Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Changes coming to popular cross-town OC Transpo route 11

By CTV News Ottawa, August 10, 2018

One of Ottawa’s longest and oldest cross-town buses is being re-routed.

The number 11 bus, formerly the two, is being shortened as of September 2nd. Instead of ending at Bayshore Shopping Centre in the west it will now end at Lincoln Fields Station. The bus route has also been shortened to end in the east at Confederation Square instead of the Rideau Centre.

Doug Jesner lives just off Richmond Road and takes the number 11 every day.

“That will be an inconvenience,” he said. “Sometimes you’d have to wait ten or 15 minutes to take a second bus to Bayshore. It’s okay in this weather but in the winter it wouldn’t be good at all.”

The roughly 1 hour route is extremely popular in the west end with seniors and those with disability who live in the Lincoln Fields area. Residents say it’s the easiest way to get to the Walmart at Bayshore Shopping Centre and to other neighbourhoods along the route. The 153 goes in a similar direction but it is not nearly as frequent.

Eye-catching markings aim to make roads safer

By Jason White, 1310 News, August 10, 2018

The city is testing out a new type of road marking to see if they make drivers slow down.

The road marking is made up of large, white squares with a black U-shaped marking painted over top. It's a design employed in England, and the goal of the 3D road marking is to get drivers to take notice and slow down.

Crosswalks that involve 3D illusions have been painted on roads in Iceland, as well as in Montreal. The wide bars on the pavement marking the crosswalk appear to be made up of large blocks, either laying on top of the pavement or floating a few inches above it. 3D crosswalks were studied in a 2012 thesis at Western Michigan University, which found little evidence 3D crosswalks actually make drivers behave differently, long-term.

Britannia Park recommended for cyclist parking

By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa, August 10, 2018

West-end cyclists could soon be allowed to park their vehicles at Britannia Park.

In June, several cyclists complained to CTV News about receiving a $95 ticket for parking at city-owned parks along the Ottawa River. The cyclists would park their vehicles at Andrew Haydon Park or other parks in the area and then cycle the rest of the way to work.

The City of Ottawa is now touting a parking lot on the upper tier of Britannia Park as a place for cyclists to park their vehicles.  Staff recommend setting aside 10 of the spots for cyclists.

The parking lot off Carling Avenue is 500 metres to the multi-use pathway.

How one Canadian food court eliminated 117 bags of garbage a day

By Emily Chung, Christine Birack and Melanie Glanz, CBC News, August 10, 2018

Reduce, Reuse and Rethink is a CBC News series about recycling. We're exploring why our communities are at a turning point and exploring ways to recycle better. You can be part of the conversation by joining our Facebook group.

The food court at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto used to generate 120 bags of garbage a day. Now it produces just three — despite the fact that it serves noodles, fried chicken, burgers and other fast foods to 24,000 customers a day.

"It actually just goes to show the type of waste that is here in the food collection or after you finish your meal — how much of that is actual garbage," said Claire Santamaria, the mall's general manager.

Route 12 changes halted amid backlash

By CBC News Ottawa, August 10, 2018

The City of Ottawa has changed plans for bus route 12 following rider backlash.

​The OC Transpo bus normally runs from Blair station to Montreal Road and Rideau Street, then along Wellington Street and up Bank Street to Slater Street.

As part of the new fall schedule, the route was no longer going to go through the downtown core.

• Vanier residents frustrated by changes to OC Transpo bus route

The city had said the measure would ease congestion downtown by cutting back the number of buses there.

Spread of emerald ash borer worries First Nations basket makers hoping to pass on skills

By Jessica Deer, CBC News Ottawa, August 10, 2018

As the emerald ash borer continues to kill swaths of ash trees across Canada, First Nations communities are concerned about the cultural ramifications it will have on the resurgence of basketry.

"That little beetle is my boogeyman," said Carrie Hill, a basket maker from Akwesasne, near Cornwall, Ont.

