Did Transit Committee Chair even read the new TMP?

From: Klaus Beltzner
To: Alex Cullen
Subject: Ottawa's Transportation Master Plan 2009 - 2031

Hi Alex,

It was good to see you, Marianne Wilkinson and David Jeanes on TalkOttawa last night. I was hoping to see you at the VIA Rail Canada press conference this afternoon on infrastructure investments in the greater Ottawa region, with the participation of Canada's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, John Baird. VIA Rail's Chairman of the Board, Donald A. Wright, and President and CEO Paul Côté were hosting. With all the positive things Minister Baird had to say about the cooperation with the City of Ottawa, I really had expected someone representing the City to be there - like you!

Alex, I called into the show last night to correct a false impression that you left with viewers. You had told viewers that David Jeanes was wrong in saying that a parallel BRT and LRT system is being built. David said the TMP Step 1 includes a new bridge over the Rideau River to allow SE Transitway buses to continue into town rather than transfer at Hurdman, and David said that there will be a permanent section of BRT and LRT between Baseline and Lincoln Fields. You said he was wrong on both counts. You further said that there will be no parallel system and that is when I asked you to give me your word on that score.

So, here is your opportunity to tell Staff that they and David Jeanes, who was merely repeating what is shown in the TMP as posted on the City's web site, and I, are all wrong.

As you were adamant on TalkOttawa that the information presented to you is incorrect, I would ask you, as Chair of Transit Committee to correct Staff on this matter through a return e-mail copied to all parties, which include Minsters Jim Watson and John Baird who I expect would also want to see you insist Staff correct the documentation on the City's web site to make it clear that there will be no parallel LRT and BRT systems in Ottawa.

Specifically, I would like you to confirm to Staff _that there will be no
parallel:

1. Grade separated bus transitway and LRT lines between Baseline Station and Queensway/417 and between Lincoln Fields Station and the Queensway/417; ie. between Baseline and Lincoln Fields. This means that there will be no direct rapid bus routes operating on a grade separated transitway between Barrhaven and Kanata that go through Baseline Station and parallel to the LRT line to Lincoln Fields; and, that the existing SW transitway segment will be converted to LRT and that there are no plans for a parallel bus transitway to be re-aligned or built in this section. This also means that the Baseline Transfer Station that is being built ( $207 million - according to the City) will have _all_ bus transitway services from Barrhaven and other points south terminate at this station and be turned around. There will be no transitway services or deadhead buses that continue north on a grade separated transitway; and specifically, the City will not use a parallel grade separated transitway to deadhead buses to/from the Pinecrest
   Garage. And, most importantly, _that there will never be a direct transitway express or peak period bus from Barrhaven using any transitway segment north of Baseline station to continue into town once the LRT is operational - and that all riders from Barrhaven will transfer from BRT to LRT at the new $207+million Baseline station being built specifically for that purpose (until such time that LRT is extended past the $207+ million transfer station to Barrhaven.

2. Bus transitway between Hurdman Station and downtown Ottawa
   using a new bridge built over the Rideau River and Lees Avenue that in the TMP states is "to provide continuous Transitway service from the southeast to downtown, at an estimated cost of $45 million." You will immediately have this information corrected by deleting it from the revised TMP document. Bus movements into downtown throughout the transitway conversion project will use existing roads - that there will be no new parallel roads built as bypasses for buses since *_Ottawa will not convert transitways by first building new parallel ones for buses to use_*. And that furthermore, once the LRT line through the tunnel is operational, all South East Transitway buses and express/peak period buses will terminate at Hurdman and transfer their passengers to LRT. Similarly, all transitway and express /peak buses from Orleans will transfer their riders at Blair or Hurdman Stations (depending on whether they come along the 174 transitway or the Cumberland transitway).

   There will be no absolutely no transitway service buses that continue past Hurdman station into downtown once the LRT is in operation.

3. Transitway service between Tunneys/Bayview/LeBreton
   stations and downtown Ottawa. This means that all transitway services from Kanata and Barrhaven will terminate either at Tunneys or Bayview or LeBreton Stations to transfer onto the LRT. No transitway bus or peak/express bus shall continue into town or through downtown to points further east and south.

   Many thanks for clarifying your position and Council's position that there
   will be no parallel bus transitway and LRT system in Ottawa, and that converting the bus transitway to LRT will not involve building new parallel transitways to continue the practice of offering a single seat into downtown.
   In other words, you and Council will instruct Staff that LRT through a downtown tunnel will replace, not augment Ottawa's single seat into town express/peak period bus service.

   Sincerely,

   Klaus Beltzner, B.Sc., M.Math., M.B.A.
   Treasurer, Transport 2000

   References:
   Delcan - McCormick Rankin 14 April 2008, that shows the extra bus transitway underpass of the Queensway and extra asphalt.
   http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/rapid_transit/index_en.html