No money to make 29 Ottawa intersections safer for cyclists
By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, October 7, 2020
The City of Ottawa has come up with a list of high-traffic intersections that
deserve better safety measures for cyclists and pedestrians, but it doesn't
have the $32 million available right now to improve them.
"At least we know where the improvements are required," said Coun. Tim
Tierney, chair of the city's transportation committee, referring to
the 29 intersections for which consultants have now drawn up preliminary
plans.
(...)
he consultants listed 15 intersections that could use what's called a
"protected intersection" at a cost of between $1 million and $2 million, and
could be improved through future road work, such as intersections on West Hunt
Club Road, Prince of Wales Drive and Hazeldean Road.
Another 14 located in the core would require more design changes because they
would affect transit routes or parking, such as
intersections on Gladstone Avenue, Preston Street and Bank Street.
Of that list of 29, the City of Ottawa now sees tackling just a single
intersection, on Smyth Road at the Riverside campus of The Ottawa Hospital. It
plans to rustle up $800,000, about half the estimated cost.
"While that's a welcome investment, we need to go a lot further. If we're
serious about eliminating deaths on our roads, we do need to figure out how to
fund this list of projects," Bike Ottawa's Erinn Cunningham told
transportation committee.
...On Wednesday, city councillors will address whether the city should move ahead with its bid. The property is owned by Taggart Miller Environmental Services Inc. and is being put up for sale in a confidential bidding process.
wo weeks ago, the city disclosed through a report to its finance and corporate services committee that it made a "non-binding" bid to Taggart Miller.
Now the city is seeking councillors' blessing to get deeper into the bidding process.
The bid's opponents, including some residents who live near the site, as well as a number of city councillors, have raisedenvironmental and traffic concerns. They've also expressed reservations about the compressed timeline leading to Wednesday's council vote.
By Randy Boswell, Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2023
The City of Ottawa’s auditor general has slammed municipal officials for mishandling a major housing development in Barrhaven that involved extensive alterations of the Jock River floodplain to accommodate a sprawling new subdivision with nearly 1,000 new homes.
Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon has released a scathing, 14-page report detailing her team’s investigation into the project after allegations of mismanagement were made through the city’s fraud and waste hotline. The report has been tabled for discussion at the city’s audit committee meeting on Monday.
...The plan involved cutting away more than 100,000 cubic metres of soil along the north shore of the Jock and depositing more than 400,000 cubic metres of soil on adjacent land immediately to the north so houses could be safely built there, beyond any flood risk.
By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2023
In a head-spinning move that has angered some community groups, Ottawa is asking the province to reverse its decision to override the city’s official plan on building heights.
A motion, approved by council this week in a 19-2 vote, instructs city officials to ask Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to reinstate rules allowing higher buildings heights along minor road corridors. It’s something the city’s planning committee rejected two years ago, when it approved Ottawa’s new official plan.
At the time, city staff had recommended higher buildings, but council bowed to pressure and limited buildings along minor corridor roads to four storeys.