Monthly Archives: April 2009

How Many LRT Stations are Needed Downtown?

I am a bit mystified about the mini-controversy about how many stations should be in the downtown core. The DOTT plan calls for two, as was shown in the Feb. open houses.

I have heard a number of suggestions we might need 3. I disagree.

Each station will be a entire block long – the “long” blocks in the downtown, ie the east – west blocks (the north south blocks are much shorter). Each station will have at least two exits, most likely near each end. The stations themselves will be very deep down. Unlike Toronto, where the subway is just below the street, ours will be at least six stories deep. Some elevator access will be straight up to the surface, which means there will be two access points to each station, about a block apart. So in the downtown there will be at least four access points to the LRT stations (ie, two per station). From a pedestrian point of view, its like having four stations.

But not all access to the stations need be elevator. Escalators go up at an angle, and from the start point at the station can drift a considerable block or more in any direction as they ascend to building level. Thus there might well be two elevator accesses on say, Albert St, each a block apart, and there might also be another access point or two from Slater or Queen or even further away depending on where the escalators come up. If they come up in a building complex, it will be possible (at least during business hours) for users to travel through the buildings for at least another block indoors.

In sum, two stations, with four access points or more, should be offer frequent enough entrances throughout the downtown core. Each station costs about $70 million.

Corso Italia – aka Preston Street – Closed

Preston Street has been closed to through traffic until December, to permit reconstruction.

Happily, the tree and shrub planting now going on at Plouffe Park and the sections of Preston rebuilt last year, demonstrate that the aggravation, noise, and dust is well worth it.

One of the minor little pleasures last year was the ability to easily stroll across the street just about anywhere that wasn’t a pit, without being run over by a bus or speeding commuter.

Transit tunnel success …

The City today announced its preferred LRT routes and station configurations.

Good news: the major transfer station from buses-on-the-transitway-west will be at Tunney’s Pasture, built on the grassy vacant area north of the current station.

Good news: the configuration at Bayview will permit same train access from the (future) southwest transitway / O-Train alignment to the downtown. This means that we can attract larger conventions to the new convention centre downtown as we will have no-transfer-required service direct from the airport to downtown. The configuration at Bayview permits much greater flexibility in train routing.

Bad News: the LeBreton Station is going to be accessed by bus service along Scott-Albert. This will be about a thousand buses per day per direction (I haven’t been able to get a straight answer from DOTT about the number). This will impose a severe noise and dust and vibration penalty on adjacent residents for at least two years during construction of the at-grade LRT system and probably lesser volume of buses for decades after.

Good News: the Rideau St station will be at the north end of the Rideau Centre, under Rideau St. Other alignments examined had put the tunnel directly under the Rideau Centre, which had some bad service implications but preserved foot traffic in the mall. Now the Rideau Centre will have to lobby for moving some bus services off Rideau to the Laurier side of the mall. Maybe they could start with the STO service … I note that the old Union Station is still being identified as a potential Library site.

Mixed News: the LeBreton station will be at-grade, maybe outdoor, until new developments build over it and turn it into an indoor station. At the rate the Flats are being developed, this could be never … ironically, the City owns and plans to develop the site above and adjacent the proposed station, which bodes even more poorly for its prospects.

To see the powerpoint presentation by the DOTT committee, click on…

https://ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/transit_tunnel/interim/technical_briefing_en.pdf

Preston Streetscaping; Plouffe Park


Trees on Oak St.await planting


Plouffe Park planters planted

While some trees and shrubs were planted on the reconstructed parts of Preston south of the Queensway last fall, the north side did not get any planting done last winter. The crews are busy now planting.

In Plouffe Park, the combination retaining walls and sitting areas have been planted with periwinkle (vinca), which will eventually spread into a thick mat. Pretty blue flowers in the early spring.

A huge number of trees have been delivered and are being stored for now on Oak Street. Tree types include amur maple, ginko, and cherry.

When all these shrubs and trees are planted in the next few days, it will encourage residents and visitors to put up with the construction mess this summer because we can see what a beautiful streetscape it will be.

Chinatown art festival

Here is all about it, from their press release. I am so pleased that Grace Xin has organized this. It should help put our neighborhood and its businesses on the map, and raise awareness.

Exhibits in unexpected spaces: come see original art in the bakery, giftshop, optician, bookstore, grocery, cafe and restaurants in this multicultural village with Asian flavour. CHINATOWN REMIXED COLLECTIVE is pleased to present the works of over 30 contemporary artists. The artists, mostly local, include the likes of HOWIE TSUI, CYNTHIA O’BRIEN and ADRIAN GOLLNER. More than 15 businesses in Ottawa’s Chinatown, from Percy St. westward to Preston St. will be showing the art through the month, from May 1st to the 31st. Juried artworks include: paintings, drawings, multimedia works, photography, sculpture, installation and video/film. CARL DAVID RUTTAN’s bright whimsical collages inspired by his travels through Asia will hang at Raw Sugar Cafe. ADRIAN GOLLNER’s site specific wall decals inspired by pseudo-science and fortune cookies will adorn Shanghai Restaurant. CYNTHIA O’BRIEN’s ceramic ducks displayed in Wakiu Grocery windows, will evoke the typical barbecued poultry specimens that whet passerby appetites. DON KWAN’s ambient abstract paintings, lights piercing through muted earth colours, will grace the Chinatown Bakery. There’s much more to discover at Sushi 88, Jadeland, Umi Cafe, Yang Sheng, My Sweet Tea and more. TOM EVANS’ unique photo portraits of Chinatown residents and visitors, NATASHA BEAUDIN’s abstract references to body and geography, and PAMELA LAWLER’s playful painted explorations of Chinese menu items will all be on display in Chinatown establishments. Ottawa VJs THE LATEST ARTISTs and local filmmaker PIXIE CRAM will bring ‘moving pictures’ experiences to the Ottawa public. REBECCA CRAIG’s paintings in traditional Japanese style and the lively painted compositions of young JAKOB WEINTRAGER (aged 8!) will delight viewers visiting the venues in May. Openings/ Vernissages: Saturday, May 2, 2009. Meet the artists and explore the culinary wonders of Ottawa’s Chinatown. Just for the occasion, local drag queen entertainer CHINA DOLL will serenade the public with endearing karoake croonings along Somerset St.CHINATOWN REMIXED is the first event of its kind in Ottawa; this artistic mix-up of culture, art and food promises something for every taste.It is high time to celebrate our city’s cultural endeavours.Time to inject into this world a new vitality. For more information, contact:Grace Xin, Somerset St. West BIA director5-299 Bronson Ave.Ottawa, ON K1R 6J1Tel. 613-230-4707Email: info@chinatown.caWeb: http://www.ottawachinatown.ca/