Category: Trillium Line

O-Train, Ottawa, Trillium Line9 Comments

Helen Gault Pole relocated

Westsideaction

A familiar old feature to west siders and OTrain users is no more. We shall miss it (not). Sniff sniff. When the original OTrain (now, Trillium Line OTrain) was built back in 2001, city staff were under pressure to do the demonstration project on a shoestring budget. I gather from old hands that were present back then, that a decision was made by Helen Gault at the city to route the track around an existing utility pole in the middle of the field. This was done to avoid the cost of moving said pole. Again, old hands tell me that … Continue reading Helen Gault Pole relocated

Carling Ave, Confederation Line, design, Lyon Street, O-Train, Ottawa, Trillium Line

New graphic identity for Confederation line?

Westsideaction

The City unveiled the final streetscaping plan for several blocks of Queen Street around the two downtown Confederation Line stations (Lyon, and Parliament). One detail I noticed was the graphic logo for the Stations, consisting of a bright red circle (donut?) on a stick. Here’s the one at Lyon Station: and another at Parliament Station by the old Zellers: and again at the link between the two towers of the Clarica /Sunlife Centre: Of course we need a graphic logo that can (eventually) instantly identify where the Station entrances are for locals and tourists alike. On the existing transitway, the bright … Continue reading New graphic identity for Confederation line?

Confederation Line, downtown, NCC, Ottawa, Phoenix, Transit, Trillium Line2 Comments

VIA Rail, Climate Change, and Naiomi on a streetcar

Westsideaction

Every time there is a new Liberal government in Ottawa, VIA Rail appears, exactly on schedule, to promote spending money   investing on a dedicated passenger rail network in The Corridor (Windsor-Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City, or some subset thereof). While the “solution” is always … Continue reading VIA Rail, Climate Change, and Naiomi on a streetcar

bike path, Carling Ave, cycling in Ottawa, design, Dows Lake, NCC, O-Train, OTrain bike path, pedestrians, Preston street, sewage and drains, surface water, Trillium Line, walkways9 Comments

Trillium Path Extended to Carling Avenue

Westsideaction

As promised by the City, the extension of the Trillium (OTrain) pathway from Young to Carling Avenue is essentially complete. I think it is wonderful. Multi-user pathways (MUP’s) get better with every new build. The most significant new feature for a MUP is a physical separation of people who cycle from people who walk, or animals who walk their humans. The bike path portion remains full width; the pedestrian portion is additional, bonus width. There is a very low curb between the two paths to separate them. The lowness of the curb prevents a pedal from getting caught. The separated … Continue reading Trillium Path Extended to Carling Avenue

Bayview Station, bike path, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, design, hintonburg, O-Train, OTrain bike path, pedestrians, Scott street, Trillium Line, walkways2 Comments

Navigating Scott-Albert (east bound)

Westsideaction

Alas, for those people walking or cycling east towards the downtown, there won’t be a separated multi-user path, nor as direct a path as along the north side of Scott and Albert. Starting near Tunney’s, there is a south-side east-bound painted bike lane, which I suppose it a wee tad better than cycling with sharrows in the “50KMH” lanes: The cycling lane is “buffered” from cars, trucks, and buses by a 2′ painted median, but the cycling lane is also the right turn lane and driveway access lane. And boy, are there ever a lot of those: There are many … Continue reading Navigating Scott-Albert (east bound)

Albert St, Bayview, Bayview Station, bike path, Confederation Line, cycling in Ottawa, Empress St, LeBreton Flats, O-Train, Scott street, sidewalks, streetscaping, Trillium Line, walkways

Navigating Albert-Scott (westbound)

Westsideaction

People who drive westwards from the downtown using Albert and then Scott have big flashing traffic signs, painted arrows, and scrupulously scraped bare pavement. While the lane markings are new, the learning curve should be short. My only bugbear on this so far is the sudden merge of the two westbound traffic lanes around Brickhill Street (just before Good Companions). People who cycle and people who walk face some more challenges. To RTG’s credit a few small ped directional signs have appeared near Bayview Station. So maybe it is worthwhile to follow the route for people who walk or cycle … Continue reading Navigating Albert-Scott (westbound)

O-Train, OTrain bike path, pedestrians, planning, Queensway, Trillium Line1 Comment

Qway Overpass Replacements, part ii, the (N)oTrain and Pathway

Westsideaction

There is an enormous bridge structure just west of Preston, where the Queensway spans the OTrain cut. It is enormous because it spans not only the cut, but allows for a 2 – 4 lane freeway on each side of the cut, the defunct Champagne Freeway, that would have connected the airport parkway at Confederation Heights to the Fairy Lake Parkway in Gatineau. (*diagram below) A few years back the space on the east side was improved to make the OTrain multi user path. We had to dragoon the city into building it, and much to their surprise (but not … Continue reading Qway Overpass Replacements, part ii, the (N)oTrain and Pathway

Confederation Line, design, LRT, O-Train, Seattle, Trillium Line

Bus stop Bus stop, part iii, LRT in Ottawa and Seattle, with videos

Westsideaction

  I trotted off for an evening walk and ended up at Lansdowne Park and presto [pardon the pun] there was the new Confederation Otrain. Sort of. Inside it looked very familiar: The deja vu all over again feeling was partially due to a flood of memories of using the Seattle LRT last year. Although Seattle has Korean-made equipment. With that in mind, let’s peek into a Seattle downtown station.   Their downtown station is used by diesel buses and the LRT. In the pic above, note the [indoor] escalator; the electric pick up lines suspended a few inches below the … Continue reading Bus stop Bus stop, part iii, LRT in Ottawa and Seattle, with videos

Confederation Line, LRT, Trillium Line14 Comments

Extending the OTrain Trillium Line South to Airport / Riverside South

Westsideaction

The City has been planning for quite some time to extend the existing OTrain Trillium Line further south, from Greenboro to Leitrim or Bowes Road. They will be holding public meetings on all the changes required and plans, on Jan 13 at Durrell Rec Centre, and Jan 15th, 6-8pm, at St Anthony Hall. I encourage anyone with an interest to go and support the extended service. And press for its early start. Currently, the red trainsets run every 15 minutes. There are two trains in operation at any one time on the single-track line, passing each other in the middle … Continue reading Extending the OTrain Trillium Line South to Airport / Riverside South

condos, design, LeBreton Flats, Library, LRT, Ottawa, Trillium Line5 Comments

Building LeBetter Flats, part 6, The Sens again, with Plan B

Westsideaction

If all that overindulgence in food and sweets still permits, recall the story a short while ago about the Senators moving to LeBreton Flats.  https://www.westsideaction.ca/lebetter-flats-part-3-senators-go-marching/ As I pointed out then, it makes much more sense for a new hockey palace to go west of Preston rather than close to Booth. Reasons? It would be adjacent the major station (Bayview) where the east-west Confederation Line crosses the north-south Trillium line (formerly known as the OTrain). The Prince of Wales former railway bridge over to Gatineau is supposed to have a cantilevered bike and ped path on it by 2018, according to our … Continue reading Building LeBetter Flats, part 6, The Sens again, with Plan B