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Rockcliffe
park newsletter
JANVIER
2007
NEWS FROM CITY HALL
The Demise of ‘this’ LRT Design – What Lessons Can Be Learned?
Readers may be most interested in knowing how their
representative voted and why. The following is a short synopsis
of recent events:
1. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2006 – Mayor O’Brien proposed an amended LRT,
removing the problematic downtown section. That proposal,
conditional on senior government funding for the truncated
system, narrowly passed 12-11. I supported it since it removed
my own objections to the system design. This was portrayed as a
flip-flop by the mayor because of his statements during the
campaign. Personally, I felt that he took a courageous position.
He tried to fix the major defect of the proposed system. Others
questioned - “how could a system, not serving the downtown,
clearly the destination of choice for most transit riders, make
better sense than a system actually reaching downtown?”
It’s a very good question. I had voted against the full system
in July because of the downtown portion and the effect that this
would have on our downtown. It proposed to add surface trains to
the already congested Albert & Slater Street bus corridors. That
approach was doomed to poor performance and most certainly would
have continued the abuse of those downtown streets. Anyone
familiar with the streets today will admit that they are
unpleasant ‘traffic sewers’ in our downtown. The system proposed
in July would have continued to sacrifice these streets, at
great expense, and yet be susceptible to disruptions for a host
of reasons typical of busy downtowns. The ‘truncated’ system
kept the best of the earlier system and removed its major flaw.
Of course, the North-South LRT would need to connect to the
downtown. But remember that the N-S line was to be the first of
an entire system of LRT lines serving Ottawa, east-west as well
as north-south. Those lines will also need to get commuters to
the downtown. Revisiting the downtown leg allowed Ottawa to
build on a stronger foundation for the future. We were finally
going to take a serious look at putting that downtown link
underground. There are plenty of examples of cities that have
neglected their downtowns and paid a heavy price. We should
learn from their experience.
2. Thursday, December 14, 2006 – Council reconvened to consider
whether the funding conditions for the truncated system had been
met. It was my belief that they had. The province had agreed and
the federal Treasury Board Minister, the Honourable John Baird,
had given his written assurance, on December 12th, in the
following terms – “I am pleased to reiterate that the Government
of Canada remains committed to providing $200 million to the
City of Ottawa for public transit infrastructure, even in light
of this new direction (i.e. excluding the downtown portion). You
have my full support.” I voted against abandoning the LRT
proposal. Council disagreed and terminated the agreement by a
vote of 13-11.
Where do we go from here and what lessons should we learn? I
believe that we had the right mass transit technology for the
future. I also believe that LRT will be back with a better
system design. A future design ought to deal with our major
system bottleneck – the downtown – as a starting point. Council
should never again agree to so much secrecy on a major public
works decision. Also, Council should insist on being presented
with all of the options put forward by the responding firms. The
public, and their representatives, ought to see all of the
choices available.
Perhaps the Mayor’s Task Force on Transportation will provide
some guidance on a way forward.
2007 Budget
You are invited to an information/consultation evening on
Monday, February 12, 2007, 7:00 P.M. at the Manor Park School.
Kent Kirkpatrick, the City Manager will present an overview of
the 2007 draft budget. This will be followed by a question &
answer session. This is also a good opportunity to share your
views on the proposed budget with your neighbours and your
representative. I hope to see you then.
Princess Road Reconstruction
The NCC is currently designing a roundabout at the intersection
of Princess Avenue, Rockcliffe Parkway, and Tea House Road. A
public meeting will be planned for March to review the project
details. Construction is anticipated (budget dependent) for 2007
on the Roundabout, and will include construction on Princess
Avenue/Lisgar Road if details can be finalized. I expect that
the public meeting will discuss both projects.
Season's Greetings
I take this opportunity, on behalf of my family and myself, to
extend to all Best Wishes for Health, Prosperity and Personal
Serenity in 2007.
Meilleurs vœux
Je profite de cette occasion pour vous souhaiter mes meilleurs
vœux pour une année de santé, prospérité et sérénité.
Councillor Jacques Legendre
I can be contacted by telephone at 580-2483, by fax at 580-2523
or by email at
jacques.legendre@ottawa.ca
Visit your web site at
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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