Weekly newsletter: February 6, 2024

Hi everyone!

Back in November, the original staff proposals for OC Transpo’s planned bus network realignment to coincide with the opening of Line 2 later this year were shared publicly with residents across Barrhaven.

(Please note no changes will happen until Line 2 is in service, currently expected spring or summer this year.)

Following an initial discussion with staff, Councillor Hill and I shared some requests and early feedback to improve the proposals, some of which were accepted by staff and incorporated into the proposed network - some suggestions, including keeping parts of routes 271 and 273, were deemed unfeasible.

As one of the most consequential changes to happen to the transit system since the launch of the LRT, we wanted to ensure it was done right with as much public feedback as possible.

Later in November, we hosted a virtual town hall to share the revised proposals with residents with the hopes of soliciting more feedback and to listen to your comments and questions. Thank you to the roughly 60 residents who participated.

All the feedback, suggestions, and concerns were taken from the town hall and helped guide staff and us to create the latest proposal, effective January 2024.

Public feedback mostly focused on three major themes: accountability, connectivity, and reliability. There were also a few other hyper-local inquiries mostly pertaining to service to new communities south of the Jock River in Councillor Hill’s ward.

Connectivity

From the start, I had a good idea of concerns regarding connectivity due to a combination of the 270-series routes’ cancellation, as well as added transfers for many passengers heading downtown. The town hall confirmed that.

OC Transpo staff acknowledged these as one of the most shared concerns throughout the route review process from Barrhaven commuters, especially with lots of bad experiences at Tunney’s Pasture.

They are committed to operating local services more frequently, especially at peak hours, to accommodate additional transfers some passengers may need to make.

By virtue of its location, the proposed bus routes in Barrhaven will offer a rail connection at both ends of the service. This means many of the mainline routes will have a higher frequency connection on both ends rather than just one end (financially, this will be good, since passengers will be getting on AND off in both directions).

In our Barrhaven East ward, the addition of Line 2’s Limebank Station as a major hub will provide residents with two options to get to/from downtown. Line 2 also services South Keys, Carleton University, and Dow’s Lake, and includes a new major park and ride at Bowesville Station for residents who want to avoid the local travel.

Beyond service coverage and where routes will go, details about frequency and span of service are not yet available, but Councillor Hill and I have been making a concerted push for better local frequency, especially during peak hours to avoid a repeat of Tunney’s Pasture.

Reliability

Many residents also shared concerns about reliability, especially as existing issues don’t instill much confidence in the success of the realigned network.

It is important to note while many delays are out of OC Transpo’s control, how the delays are managed is generally within their control. While most delay management happens ad-hoc as things happen, there are some things that can be done pre-emptively at the scheduling and route design phase.

Often, the smallest change can make the biggest difference.

One example is buses in the area of the Costco are often delayed by waiting for the left turn from Strandherd to Systemhouse, caused primarily by cars lining up to turn left in the right-hand left turn lane. With an underused left-hand left turn lane, the detection loops for the protected left “averages” out the traffic and often changes before all waiting vehicles have a chance to turn, including buses (buses and large vehicles usually use the outside turning lane).

To combat this known issue, we requested a slight jog that brought routes onto Cobble Hill and Maravista, so they can proceed straight across Strandherd using the collector streets.

Additionally, OC Transpo is also reviewing some of its internal processes, such as operator scheduling, route scheduling, and run design to improve reliability.

One such way is by eliminating interlining on mainline routes to “contain” delays to those routes. For example, a bus on route 80 that may become a 171 at Marketplace will no longer happen, meaning delays on Merivale Road will not affect a local bus route completely unrelated to Merivale.

Some local routes will likely still interline to maximise resource usage.

Accountability

The last main theme of the feedback we received was accountability. How will we know the goals of the route realignment will be realised and what happens if it does not work out?

Honestly speaking, this one was difficult to answer without straying into empty platitude territory.

Across Canada, transit systems that have achieved or exceeded pre-pandemic ridership are systems that haven’t centralised services around a downtown core, responded dynamically to changes in commuter behaviour, and increased service availability.

Most of the staff proposed route changes place a stronger emphasis on community travel while taking advantage of a new Line 2 opening next year. Some communities are losing duplicate express services, but improved connections to Line 2 provides a delicate balance between service, fares, and the transit levy.

During the town hall, there was uncertainty, worry, scepticism, and cynicism, and truthfully, I get it — this is a big change, and our city’s recent track record with big changes (or even just operating the service with no changes) hasn’t been great. This is something OC Transpo, Councillor Hill, and I all recognise and will need to work to repair.

Unfortunately, everything that’s being said now is just words. This is something that can only be proven after being set in action.

We all recognise this is likely the last chance for public transit to truly succeed in Ottawa, so at least from the two Barrhaven Councillors, we have been driving that message home as much as we can with staff.

