Cycling

Upcoming consultation: Stage 2 O-Train West Connectivity Enhancement Study

As you may be aware, the City of Ottawa is undergoing a Connectivity Enhancement Study (click to view) for all Stage 2 LRT stations. This study will answer questions such as how you will access each station and ask you whether you feel the new paths and connections will allow you to get where you need to go.

It is anticipated that the period for public comments for the stations that impact you – Lincoln Fields, Queensview, and Pinecrest – will be announced shortly, possibly this week, and be open for comments for two weeks. We strongly encourage you to participate in this study to provide feedback on the placement and appropriateness of the connections to LRT stations.

We will share more information as soon as the opportunity is available on the City’s Stage 2 LRT website. We would have preferred to host a public meeting, but given the current circumstances, we must communicate by email instead. Please contact us at qtncommunity@gmail.com if you would like to discuss further.

References

Update on Connaught Park: Your Feedback and Start of Construction

Your feedback is instrumental

We would like to thank the over 30 individuals who included us on their emails while participating in the Connaught Park landscaping plan consultation. In addition, we’re aware of many more individuals who took the time to provide thoughtful and meaningful input on this important project. We continue to work with the involved parties to ensure your suggestions are both understood and meaningfully considered – we will provide periodic updates as we pursue tangible solutions.

Want updates? Subscribe to the City’s newsletters

While we are engaged on the LRT projects in QTN, for project updates and official communications we encourage you to subscribe to the City’s official Project newsletters – for the west extension as well as all the stations you wish to follow. Public notices, by mail, are only distributed within limited areas so to ensure you receive a copy of these important messages please make sure to subscribe to the appropriate station newsletters.

What’s next? Construction is starting

The City has made us aware of an imminent public notice related to the commencement of construction in Connaught Park (click here to access it). To begin this project, utility relocation will commence in Connaught Park next month followed by similar work on Connaught and Hanlon later this summer (~June). Prior to this commencing you will see signage, fences, and construction equipment being erected in Connaught Park (Note: the baseball diamond will become a staging site for several years).

Following this, construction on the tunnel portion of the LRT will begin – including the cut and cover section on Connaught Ave. Detours and delays are expected but access will remain throughout (e.g., steel plates as covers similar to what you might see with sewer work). Construction this year will focus primarily on the substructure with completion of the superstructure next year.

Additionally, excavation work will be beginning on the south side of the current OC Transpo facility and we have been informed that crews will be using Queensview Drive and exiting towards Pinecrest (i.e., not through the neighbourhood).

We hope that this update provides some clarity on what you might see while walking the neighbourhood during these challenging times. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact ourselves (qtncommunity@gmail.com) or the Stage 2 Project Team (stage2@ottawa.ca).

Update on Berms and LRT in Connaught Park: Deadline extended to April 20

We would like to share that you have a few more days to take a look at plans for berms in Connaught Park and send in your thoughts. The deadline was extended to April 20, after your association asked for more time.

Thanks to those who have already spoken up. More voices will help get the best possible design.

Go to www.connaughtpinecrest.ca  to see photos and respond (higher resolution PDFs are available in our previous post). If you copy qtncommunity@gmail.ca on your response, we will help ensure that residents get answers to their questions and concerns.

Based on your feedback, three points are emerging as priorities for QTN residents:

  1. The fly-over, berms, and tree-plantings need to be designed together in a way that reduces the visual and noise impact of the LRT for residents and users of the public green space.
  2. The berms need to be part of a user-friendly landscape plan that includes convenient paths for biking and walking; recreational uses; a variety of trees, including fruit trees;  quiet spaces and spaces for dog-walkers; with possibilities for other uses such as a community garden.
  3. The landscape plan needs to ensure good drainage, allow for renewal of the Pinecrest Creek, and ensure good connectivity to LRT stations and other destinations.