The wheels are in motion to install bus-only lanes on a four-kilometre stretch of Merivale Road in Ottawa’s west end. Councillors on the public works and infrastructure committee approved the statement of work for the environmental assessment study to place bus lanes on Merivale Road on Thursday morning. The Transportation Master Plan approved earlier this year identified “continuous bus lanes on Merivale Road between Baseline Road and Slack Road to address the city’s mobility needs in the future,” staff said in the report. “The project is intended to improve transit operations and supports the City’s goal of increasing the use of sustainable travel modes.” The plan would see bus-only lanes installed on a four-kilometre stretch of Merivale Road, between Baseline Road and Slack Road. Several bus routes use Merivale Road, including routes 80, 53, 189, 117 and 187. The report notes buses also use Merivale Road to access the OC Transpo bus garage on Colonnade Road. Staff say an environmental assessment would identify a “recommended functional design for the corridor and confirm property requirements.” “I’m very glad to see more city investment and attention paid on the west end transportation options that we so desperately need,” Coun. Laine Johnson said during the committee meeting. “When looking at Merivale Road, it’s a very heavy car corridor. A lot of people use it as one of the few north-south routes.” Johnson asked staff if the city will look at all modes of transportation using Merivale Road. Staff said the environmental assessment will look at all modes of transportation, including vehicles and cyclists. The Transportation Master Plan identified the need for bus lanes on Merivale Road as part of the “Needs-Based Transit Network,” along with a shorter segment between Baseline and Woodfield Drive. “At the northern limit of the project, the transit improvements will be integrated with the planned Transitway (median bus lanes) on Baseline Road,” staff said. The Transportation Master Plan said the rationale for the Merivale Road bus lanes included, “supports fast and reliable transit service along a high ridership, increasingly congested corridor, and supports intensification.” Staff say the Environmental Assessment for the Merivale Road transit priority project will also look for opportunities for safe and barrier-free access for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists, review travel demand forecasts along the route and undertake a road safety analysis to identify and address potential safety concerns. The report will develop a recommended plan for the corridor, including a functional design and capital cost estimates. There is no word on when construction could begin, but the Transportation Master Plan outlines transit priority projects until 2046.