Current proposals and future engagement

The latest version of the realigned bus network is thanks to staff’s collaboration and engagement from residents.

It’s likely these are the final version of routes servicing the community, though it’s still possible minor tweaks can be made.

Councillor Hill and I are planning for another virtual town hall shortly before the launch of Line 2 and the new network. It is important to note no changes to the bus network will happen until after Line 2 opens, since much of it does depend on Line 2.

Route 70

Previously displayed as route 117 or 170 in older maps, route 70 will become much of Barrhaven’s local circulator north of the Jock River, connecting residents with shopping, employment, community hubs, and local schools.

Route 70 replaces parts of present-day route 170, 171, and 173 and also crosses the Vimy Memorial Bridge to connect with Line 2 at Limebank Station.

Starting at Fallowfield Station, the route travels west to Larkin Drive before entering the shopping and employment hub at Citigate, then continues east to Marketplace via Tartan. The route then travels via Berrigan and Stoneway before heading southeast to cross the bridge towards Limebank.

It’s expected there will be school trips for students at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, but they will be planned separately with OSTA.

Route 73

Serving residents in the Leikin and Cresthaven corridors, route 73 likely represents the biggest service coverage improvement. It finally provides residents in those communities with a full-time connection to Fallowfield Station, along with a new connection to Limebank.

Most of the day, route 73 will operate between Fallowfield and Limebank.

From Fallowfield Station, the route travels briefly on the Transitway to Oriska and Mountshannon before crossing Woodroffe on Longfields. It then heads south on Leikin and Cresthaven before going east and crossing the bridge to Limebank via Earl Armstrong. This routing mirrors that of the current 278.

During weekday peak periods, route 73 will provide bi-directional service between Fallowfield and Tunney’s Pasture (most peak services operate in one direction only, so this will be great).

Route 74

Route 74 will remain unchanged with the exception of an eastward extension to Limebank Station from its current terminus at Riverview.

Route 75

This route will remain unchanged through Barrhaven East and continue to serve as the main Transitway route for Barrhaven.

However, the Gatineau extension during peak periods will no longer exist, and passengers will need to transfer to a new route 13 which will operate exclusively between Tunney’s Pasture and Gatineau.

The expectation is separating that branch will alleviate some crowding on the Gatineau buses while reducing the number of buses that are held up in traffic crossing the Ottawa River.

Route 80

Route 80 is proposed to remain mostly unchanged with the exception of a slight rerouting between Nepean Woods and Marketplace stations.

Instead of travelling via Chapman Mills and Beatrice, the route is proposed to remain on Strandherd between Longfields and Woodroffe to provide a faster trip as well as bring service closer to some residents along Strandherd.

Route 99

Shown in previous maps as route 119, route 99 is primarily intended as a connection for residents in Riverside South between Limebank and Marketplace, though residents along Strandherd near the Vimy Bridge and on Chapman Mills will benefit from additional service.

Residents should note the 99 will travel more locally through Riverside South and will take about 10 minutes longer than route 110 through that community.

Limited trips will also be provided to the Jockvale crossing area to service some residents in Councillor Hill’s ward.

Route 110

Slated to become the new major east-west route in Barrhaven, route 110 will be removed from Fallowfield Road to travel via Strandherd and Chapman Mills instead towards Limebank Station.

The route starts in Kanata North and travels the length of Kanata before heading to Barrhaven via Fallowfield Village. In Barrhaven, the route services Citigate before heading south and east on Strandherd. After servicing Marketplace Station, the route continues east along Chapman Mills, then Strandherd, the Vimy Bridge, and Earl Armstrong to Limebank.

Route 173

Route 173 will primarily serve as a local route for Councillor Hill’s residents along Kennevale, Sherway, and Malvern, along with some residents in my ward along Foxfield and Wolfgang.

The main change is after reaching Fallowfield Station, the route will continue south via the Transitway to Marketplace Station to provide Old Barrhaven with a connection to that shopping and employment area.

Routes 275 and 276

These routes are intended as express routes for new communities in Half Moon Bay and Manotick, but they will provide supplementary service along the Transitway at Fallowfield, Longfields, and Strandherd stations.

The routes will retain the current operating structure of express routes—non-stop between Hunt Club and Baseline, then off-only to Tunney’s Pasture in the morning, and non-stop from Tunney’s Pasture to Fallowfield in the afternoon.

Route 277

Route 277 is the only surviving 270-series route in the community and will remain unchanged.

The route will retain the current operating structure of express routes—non-stop between Hunt Club and Baseline, then off-only to Tunney’s Pasture in the morning, and non-stop from Tunney’s Pasture to Fallowfield in the afternoon.

Route 283

Primarily serving as a peak route for residents in Richmond and Munster Hamlet, residents in the community along Prince of Wales south of Strandherd will benefit from new service on Prince of Wales.

Route 283 will operate to Limebank Station in the morning and from Limebank Station in the afternoon.