"I've not been afraid of anything for a long time but that little beetle is scary."

City needs more money to keep paint on the roads

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 10, 2018

The city says it needs more money in its annual $2.95-million road painting budget to keep the standard markings from vanishing.

More people have been complaining about the quality of road markings in Ottawa since the federal government forced changes to the composition of the paint, a city analysis shows.

Coun. Diane Deans asked staff to explain in writing how federal regulations on road paint have impacted the city’s operations. The response was released publicly this week.

The city used solvent oil-based paint prior to 2012. Federal legislation in September 2012 required road-marking paint to be formulated with “low volatile organic compounds” and applied between May 1 and Oct. 15.

New bylaw could let homeowners rebuild on fringes of Gatineau Park

By Kimberley Molina, CBC News Ottawa, August 9, 2018

Residents in the Pontiac are conflicted over a proposed bylaw change that would allow private property owners to renovate, enlarge or even rebuild houses that fall inside or along the borders of Gatineau Park.

Around 25 residents turned out to a public meeting Wednesday night to find out more about the amendment, which would affect only residential, single family homes.

Right now, property owners aren't allowed to make more than minor fixes to their properties and even if a home has to be demolished, they are often only allowed to build on its exact footprint.

"I still think there's a clear and present danger to the park in terms of residential development," said Jean-Paul Murray of the Gatineau Park Protection Committee.

3D speed 'humps' coming to Ottawa

By CBC News Ottawa, August 9, 2018

Ottawa's first three-dimensional speed hump is coming to a road near Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre, as part of a pilot project aimed at slowing down motorists in the area.

The mid-block markings, which use textured paint to give the illusion of a raised speed hump, will be painted on Othello Avenue between Wingate Drive and Chapman Boulevard.

The speed hump is not a crosswalk.

City staff will study traffic speeds both before and after installation to determine whether the markings have the desired effect.

Innes candidates out to prove they can stickhandle hot planning files with councillor on leave

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 9, 2018

Municipal election candidates in an east-end ward are trying to show their planning chops on an application that proposes to change a community design plan while the local councillor is on leave from city hall.

The east urban community design plan calls for a low-density residential development on the forested land at 2983 Navan Rd. Taggart Realty Management wants the city to reclassify the land as commercial to allow a retail centre, which would have a grocery store, two restaurants, a drive-thru restaurant, a gas station with car wash and other stores.

(...)Since development applications are a key part of councillors’ advocacy work at city hall, council hopefuls are trying to engage the community on the file while Mitic is away. Four candidates are fighting to succeed Mitic, who’s not seeking re-election: Laura Dudas, Donna Leith-Gudbranson, Tammy Lynch and François Trépanier.

(...)Donna Leith-Gudbranson said her first instinct was to be concerned about the trees and impacts to the immediate neighbours, but as she talked to residents around in Chapel Hill South and Bradley Estates she learned they’re generally excited for local retailers and restaurants.

O-Train Line 2 temporarily replaced by bus next week

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, August 8, 2018

OC Transpo's O-Train Line 2, the Trillium Line, will be temporarily replaced by Route 107 bus service from Sunday, August 12, until Sunday, August 19, for planned maintenance.

This work is taking place during the summer when ridership is lower to minimize the impact on transit customers.

Route 107 buses will travel parallel to Line 2 between Bayview and South Keys stations every 15 minutes, with limited stops along the way to provide service near Line 2 stations.

New spider science confirming Northern Widow likely in Ottawa area

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, August 9, 2018

Although they are rarely seen, new research on North American spiders shows the Northern Widow does exist in eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec.

Professor and Dean of Students at McGill University Christopher Buddle told The Rick Gibbons Show on 1310 NEWS, as the climate changes, ranges for certain species will shift, and professional observations to track those shifts have been few and far between.

That's why he and his team recruited volunteers to help collect numbers for their project.