Thursday, March 1, 2007
Friends of the O-train release. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friends unveil city-wide series of public meetings

Ottawa, March 1, 2007: Friends of the O-Train, a volunteer organization of transit experts and advocates is taking its plan to the public.

The city-wide plan, costed at $731M (over 3 to 7 years) comes in with a base of $439M and with a palette of extensions totalling $292M, provides fast LRT service from the Casino to Earl Armstrong Rd, as well as from Kanata and Barrhaven to east of the 417-"split".

The Friends announces today its schedule of public meetings, located around the city, what the Friends' proposals would mean to residents in different parts of the city.

"After releasing our plan on October 30, we spent most of the next two weeks responding to inquiries from the public", explained volunteer Ron Rancourt. "Many people did get the plan, and have joined us to help champion the plan, but there are many people who would like more information and clarification on how it would work."

"We are a volunteer organization, and we have only our personal resources and some very small amounts of money that people have donated", explains Michael Richardson. "We can work with spreadsheets and written explanations of our ideas, and when necessary, we take a field trip to measure things. But, getting proper diagrams and charts to explain ourselves, is a non-trivial effort for a volunteer group"

"We have these things now.", adds founder David Gladstone. "Its time for show and tell."

The first meeting of January 29th was well attended, standing room only. "Many sent regrets, saying that Monday was a bad night for them, or that that they couldn't make it to that part of town.", explains David Jeanes.

The following meetings/presentations are scheduled to occur:
o March 8. Barrhaven Walter Baker Sports Centre
(Cafeteria, 7pm to 9pm. Presentation 7-8pm, questions and group discussion, 8pm to 9pm)

o March 13: Carlington Community Association
o April 10: Lower Town Community Association
o April 19. RA Centre, Courtside A room. Sponsored by
IEE/IET-UK
o May 8: Blair/Olgivie Loblaws, "Upstairs", 7-9pm
o date TBD: Kanata North
o date TBD: Place du Portage

(see: http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/, right-hand "future meeting date",
or: http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/?q=node/73 for more details)

The list of extensions includes rail to Barrhaven, Boulevard Tache/le Casino du lac Leamy, the Casino/St.Joseph, Kanata, Tunney's Pasture, the VIA train station, Cyrville Road, Billings Bridge, Terrasse-de-la-Chaudiere, and Alta Vista/General Hospital campus.

Additional information has been released on the Friends-of-the-O-train website: http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/

Friends of the O-Train
Formed in the summer of 2006, Friends of the O-Train consists of community leaders, transit experts, rail experts, and tax-payers concerned about the future of light rail in Ottawa. Our primary goal is to make recommendations that offer the best value for money to the mayor's Transit Task Force.

Many of our group members were present in the late 1990s for the original O-train vision, and we sought to return to the vision expressed then by former mayor Chiarelli, that of an incrementally expanding light rail system that was both practical and economic.

Contact:
Phone: David Jeanes. day: 613-594-3290, H: 613 725 9484
Email: friendsoftheotrain@gmail.com
Web: http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/

PUBLIC MEETING INFO
WHERE: Walter Baker Sports Centre, Barrhaven, Cafeteria, Second Floor, 100 Malvern Dr. Nepean, K2J 2G5
WHEN: 7pm to 9pm, March 8, 2007
WHO: Friends of the O-train
WHY: a 45-minute presentation followed by questions and feedback from the audience
COST: free, donations appreciated
GET THERE: by bus: #170 from Fallowfield Station, (leaves Fallowfield at 18:20 - Local East. Fallowfield at 18:35 - Local West. the #170 is a loop bus, but Local West is faster)
GOOGLE MAP: http://tinyurl.com/2e5oqy
MORE DETAILS: http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/?q=node/73