Ottawa to test bus-only lanes on Bank Street in the Glebe

Bus-only lanes could be installed on stretches of Bank Street to improve OC Transpo movement in the Glebe. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

Three-hour bus-only lanes could be installed on a stretch of Bank Street to improve OC Transpo movement on a busy transit route in the Glebe.

A report for the public works and infrastructure committee recommends the city roll out a 15-month pilot project to evaluate “time-of-day bus lanes” on sections of a 1.6-kilometre stretch of Bank Street. Staff also propose installing four permanent 24-hour bus lane segments on Bank Street at Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue and near Lansdowne.

The City of Ottawa has been conducting the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study, looking at options to improve transit efficiency and reliability along Bank Street between Highway 417 and the Rideau Canal.

Bank Street is a key transit corridor serving OC Transpo’s second and third-busiest routes, and is a key link for transit to Redblacks, Charge, 67’s and other events at Lansdowne Park.

Staff are recommending a bus-only lane be installed in the northbound lanes on Bank Street, between Homlwood Avenue and Pretoria Avenue, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and a southbound bus lane on Bank Street, between Powell Avenue and Holmwood Avenue, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“Bank Street is an important transit corridor, and there is a clear need to reduce bus travel time and variability along the corridor to improve the service offered to existing customers and attract new customers,” staff said.

The bus-only lane would replace the lane closest to the curb, where on-street is permitted during non-peak periods.

The report proposes the city conduct a 15-month pilot project to “test and refine” the limited time bus-only lanes in the northbound and southbound lanes of Bank Street.

Permanent 24-hour bus lanes will also be installed on Bank Street in the following areas:

• Northbound between Regent Street and Fourth Avenue (~100 metres)
• Southbound between Fourth Avenue and Thornton Avenue (~100 metres)
• Southbound between Holmwood Avenue and Wilton Crescent (~190 metres)
• Northbound south of Aylmer Avenue (~70 metres)

The report says the permanent 24-hour bus lanes in the four areas would result in the removal of 17 parking spaces.

Joanne Saunders, executive director of Acorn Early Learning Centre, says parking spaces are already difficult to come by in the area.

“People can’t park anywhere hardly any more. I feel like I don’t have any parking left for my clientele because parking is at such a low,” Saunders said.

Last fall, staff suggested the morning and afternoon peak period bus lanes would reduce bus travel time by up to 60 seconds per trip.

The report notes on-street parking is prohibited in the curbside lanes on Bank Street between Highway 417 and Holmwood Avenue during the morning and afternoon peak periods, with the lanes used by vehicles, transit and trucks.

Glebe resident Robert Sims says dedicated bus lanes are “desperately needed.”

“The traffic up and down Bank Street has just gotten even worse and worse,” Sims said.

“Get rid of the cars because it’s all drive through traffic, and we need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, functioning bus lanes.”

The report says it will cost $250,000 for pavement markings and signage for the bus-only lanes during the pilot project, while the loss of 17 parking spaces in the permanent bus lane locations will result in a loss of $73,000 in parking meter revenue.

Bus lanes during major events

Last September, city staff proposed bus lanes on Bank Street during major events at Lansdowne Park, including concerts and Ottawa Redblacks games.

The report says while bus lanes extending beyond the morning and afternoon peak periods on Bank Street are recommended, the city will wait until the pilot project is complete before expanding bus-only lanes.

“At the same time, it is recognized that there are many trade-offs to consider, and that the impact of the bus-only lanes on transit and traffic operations may differ from modelling predictions under real-world conditions,” staff said.

“As a result, a pilot project is recommended to test and refine the time-of-day bus lanes before moving forward with permanent implementation.”

Centretown Community Association calls for expanded bus lanes

The Centretown Community Association is calling on the City of Ottawa to implement more bus-only lanes as part of proposed changes to traffic flow on Bank Street in the Glebe, and look at expanding transit lanes into Centretown.

In an open letter to city staff, the Centretown Community Association said the current proposal “does not go far enough to prioritize public transportation and move as many people as possible.”

“As OC Transpo faces reliability and confidence issues, we need to prioritize fast and reliable public transit,” says the letter, signed by Centretown Community Association president Robert Dekker.

“Bus lanes are a great way to reduce operating costs, speed up travel times, and increase the number of people that will ride the bus.”

The Centretown Community Association proposes the following changes to the Bank Street Transit Study:

• Bi-direction bus lanes whenever in use and “the city should consider expanding the duration of active bus lanes,” the association said.
• The number of 24/7 bus lane sections should be expanded.
• There should be more frequent use of transit priority signals throughout Bank Street.
• The definition of large events requiring bus lanes should be expanded to include events like 613flea and Ottawa Charge games.
• Signage should be improved to direct drivers to the Second Avenue parking garage.

“We really think that considering the transit crisis right now in Ottawa, that bus lanes are a really great way to speed up transit and to reduce costs,” Derrick Simpson, Transportation Chair of the Centretown Community Association, told CTV News.  

The Centretown Community Association is also proposing a pilot project for the Bank Street Transit Study for bus lane durations, and the city to look into expanding bus lanes into Centretown.

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