Update on the Glebe Traffic Plan in preparation for Lansdowne traffic

By Brian Mitchell

Over the summer, construction has continued unabated at the Lansdowne site and by next June the first football games will take place. By this time next year, the new residential and retail facilities will begin to open and operate. Over the past 12 months, the Glebe Community Association (GCA) has been participating in the City’s Lansdowne Transportation Advisory Committee (LTAC) in an effort to make changes to the Glebe Traffic Plan so that community streets and transportation infrastructure operate in a manner that gets Lansdowne visitors in and out efficiently and with the least impact on neighbouring residents.

In March, following an extensive community consultation which heard from over 1,000 Glebe residents, the GCA presented City and National Capital Commission (NCC) officials with a list of 45 recommendations for changes to the way Glebe streets are used for pedestrians, cyclists and cars. These recommendations aimed to mitigate the impact of Lansdowne and address issues that have already arisen in the area closest to Lansdowne (e.g. limited on-street residential parking). The GCA prioritized 20 recommendations that should be implemented as soon as possible, and in most cases before Lansdowne opens. The GCA also made some recommendations regarding sensitive areas that should be monitored after Lansdowne opens for possible future traffic plan changes should, for example, cut-through traffic become a problem due to Lansdowne-generated traffic congestion on Bank Street (e.g. on Monk Street).

The City’s “wait-and-see” response

For the most part, the City has adopted a wait-and-see approach to the community’s concerns about the traffic impact of Lansdowne’s day-to-day operations. Although several lower-priority recommendations were accepted by the City for implementation before Lansdowne opens (e.g. installation of stop signs where missing on Glebe streets), most of the priority recommendations were placed in a wait-and-see category and may be implemented, depending on the results of a traffic monitoring program that the City will undertake after Lansdowne opens. The City has plans to share details this fall with the community on how this monitoring program will operate (how traffic changes will be measured and at what point traffic plan recommendations will be considered). Nine of the 20 priority recommendations are, however, receiving further consideration and analysis by City or NCC officials, and some may be implemented before or shortly after Lansdowne opens. Further information about these changes, together with details of the monitoring program, should be available from the City via an LTAC open house that is expected to take place before the end of the year.

Traffic Concerns with Events at Lansdowne

In contrast to its laissez-faire approach to day-to-day traffic issues associated with Lansdowne, the City has invested considerable planning resources to develop a strategy for managing traffic and transportation issues associated with events such as football games taking place at Lansdowne. For the most part, the GCA supports the City’s plans (for example, including OC Transpo service in event tickets); however the community association is very concerned about the plans to use Fifth Avenue and Lakeside for shuttle buses to carry event-goers from satellite parking lots (e.g. at Carleton University) to Lansdowne. While it accepts that Fifth may have to be used on those rare occasions when an event takes place at a time when the Queen Elizabeth Driveway (QED) is closed (such as for the Marathon run), it disagrees with the City’s plans to use Fifth Avenue for half of the events requiring such shuttles, even when the Driveway is open. And the GCA and the Dow’s Lake Residents’ Association are firmly opposed to the use of Lakeside for two-way shuttle buses as the connection between Bronson and the QED, particularly since an arterial route is available (Bronson–Carling–Preston). The volume of shuttle buses required for special events will make these two streets very unsafe, and nearly unusable, for local residents during large events at Lansdowne. So far the City has rejected the GCA’s calls for changes to these plans, but it’s hoped that, with continued pressure on this matter, it will reconsider its position before the first football games begin next year.

Brian Mitchell is chair of the Traffic Committee of the Glebe Community Association.

Summary Table

Glebe Community’s Priority Recommendations and City / NCC Responses addressing impact on day-to-day Glebe traffic resulting from Lansdowne development

For more information on traffic contact Brian Mitchell at traffic@glebeca.ca.