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MANOR PARK CHRONICLE
november 2002
Public Works in Manor Park on St. Laurent
Boulevard
Manor Park residents will be aware of the road works currently
under way on St. Laurent Boulevard between Blasdell Avenue and
Sandridge Road. These works had become necessary because of the
state of the underground water mains and sewer lines in the area.
While the services along the roadway were being replaced,
automobile and buses were able to continue using St. Laurent
although the road was in a significantly disrupted state.
Eventually, trenching across the roadway was required to reconnect
the services to the individual properties. At this point it became
necessary to temporarily remove traffic from St. Laurent.
Bus service was rerouted around the works area using Eastbourne
Avenue, Ava Road and Kilbarry Crescent. Residents on those streets
were understandably concerned about buses operating safely on
streets where the children had not been accustomed to such
traffic. The actual detour was determined after looking at all
alternatives and taking many factors into consideration – e.g. the
capacity of the roadway to handle buses, minimizing the disruption
to users of the system and impact on the community. Staff, for
instance, determined that 400 people board the # 7 bus on weekdays
in that part of the regular circuit from St. Laurent/Eastbourne –
to – Sandridge – to – Birch/Farnham.
The streets being used for the bus detour also experienced
increased automobile traffic. That traffic was frequently
perceived to be driving inappropriately fast along those streets.
Signs restricting speeds to 40 km/hr were installed along with a
request for more frequent enforcement during this period. Signage
was also requested which would redirect through traffic to the
Aviation Parkway and the Rockcliffe Parkway.
Finally, the works themselves may be finished sooner than had been
indicated in the earlier communications that had been sent to the
affected parts of the community. Certainly, our staff is working
with the contractors to that end. All of the underground water
services must be in place before freeze-up. Currently, properties
along St. Laurent are receiving their water from temporary
aboveground lines. It is intended that the road surface on St.
Laurent will receive at least one layer of asphalt before the
winter. Finishing works, including a final asphalt layer, will
likely occur next spring. The detour will be discontinued,
however, just as soon as the road can carry the traffic and will
not await the finishing touches.
New Sidewalks on St. Laurent
Currently, no sidewalks exist on the west side of St. Laurent from
Jeffrey to Sandridge. This is the only stretch of St. Laurent
Boulevard for which this is true. It is proposed to take advantage
of the road works to rectify this situation, recognizing that St.
Laurent Boulevard, as all our roads, will carry slowly increasing
levels of traffic in the years to come. Already the roadway in
this area carries traffic normally found on major collectors. It
is proposed that the sidewalks along this side be installed
without affecting the very large mature trees along the roadway.
This means that the roadway will have to be narrowed and that,
consequently, on-street parking on the west side in this area will
be prohibited.
Bulb-outs on St. Laurent
In addition, the City is planning to construct intersection
narrowings both north and south of Blasdell on the east side of
St. Laurent Boulevard. These narrowings should have a moderating
effect on vehicle speeds in this part of the corridor and will
provide an improved bus stop within the travelled portion of the
roadway on the south side. Speeds of vehicles, including that of
buses, have been a concern of residents for some time. It is
expected that these modifications, along with a smoother road
surface (i.e. less vibrations), will address some of these
problems.
Former School on Karen Way
This former school building has been sold to a private developer.
I have not yet learned of any redevelopment or rezoning proposals.
I will keep your community association informed of any plans as
soon as I am informed.
Pesticides
The proposal for a by-law to limit or ban the cosmetic use of
pesticides/herbicides on private property will likely be on the
agenda of the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee of
Council on November 21, 2002. Members of the public may address
the Committee for 5 minutes. In view of the controversy
surrounding this issue, anyone wishing to speak would be well
advised to book time by calling the committee coordinator, Monique
Beauregard at 580-2424 # 21622 or at monique.beauregard@ottawa.ca
.
Budget 2003
As usual there will be an information meeting in the Ward once the
budget proposals are tabled which is expected in mid-November. The
time and place of the meeting for Rideau-Rockcliffe is not yet
known but will be posted on the Rideau-Rockcliffe web site. This
budget exercise may well establish guidelines and a long-term
strategy for future councils.
You can communicate with me at (please include a telephone
number):
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2483, Fax: 580-2523
e-mail:
jacques.legendre@ottawa.ca
Web Site:
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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