Tag: Transit

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.

Act now, April 15 deadline – Public consultation on Berms and LRT through QTN

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We just learned that public input for the proposed berms between the Connaught Park LRT fly-over and QTN community has been opened for feedback. You can participate by visiting www.connaughtpinecrest.ca – note that the consultation closes on April 15, one week from today.

We are asking you to show that QTN residents care about what happens in Connaught Park by going to the website and providing some feedback. Provide your own views, ask questions, ask for more information. Most important at this time is to let the contractor and the National Capital Commission know that QTN residents care and that the impacts for our neighborhood need to be considered in the design of both the LRT structure itself and the berms and landscaping that go along with it.

QTN is more than a corridor to get from Kanata to downtown. How the LRT is designed and built through our area will have long-term impacts. Your voice now will help ensure that we get the best possible design of both the fly-over and what is done to mitigate the visual and sound impacts of a tall and large structure that will be part of our future reality.

We are troubled by the lack of detailed information as well as the limited ways and time provided for consultation. Your community association representatives sit a working group established by Councillor Kavanaugh and we will continue to work hard to make sure that the shared concerns and positive suggestions of QTN residents are considered.

When sending your feedback to info-KEV@kiewit.com, if you copy qtncommunity@gmail.com – or contact us separately – we will follow up as the process moves into the next stages after this one week email consultation has completed. Our ability to be effective depends on working together as a community. Other communities have seen changes to benefit their communities.

We will do our best; we need your help now. Let your neighbors know and encourage them to respond as well.

For additional information, please see our earlier post regarding Updates on LRT Phase 2

Update #1 – Higher-resolution PDF Drawings

It has come to our attention that the consultation website drawings are difficult to read. Here are a pair of PDF documents that the Stage 2 LRT team has shared with us of Connaught Park and Pinecrest (note: the drawing is labelled Pinecrest but the berm is actually in Bel-Air Park off Woodroffe).

Update #2 – Deadline modified to April 20

Originally the contractor’s website listed a deadline of April 15th, this has been modified to April 20th. We have also been made aware of a Public Consultation Notice (PDF, bilingual) detailing aspects of the consultation process.

Updates on LRT Phase 2 through QTN

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Your community association planned to host a public meeting so you could ask questions about LRT 2. We can’t do that because of COVID-19 however, we are working to find other ways to help ensure your questions are answered. Below are key points from a video briefing which 2 members of the board could attend and links to more information.

We encourage every resident to check the city website for public information and sign up for news releases related to each station area. Go to: https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-development-and-construction/major-projects/stage-2-light-rail-transit-project/project-updates.

Ensure your Questions get answers

We know residents have lost confidence about getting answers because of past experience. We will try our best to ensure your questions are answered. One way to do that now is to send your question directly to the LRT Stakeholder Relations officers and copy qtncommunity@gmail.com. Stakeholder Relations officers are Alison Lynch and Damon Berlin at stage2@ottawa.ca. We will track your questions and help to ensure answers are given as much as we can. If you want more detail or discussion, please call Kathy Vandergrift at 613-820-0272. We will tell you what we can find out, under COVID-19 restrictions.

Sincerely,

Kathy Vandergrift, Chair of Planning Committee and Vice-Chair of QTN Association

Simon Partridge, Chair of QTN Association

Updates and answers

This Summer

Construction work will begin in QTN. COVID-19 guidelines are in place. In the next two weeks some trees at the south end of Connaught will be removed to create an alternate entrance to the OC Transpo Bus Service Yard. The alternate entrance will be used during construction. It will go back to the existing entrance when construction is complete. Connaught street will stay open during this work.

Other work will involve moving utilities, ground preparation, etc. The cut-and-cover tunnel construction may begin in the fall. More specific updates will follow.

Lincoln Fields Station

Design is in final stages. Conceptual drawing can be viewed in this set of slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k5kTfHj6nKN3XCi2XSYX0OpqPsLoExc0/view.

The bus station will be moved further west to accommodate construction. Washrooms will be inside transit fare zone. 60 bike stands will be provided. How QTN residents can access new station fall under Connectivity section below.

We are asking questions about cover of waiting areas for bad weather, “kiss and ride” access, and good pedestrian access, also in bad weather.

Fly-over through Connaught Park

Design not finished yet. There will not be any public input during design stage, as promised earlier. The eastern path along Pinecrest creek will go under the train to allow people to get to other side. At the highest point, the distance from the ground to the bottom of the top track will be 4.5 metres. In response to questions, it is a low as it can be and it is not feasible to lower bottom track to reduce the massive, visual intrusion through what is now restful space.

Your representatives have objected to lack of consultation and asked for a separate session to answer questions from QTN residents, given its impact for our neighborhood.

Noise Studies

The contractor will do more noise studies and is required to meet city standards. The removal of the existing buses was cited again as removing more noise than what the new trains will create in Connaught Park area. For areas close to the Queensway, the noise issue is on the table in the planning study for the Queensview Station/Queensview Drive area.

Berms in Connaught Park area

New plans for berms between the LRT tracks and QTN are in design stage. The National Capital Commission (NCC) who owns the land has insisted on public consultation. That will likely happen in early May. Watch for details.

Queensview Station and Pedestrian Crossing

Design is in final stages. Conceptual drawing is one slide in set at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k5kTfHj6nKN3XCi2XSYX0OpqPsLoExc0/view.

Residents will be able to use the pedestrian crossing to Queensway Terrace South, over the Queensway, separate from the station. 20 bike stations will be available. Current access for QTN is from Connaught on a path parallel to Queensway behind Severn Ave. An additional access from the West side of QTN is actively being pursued, but there is no solution yet. It remains a high priority and we persist in naming it.

Houses Close to Construction and Vibration Studies

Notices have been sent to owners of homes close to construction, as determined by the City, to do baseline study of existing structures to compare if there is evidence of damage during construction. If you think your home should have a study done but you have not received a notice, you should contact the LRT office now.

Connections after Construction

Easy access to Lincoln Fields Station, Queensview Station, and across the system to other neighborhoods, shopping, etc. remains a high priority issue. This is called connectivity. A new connectivity study by a local firm is being done because of concerns about adequacy of earlier studies. A public advisory group will include one representative from QTN. We are working to find a way to share information and channel your questions through our representation. This will be early May. Watch for details.

Community Garden in New Green Space

Some residents have indicated interest in having a community garden included in landscape plans. We need to take that up with the NCC if we want to pursue that. If anyone has interest and willing to work on this, please contact us.

Solar Energy as Added Value

Some residents have suggested including solar energy as some European public transit systems do. It could reduce long-term costs and contribute to climate change goals. The LRT planners have shown no receptivity. We are taking this up with Councillor Kavanaugh since design of stations is critical to allow this.