City to pilot bus-only lanes on Bank Street

Anyone who lives in Ottawa knows how agonizing it is to take the 6 or 7 bus down Bank Street, especially if it’s game time at Lansdowne.

According to transportation staff at the City of Ottawa, the average travel time across the 1.6 km section of Bank Street between Highway 417 and the Rideau Canal can reach as high as 18 minutes during major events.

With transit ridership on this corridor more than double that of streets such as Elgin Street, Bronson Avenue and Main Street, this is a problem the city is looking to alleviate.

The city is in the midst of conducting the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study, looking at options to increase the efficiency of travel along Bank Street.

“To improve transit operations along the corridor, the option of converting the curbside lane to a bus-only lane was explored,” city said in a memo to council. “Various ideas were considered, including both permanent (24-hour) bus lanes on certain segments of Bank Street, as well as options with bus lanes provided at certain times of the day and on-street parking allowed at other times.”

Twenty-four hour bus lane segments are set to be installed northbound between Regent Street and Fourth Avenue, southbound between Fourth Avenue and Thornton Avenue, southbound between Holmwood Avenue and Wilton Crescent, and northbound south of Aylmer Avenue.

These 24-hour segments will be permanent. The city says this will remove 17 on-street parking spaces from Bank Street.

The city is also recommending a pilot project would implement bus-only lanes in certain areas northbound between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and southbound between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Staff said the morning and afternoon peak period temporary lanes would reduce travel time by up to 60 seconds per trip.

Staff are proposing a pilot of time of day bus lanes along Bank Street. (City of Ottawa)

The Centretown Community Association (CCA) said it is optimistic about the study of transit feasibility along the Bank Street corridor, but that the current proposal does not go far enough.

CCA President Robert Dekker penned an open letter to city staff that would further prioritize alternative transit across Bank Street.

“As OC Transpo faces reliability and confidence issues, we need to prioritize fast and reliable public transit,” he wrote. “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 CCA is proposing the following adjustments:

Expanding the duration of bi-direction active bus lanes;

Expanding the number of 24/7 bus lane sections;

Increasing the use of transit priority signals across Bank Street;

Expanding the definition of large events requiring bus lanes should be expanded to include events like 613flea and Ottawa Charge games; and

Improving signage to direct drivers to the Second Avenue parking garage.

“Once implemented, we believe the project should be reviewed within the first six months with consideration taken to increase bus lane durations and to expand bus lane durations and to expand bus lane locations, including in Centretown,” Dekker wrote.

The recommendation will come before Public Works and Infrastructure Committee March 30.