Weird thing is, I'm not sure if I'm one of them or not... I mean, I'm fighting for the LRT project, but I'm fighting to keep the tunnel instead of doing at-grade. So I'm not exactly sure what that makes me, haha.
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Ottawa Confederation Line LRT (City of Ottawa, U/C)
- Thread starter green22
- Start date
Weird thing is, I'm not sure if I'm one of them or not... I mean, I'm fighting for the LRT project, but I'm fighting to keep the tunnel instead of doing at-grade. So I'm not exactly sure what that makes me, haha.
Dan416
Senior Member
For a smaller city like Ottawa, grade-separated LRT is a good choice.
For a large city like Toronto, grade-separated LRT would be fine if the whole thing was grade-separated. Furthermore, certain non-grade separated LRTs planned for Toronto make zero sense (see: Sheppard East LRT, Scarborough LRT).
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Have you seen Sheppard Avenue East, as it is now?
[video=youtube;YAcDrGIplLA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAcDrGIplLA[/video]
Series of videos.
nfitz
Superstar
I agree, for a primary line through downtown.
Much bigger cities than Toronto have been building non-grade-separated LRT in the suburbs.
But at-grade for a primary line through downtown is NOT a good solution, THAT is what I'm arguing against.
nfitz
Superstar
I agree. They'd be crazy to stop the transitway tunnel in Ottawa now ...
... but that's what is very typical of what happens in Ottawa. You can almost count on it ...
Not sure how often the feds and province will turn around and refund the next project ...
Well the money is already on the table, it's not like if the project is modified they're going to take it off the table. But I agree, I just hope Ottawans aren't stupid enough to vote for somebody who says they're going to cancel the tunnel. A few ward politicians have been using it as leverage to get votes from uninformed voters (ie playing on the fears that it'll cost too much). One ward councillor has been posting on the Ottawa Citizen Blog that I posted earlier, and actually suggested that running the new Bombardier OMNEO trains at-grade down Slater St through downtown would be a good idea (it's a commuter train!!). THIS is what I'm up against. How do you challenge that beyond simply saying "you're an idiot"?
And PS: I hope that my advocacy for this project dispells some of the claims that have been made by people on here that I'm "anti-LRT" or even "anti-transit". Just saying 
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Dan416
Senior Member
And PS: I hope that my advocacy for this project dispells some of the claims that have been made by people on here that I'm "anti-LRT" or even "anti-transit". Just saying
You're an LRTista in HRT clothing
Good news on the Ottawa LRT and Municipal Election front. According to a recent poll, transit is the top election issue. Also, nearly 60% of people polled support the downtown tunnel. Very encouraging news.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Transit+issue+among+Ottawa+voters+poll/3218216/story.html
Also, Clive Doucet (current council member), has revealed his transit plan. Lovers of at-grade in-median LRT may love it, I'm not a big fan of it. Using Carling Ave as a primary LRT corridor is not a wise decision. Using it as a supplementary LRT corridor, I have no problem with.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Doucet+promises+ambitious+light+rail+system/3489733/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Transit+issue+among+Ottawa+voters+poll/3218216/story.html
Also, Clive Doucet (current council member), has revealed his transit plan. Lovers of at-grade in-median LRT may love it, I'm not a big fan of it. Using Carling Ave as a primary LRT corridor is not a wise decision. Using it as a supplementary LRT corridor, I have no problem with.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Doucet+promises+ambitious+light+rail+system/3489733/story.html
AnarchoSocialist
Active Member
^I'm not surprised to hear that news. Especially since the the strike, though really it extended a few years before that, transit has been a big issue in this city. The endless line up of buses in the downtown area, delays, and difficulties of expanding for OC Transpo are what is driving the Downtown Tunnel and the LRT network that is connected into it.
Ottawa seems to be moving away from the image of itself as a small town with a Capital/Federal zone in its centre. There are, and still going to be a group of older citizens, or those from the Valley that will never let go of this image, but more and more people seem to see it as a large city, as a place that should be cosmopolitan and exciting. The changes I've noticed since in the past 10 years really speak to this attitude shift (more nightlife, a lot of urban development, money being spent on improving the urban areas, wanting to overhaul transit, etc).
Doucet may say one thing now, but on the chance he is elected I don't think he would opt for his plan. I wouldn't be surprised to see him change his tune part way through the election and back the current plan, there is just too much support for the current plan. Now that funding is in place, I would say this project should easily be able to make it through an election unscathed.
Ottawa seems to be moving away from the image of itself as a small town with a Capital/Federal zone in its centre. There are, and still going to be a group of older citizens, or those from the Valley that will never let go of this image, but more and more people seem to see it as a large city, as a place that should be cosmopolitan and exciting. The changes I've noticed since in the past 10 years really speak to this attitude shift (more nightlife, a lot of urban development, money being spent on improving the urban areas, wanting to overhaul transit, etc).
Doucet may say one thing now, but on the chance he is elected I don't think he would opt for his plan. I wouldn't be surprised to see him change his tune part way through the election and back the current plan, there is just too much support for the current plan. Now that funding is in place, I would say this project should easily be able to make it through an election unscathed.
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Nah, Doucet is an LRT-ista in full force. Anything that is grade-separated he won't go for. He was one of the main proponents of the 1st LRT plan (2nd only to Chiarelli). He truly belives that Carling Ave is suitable as a primary transit corridor.
Fortunately, he's polling at around 5%, which pretty much means he doesn't have a hope in hell of winning. And because that means he's not running for council, he and his "transit plan" will be out of sight, out of mind, after the election is over.
On another note, Watson of late has certainly changed his tune regarding the tunnel. At first it was "once the tendered cost estimates come back, we'll see if they're within budget, then we'll make a decision", now it's more "let's get on with it already". Should be interesting to see if O'Brien manages to capitalize on the LRT plan (it pretty much is his legacy project), now that Watson is openly supporting it.
The LRT Tunnel debate in Ottawa is all but over. Watson has officially come out as 100% in support of the project. This means the only two candidates with a hope in hell of winning it both support the current plan. Good news for Ottawa.
http://jimwatson.ca/article137-WATSON-TO-GET-TRANSIT-BACK-ON-TRACK
http://jimwatson.ca/article137-WATSON-TO-GET-TRANSIT-BACK-ON-TRACK
reaperexpress
Senior Member
That's great news for Ottawa! Now they need to make their downtown less dead.
nfitz
Superstar
Wow. They might actually build something! When did they start talking about a tunnel. Late 1970s?
Now how about a couple of bridges across the Ottawa River ... or an LRT tunnel.
Now how about a couple of bridges across the Ottawa River ... or an LRT tunnel.