Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study

 Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study 

Options 

By Simon Morris 

The City of Ottawa conducted a feasibility study in June 2024 focused on enhancing Bank Street’s active transportation and transit (https://engage.ottawa.ca/bank-street-active-transportation-and-transit-priority-feasibility-study). The study presented four options aimed at improving the Glebe Bank Street corridor for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users while addressing existing challenges and anticipating future needs such as a steady growth in traffic. 

The study included statistics on the mix of how people move on Bank Street in the Glebe as well as bus travel times, which were on average between 4.5 minutes and 5.5 minutes during peak hours for the stretch of Bank Street from the 417 to the Bank Street Rideau Canal bridge. The study also summarized parking which stated that 7 per cent of parking in the Glebe is on Bank Street (143 spaces out of 2,000) and that parking at Lansdowne accounts for 971 spaces or almost 50 per cent. Average Bank Street parking peaked at about 75 per cent on Sundays during the day and evenings and about 75 per cent on Saturday evenings. The city’s Transportation Planning group is expected to present its recommendation this June to the public. The four options being considered are summarized here. 

Option A: 4 lanes, existing arrangement 

Option A proposes no major changes to Bank Street use though there could be some modest enhancements for improving transit flow (transit signal priority) and pedestrian safety. Key features include: 

• no dedicated bike or transit lanes; 

• 3 shared lanes in peak/rush hours (2 lanes in rush hour direction); 

• no changes to Bank Street parking; and 

• no parking on both sides of Bank Street during major Lansdowne events (15,000+ visitors). 

Option B: 4 lanes, dedicated transit lanes 

This option focuses on prioritizing transit by introducing dedicated lanes for buses. Highlights include: 

• dedicated bus lanes shared with bikes on both sides at the same time during rush/peak hours; 

• no dedicated bike lanes; 

• no Bank Street parking during rush/peak hours; and 

• no parking on both sides of Bank Street during major Lansdowne events. 

Option C: 3 lanes, dedicated northbound bus lane peak hours 

Option C proposes a dedicated northbound bus lane during a.m. and p.m. peak hours as northbound bus transit times are always slower than southbound. Key elements include: 

• parking on southbound (west side) Bank Street with bulb outs essentially eliminating one south bound lane; 

• no dedicated bike lanes. Dedicated northbound bus lane at peak hours shared with bikes; 

• southbound lane is always shared by all traffic; and 

• during major Lansdowne events street parking on southbound (west side) lane remains. 

Option D: 2 lanes, dedicated bike lanes, dedicated parking 

This ambitious option aims for a comprehensive transformation of Bank Street, creating a vibrant, multi-modal corridor. Main features include: 

• northbound and southbound dedicated bike lanes next to sidewalks; 

• permanent parking lane northbound (east side) with bulb-outs; and 

• no dedicated bus lanes at any time. One lane in each direction shared by all vehicles. 

Members of the Glebe Community Association (GCA) Transportation Committee compared these options against the committee’s mandate. This mandate includes nine guidelines including: 1) working to improve safety for all users of streets, sidewalks and pathways in the Glebe; and 2) promoting mobility choices for Glebe residents with an emphasis on transit and active transportation. Relative to this mandate the members ranked Option B the highest, and Option C closely behind with Option A least favoured. None of the options were seen as making pedestrian traffic significantly safer though the bike lanes and parking lanes provide some buffer to the vehicle traffic. The primary challenge in comparing these four options to the committee mandate is in somehow balancing the priority between transit users and cyclists while not totally exasperating vehicle users. Coincidentally the Centretown Community Association also recently wrote to the City of Ottawa voicing their support for dedicated bus lanes during peak hours and during Lansdowne events, which would be Option B. 

Though the GCA is not expected to conduct a formal resident survey on these options, the GCA Transportation Committee welcomes your feedback on the options by emailing your ranked preferences to transportation@glebeca.ca. 

Simon Morris is chair of the Glebe Community Association Transportation Committee.