration of options, 2) broad consultation, and 3) a strategic, Ward-wide approach.

Westboro Parking will be the theme of Part one. I hope you’ll join us for a public consultation on Saturday, May 2 at the Churchill Seniors Centre from 1 to 3 pm to explore approaches to parking challenges including paid parking in Westboro. We’ll have the most recent parking numbers for Westboro on hand. In addition to your thoughts on how, when, and whether paid parking should be implemented, we also want to know what you think of the parking “levers” that can be pushed and pulled. For example:

• What would be the appropriate time limits, and where? 90 minutes? 2 hours?
• What time of day and on which days should paid parking be in effect?
• How much should it cost?
• With paid parking, Parking Services could provide more revenue to community projects relating to alternate forms of transportation. If this becomes available, what kind of improvements could we do with these new resources?

These are a just a few of the questions I’m sure we’ll all have.

We’ll look to integrate the same consultation with Wellington West after the numbers come out, probably in September or October of 2015. And if the numbers from the study support the introduction of paid parking, it could begin in November 2015, with the ward-wide introduction of paid parking from Golden Avenue in the west to the O-Train line in the east. From the outset, I’ll be thinking about the whole main street rather than in terms of separate sections.

Of course, I’m committed to continually reviewing paid parking if it’s implemented, and I’m keen to get the feedback on this topic from all of you who live, work and play in Kitchissippi.

From: AHarkness@morrisonhershfield.com
Subject: RE: MTO – Preliminary Design and Environmental Assessment Study for the Rehabilitation / Replacement of Ottawa Queensway Mid-town Bridges from Holland Avenue to O’Connor Street (G.W.P. 4075-11-00) – Public Information Centre #2
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2015 15:24:41 +0000

Please note: This email message has been sent by BCC (blind copy) to members of the above study Public / Stakeholder E-mail contact list on behalf of our Consultant Project Manager, Mr. Steven Taylor.

Best regards,

Andrew Harkness (Morrison Hershfield)

February 16, 2015

To Whom This May Concern,

Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) – Preliminary Design and Environmental Assessment Study for the Rehabilitation / Replacement of Ottawa Queensway Mid-town Bridges from Holland Avenue to O’Connor Street (G.W.P. 4075-11-00) – Public Information Centre #2

THE STUDY – The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has retained Morrison Hershfield Ltd. (MH) to undertake a preliminary design and environmental assessment study for the rehabilitation and / or replacement of twenty-three bridges (twelve locations) on Highway 417 (Ottawa Queensway) from Holland Avenue to O’Connor Street, in the City of Ottawa. This study will determine the appropriate strategy for the rehabilitation or replacement of the bridges. The study areas are shown on the map below.

REASON TO ATTEND – Several alternatives have been reviewed for each bridge including structural and construction staging options in order to minimize disruption to the Queensway. In addition, engineering, environmental, and property requirements have been established, along with the identification of mitigation measures to reduce or negate short and long term residual effects. Technically Preferred Alternatives (TPAs) have been identified for all twenty-three bridges and the recommendation is for rehabilitation of bridges at Holland, Parkdale, Fairmont, Bayswater, Bank and O’Connor and replacement of bridges at the CPR/O-Train, Preston, Rochester, Booth, Bronson and Percy.

THE PROCESS – This study is following the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities (2000) planning process for a Group “B” project, with the opportunity for external agency and public consultation throughout the project.

You are invited to attend the second of two Public Information Centres (PICs) with the purpose of explaining the study process, presenting the TPAs and mitigation plans, and obtaining comments. There will be an opportunity to discuss any concerns with MTO staff and members of the consulting team and to provide written comments (to be submitted to the study team by March 13, 2015). Please join us at the PIC scheduled on:

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015
Time: 4:00PM – 8:00PM
Location: St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall at 523 St. Anthony Street, Ottawa
Accessible location in accordance with Ontarians with Disability Act

Upon completion of this study, a Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) will be prepared and made available for a 30-day public review period. You will be notified directly and a notice of TESR Submission will be published in the Ottawa Citizen and Le Droit as well as on the project website at http://www.queenswaymidtownbridges.com/.

COMMENTS – If you cannot attend this PIC, and you would like to discuss the project, receive additional information, or provide input, please contact the Consultant or MTO Project Manager listed below or visit the project website:

While an accessible location is being used in accordance with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), if you have any other ODA requirements in order to participate in this project please contact one of the Project Team members listed above. All information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (2009). With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

Pour des renseignements en français veuillez communiquer avec Karine Bertrand au: 613-739-2910 poste 1022253 ou KBertrand@morrisonhershfield.com.

Yours truly,

Steve Taylor, P.Eng.
Project Manager

cc.
Don Rowat, Senior Project Engineer, MTO Eastern Region Planning & Design Section
Kevin Ogilvie, MTO Senior Environmental Planner
Andrew Harkness, Consultant Environmental Manager

The previous Safe Streets post had an incorrect e-mail (now corrected); it should be safestreets@kitchissippiward.ca rather than the one without the “ward”, which is actually held by the Ottawa Jazz Scene.

Our Ward Councillor, Jeff Leiper, has initiated a Safe Streets Working Group to document all of the dangerous spots and intersections along our streets. Jeff sees this Working Group as a way to create a complete inventory of places that can be tweaked through better street design and traffic calming measures to make our streets safer for all.

The Working Group consists of representatives from each of the Community Associations in the Ward and interested residents, as well as Anne Duggan, the Safe Streets Working Group co-ordinator. Roland Dorsay is our Champlain Park representative on the Working Group.

All residents are invited to send information about any traffic safety trouble spots in our area to Anne Duggan at safestreets@kitchissippiward.ca as well as Roland at dorsay@rogers.com by March 6.

What we are looking for is specific spots where it is difficult to cross the street, where accidents are more frequent than the norm, where speeding is a concern and/or safety is otherwise compromised. If you have concerns about any such locations, let us know where they are, with a brief description of the problem and a suggested solution if you have one. This is a great opportunity to have our traffic safety concerns given serious consideration.

Roland Dorsay

The spring street sweeping operation is starting, from April 14 onwards. Some areas will have temporary no-parking signs. For the details, see http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/transportation-and-parking/road-and-sidewalk-maintenance/street-sweeping

I see they’ve already done the first step of doing our neighbourhood’s sidewalks. This is Daniel and Clearview:

From: Andrew.Hickey@ottawa.ca
Subject: Reminder – Churchill Ave south closure – March 3rd
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 21:27:05 +0000

Good afternoon,

Just a friendly reminder about the impending re-start of construction on Churchill Ave. on Monday, March 3^rd.

Churchill Ave southbound will be closed from Byron to Carling. OC Transpo buses #16 and #150 will be re-routed.

Note that the Princeton/Clare to Carling section will re-open in July to southbound traffic once the pole relocation and transfer of all utilities to the new poles is complete.

All the details can be found on the Councillor’s website.
http://ourkitchissippi.ca/construction/churchill-construction-update-february-2014/

Regards,
Andrew

Andrew Hickey
Manager, Community Relations and Communications
Gestionnaire, Relations avec la communauté et Communications
Office of Councillor/Bureau de la Conseillère Katherine Hobbs
Ward/Quartier 15: Kitchissippi
T: 613-580-2424 ext. 26689
Our Kitchissippi
Twitter and Facebook
City of Ottawa/Ville d’ Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West/110 ave Laurier Ouest
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1