The Interprovincial Transit Strategy, sponsored by the NCC, STO and the City of Ottawa, in collaboration with Ville de Gatineau, reflects each partner’s commitment to sustainable transportation in the National Capital Region. This is part of a shared common goal to make the core areas of Gatineau and Ottawa a more vibrant, liveable and attractive place, with less reliance on private vehicles.
The Strategy was launched as a proactive step to improve interprovincial coordination and efficiencies within the STO and OC Transpo transit services in the downtown cores of Gatineau and Ottawa.
The area in question, approximately 10 square kilometers, is an intense hub of economic, social and tourism activity. As travel, job opportunities and other activities increase, it is becoming more interconnected.
The Strategy is driven by a number of challenges that have affected movement through the downtown cores: Traffic congestion, together with limited and expensive parking facilities, is affecting the quality of car travel. Greater demand is being placed on public transit, and concerns for the environment are growing. Over the years this has translated into more, larger buses downtown, impacting residents, property owners and urban ambiance. These problems have been particularly serious on Albert, Slater, Wellington and Rideau streets in Ottawa, and Maisonneuve and Laurier at Eddy in Gatineau.
Some of the key issues related to growth in the downtown cores are:
-
Intense activity during the day
- Business trips
- Personal shopping trips
- Tourists travelling between attractions
-
Heavy traffic during rush hour
-
Increase of interprovincial mobility demand due to population and employment growth
-
Limited, expensive parking in the core
-
Negative impact on residents, property owners and the urban ambiance of downtown cores
-
Current service inconveniences for commuters
-
Need for concerted efforts to promote more sustainable transportation practices and behaviour
OC Transpo and STO have already taken a number of steps to resolve many of the issues affecting transit service between the two cities. Yet with the expected population and job growth in Gatineau and Ottawa, new solutions will need to be considered for the long-term benefit of the area, and to maintain and improve quality of life.
In Phase I of the Consultation Program, the Strategy Team sought input from the public and stakeholders on the benefits, challenges and opportunities of interprovincial transit. Comments have been analyzed by the Project Team and a summary report is available here.
In Phase II, the Strategy Team solicited input from members of the public and stakeholders on the evaluation criteria that should be used to select the best solutions for improving interprovincial transit. As a result of public input, the Strategy team was able to for guiding principles, also referred to as 'Pillars'. The following five transportation Pillars were developed to help address a number of priority issues that emerged during consultations, and that need to be resolved in order to improve interprovincial transit:
- Focus on the User
- Operations
- Infrastructure
- Transit City Building
- Governance.
Key observations and findings from Phase II consultations have been compiled and analyzed into a summary report that can be accessed here.
During Phase III, the Strategy Team sought input into a number of transit options that were developed under each of the five transportation Pillars. Due to the highly technical nature of the materials under review at this Phase, consultation activities were designed for key stakeholders and local transportation engineers and technical experts. As a result of Phase III consultation activities, a 'pool' of solutions was selected for further review and refinement by the Strategy Team. Full comments and an analysis of findings from Phase III consultations can be found in a summary report, accessible here.
At Phase IV, the Strategy team solicited input from the broader public into the more refined interprovincial transit solutions identified under each of the five transportation Pillars. Opportunities to provide input during this Phase included public and online consultation activities. A summary report with an analysis of comments recieved at Phase IV will be made available soon.
The final recommendations that make up the Strategy will be made public in mid - 2011. The recommended solutions will take into account short, medium and long-term perspectives, up to the year 2031.
The end result will be more than a solution for improved transit, it’s an opportunity to better integrate and interconnect the downtown cores of Gatineau and Ottawa. The Strategy will paint the ‘bigger picture’ for the core by tying together other studies conducted for Gatineau, Ottawa, STO and OC Transpo. The Strategy complements and informs these other transportation studies.