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The City of Ottawa wants to launch a mix of permanent and trial-run bus-only lanes along various curbside stretches of Bank Street in the Glebe by the summer of 2027.
The plan, if approved by city councillors, would result in four permanent, 24-hour, bus-only lanes between Fourth and Woodlawn avenues.
In addition, a 15-month pilot project would see curbside lanes in several other sections of the neighbourhood reserved for buses, but only during certain times of the day. Select northbound stretches would be unavailable to other vehicles from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and southbound ones from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Those windows are each one hour longer than what was proposed in the version of the plan the city sought public feedback on last fall.
Here’s a two-panel Bank Street map the city has offered to help visualize what it now has in mind:
City of Ottawa (City of Ottawa)
The permanent lanes would be in play seven days a week, while the pilot project lanes would only apply during weekdays.
“Ultimately, bus lane hours extending beyond these peak periods … are recommended, including during a greater number of Lansdowne events and on weekends,” according to the city.
The city says it would report back on the pilot’s results by the end of December 2028 and “evaluate and refine” the time-of-day bus lanes over the course of the trial run.
The current plan would eliminate 17 parking spaces — one more spot compared to the plan unveiled last year.
City staff are asking council’s public works and infrastructure committee to endorse the plan and greenlight detailed design and implementation work. City council would then need to vote the plan through.
‘Already a bit of a fight to find parking’
There’s been talk of changing the traffic profile of Bank Street in the Glebe for years. It’s one of Ottawa’s busiest corridors, with needs that are “complex and varied,” according to the city.
A 2020 proposal by Capital Coun. Shawn Menard to partially pedestrianize a few blocks between Glebe and Third avenues met with defeat at council.
The plan for bus-only lanes stems from a subsequent motion from Menard that asked staff to explore options to improve transit, walking and cycling on Bank Street between Highway 417 and the Rideau Canal.
“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,” according to the city’s report to the committee.
travel times (City Of Ottawa)
The city says it has received over 3,000 comments offering many different viewpoints.
“Many participants suggested on-street parking should be removed or reduced in favour of bus lanes, including during major events at Lansdowne. However, there is significant interest from the local business community in maintaining on-street parking and curbside access.”
June Creelman, a member of the board of the Glebe Community Association, said she thinks the consensus is that there’s enough parking to go around.
But Thomas Freeman, who regularly plays the blues at Irene’s Pub, says bus lanes would take away what he sees as already limited parking in the area.
“It’s already a bit of a fight to find parking even when going out to the side streets,” he told CBC.
The plan would result in a loss of 17 parking spaces. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)
According to the city, based on parking utilization data there is generally enough parking available within the area to accommodate the loss of on-street parking spaces during a typical weekday.
“However, the study team heard concerns from businesses that these locations are not as convenient for customers. The Lansdowne garage, in particular, is perceived as primarily serving the Lansdowne site itself.”
The public works and infrastructure committee will meet to discuss the city’s plan on March 30.