Over a dozen OC Transpo routes run through Rideau-Vanier. They are consistently slow, infrequent, and unreliable.
Rideau-Vanier is uniquely impacted by three citywide issues: the high cost of living, the climate crisis, and health and safety. All three can be addressed by replacing car dependency with a good quality public transit system.
When transit means being late for class, missing appointments, or waiting half an hour in the elements with a load of groceries, many people opt to Uber or buy a car rather than deal with such daily nuisance. Not only are cars a financial burden at $16,000 a year, but they are fueling the climate crisis. Wildfires, derechos, erratic weather… Ottawa is feeling the impacts like never before. Not to mention the erosion of green space and biodiversity as we sprawl outward. Then there are the immediate harms of car dependency, from air pollution to the many residents injured or killed by drivers while walking or riding their bike. Just this Fall, two women were killed in Vanier and Sandy Hill.
Those who do not or cannot drive are punished with poor public transit. Women and people with mobility issues especially find transit to be an unsafe experience when it involves waiting for long stretches at poorly lit bus stops, being packed onto crowded buses, or having to walk home at night because it ends up being faster. True community safety of course requires an abundance of affordable housing, good jobs, and accessible services; a frequent, reliable transit system helps connect people to all three.
When one in three people drive in an exceptionally walkable ward, that is a huge missed opportunity for public transit.
Our commuter-centric model must evolve to serve people outside the 9-5 demographic. We need to give people traveling at all hours of the day — students, retail workers, caregivers, seniors, and people with disabilities — a transit system worth using. The city would become safer, greener, and more affordable for it.
The following demands to improve bus service in Rideau-Vanier are based on feedback collected from residents, local advocacy groups, a Student Transit Forum at uOttawa, and an online community survey.
FREQUENCY
A lack of frequent service is a top issue for riders. We need more buses, yet the city continues to retire older ones without replacing them. Having buses come more often isn’t just a matter of convenience, but of safety and accessibility.
To make transit more frequent, we need:
- to accelerate the acquisition of electric buses and use them to expand, not replace, the existing fleet.
- higher all day frequency for the 6, 7, 12, 14, 16 and 19
- more night service on local routes 5, 12, 16, 19, and 56 to address last mile challenges from hubs like Rideau Centre and uOttawa
- more weekend service on the 6 and 7
RELIABILITY
Planned extensions of the 5, 12, 16, and 18 will reduce the number of transfers for riders, but will also expose these routes to more traffic and choke points throughout the city. Many popular routes are already late 40% of the time because they have to crawl down major roads during periods of congestion — yes, morning and evening, but also midday and weekends.
To make transit faster and more reliable for riders at all times of day, we need
- 24/7 dedicated bus lanes on the four lane sections of Rideau Street, Montreal Road, and Beechwood.
Note: whereas peak-hour lanes are rife with violations, red painted lanes clearly communicate the rules to drivers; overhead cameras are critical for enforcement.
- traffic signal priority at intersections to give buses early/late greens.
- all-door boarding.
ACCESSIBILITY
- Heated bus shelters along Montreal, Rideau, and Laurier with seating and multiple exits for safety
- More trees around stops to offer shade
- Same-day booking for Para Transpo
- Free transit for ODSP recipients and low income riders
- Prioritize apartment complexes for bus shelters out front
SAFETY
- Address last mile challenges at night by advertising front door drop off service so people know about it
- On popular routes, use more articulated and double decker buses to avoid crowding
- Timely snow clearing around bus stops
Delphine Robitaille, President, University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU)
Nick Grover, Executive member, Free Transit Ottawa
Kari Glynes-Elliot, Board member, Ottawa Transit Riders
Valerie Stam, Operations Director, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
Alice Irene Whittaker, Executive Director, Ecology Ottawa
Bader Abu Zahra, Chair, Ottawa-Vanier ACORN
Dominic Santos, Transportation Committee Chair, Lowertown Community Association