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What are the most important things for the City to consider to ensure the future success of Sparks Street? Complete our questionnaire and tell us what you think! As part of developing the Public Realm Plan, the City and its partners are committed to engaging the public about the future of the iconic public space known as the Sparks Street Pedestrian Mall – how should it be used, what should it look like, and how should it be programed. The City is reaching out to:
The City will post the responses provided on ottawa.ca/sparksstreetplan in 2018 and use the responses to inform the development of the Public Realm Plan. |
 Construction of the Shefford Road multi-use pathway is mostly complete and the pathway is now open for use. The multi-use pathway, on the east-side of Shefford Road, extends from Canotek Road to the northern limit, a distance of approximately 1.3km. The multi-use pathway provides a connection from the local community to the National Capital Commission's (NCC) Ottawa River Pathway, as well as providing an important cycling and pedestrian facility along Shefford Road itself. The final stages of the project, such as pavement markings and landscaping, will be completed in early 2018. |
 Reconstruction of a substandard sidewalk along the south side of Richmond Road between Forest Street and east of Assaly Road afforded the opportunity to build a new eastbound cycle track within this segment of roadway. The new facility, which varies from 1.8m to 2m wide, runs adjacent to the sidewalk with tactile delineator strips that separate the two. The cycle track has been specially designed where it crosses a number of intersections, such as the entrances to Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre, to reduce the risk of 'right-hook' collisions by bending-away at the approach. This bending-away design, based on Dutch engineering standards, is considered safer because the crossing is set back from the roadway enough to permit a right turning vehicle to have a much better view of approaching cyclists and allows adequate space for a motor vehicle to yield to crossing bicycles without impacting following motor traffic. Richmond Road is designated part of Crosstown Bikeway #2 from the west end of Westboro all the way to Baseline Road. Stay tuned for further cycle track enhancements to Richmond Road in the near future. |
 The objective of this project is to give residents and visitors the option to use a bicycle for the 'first or last mile' of their trip in conjunction with taking public transit. A number of routes toward the edges of the urban area were identified for improvement. To provide a higher level of safety and comfort for cyclists using these rural roads, paved shoulders were added along 16km of routes that connect with transit services and stations. In the east an improved route to Trim station is now provided along Old Montreal Road, Dunning Road and Cox Country Road to serve the village of Cumberland. In the west-end, routes along Richardson Side Road and Dunrobin Road serve transit routes that can be accessed from west and north Kanata respectively, while Fernbank Road provides a route between Stittsville and south Kanata. The asphalt paving along all of these segments is now completed with pavement markings planned to be completed by the end of Fall. |
 Construction is completed on a short segment of multi-use pathway which improves connectivity for residents in Barrhaven. This project creates a brand new connection between residential Halley Street and the Harthill Way linear park to the south. This new 3m-wide asphalt pathway has been installed and is now operational. This multi-use pathway link will serve residents accessing the commercial destinations along Strandherd Drive and provides a gateway for pedestrians and cyclists to access the wider pathway network. |
 Throughout the winter season the City of Ottawa maintains over 40km of cycling routes centred on the downtown core. The 'winter-maintained cycling network' comprises key east-west and north-south routes, such as the east-west bikeway between Westboro and Rockclife Park, and the O'Connor Street bikeway and National Capital Commission's multi-use pathways along the Rideau Canal. More information about the maintenance standards can be found on the City's website and look out for the map of the 2017-2018 winter-maintained cycling network on GeoOttawa (under Cycling > Existing Cycling Network) coming soon. If biking in the winter is not for you, or you'd like a back-up plan in addition to walking or taking transit, consider registering on OttawaRideMatch.com, Ottawa's free carpool matching website. Residents can register on the site to identify and communicate with other residents who make similar trips. Flexible options include single trip matching and selecting different arrival and departure times on different days of the week. To date 3,500 residents are registered on the site and 37 organizations have their own custom sub-site. Visit OttawaRideMatch.com for more information. |
 The City of Ottawa is conducting a survey on cyclists' experiences of using the O'Connor Street bikeway which opened in October 2016. The O'Connor Street bikeway is a two kilometre north-south facility along O'Connor Street between Laurier Avenue and Fifth Avenue. The O'Connor Street bikeway consists of a combination of protected two-way bike lanes, painted bike lanes and shared-use lanes on quieter streets. Information gathered from this survey will be used to guide the future transportation planning of the downtown cycling network. To date 750 people have completed the survey, however if you have not yet shared your experiences and wish to do so, the survey is open until November 30. |
 Bruce Timmermans was a long-time cycling educator and advocate, an active member of the Ottawa Bicycle Club and a founding member of Citizens for Safe Cycling (now Bike Ottawa). Bruce worked tirelessly to promote cycling and safety for cyclists. His legacy lives on through the awards program created by the City of Ottawa to recognize individuals and organizations who promote the benefits and virtues of cycling as a principal mode of transportation and who are committed to cycling in our community. To find our more information about the awards and to nominate an individual or an organization for their outstanding contribution to cycling in 2017, please visit the City's website. Submitted nomination forms must be received by 15 January 2018 and the award winners will be announced later in Spring 2018. |
 A number of City projects are currently in the consultation phase and residents are invited to provide their input. Feedback can be provided either online or through attendance at the upcoming open houses events. Notable projects that may be of interest include plans for Heron Road (open house - 27 November), and the Albert Street, Slater Street and Mackenzie King Bridge corridor (open house - 28 November 2017). For more information, including the event locations, please visit the project pages on the City's website. As the main construction season draws to a close, a number of new cycling projects have been completed, while several others will continue in to 2018. Raised cycle tracks along St. Laurent Boulevard south of Innes Road have now been completed, with a signalized cross-ride added to connect to the multi-use pathway along the south side of Innes Road. Also completed is the Campeau Drive multi-use pathway in Kanata which extends from Knduson Drive to Teron Road, a distance of approximately 1km. Construction will continue into 2018 for the Western Rideau River Pathway; look out for updates next year. |
 Getting through the fare gate and onto the O-Train Confederation and Trillium Line platforms will be fast and easy. As you enter O-Train stations, you will see a row of fare gates. To open the fare gate, simply tap your fare on the card reader located on the right-hand side of the fare gate – then walk right through! Appropriate fares are a smartcard (Presto card, U-Pass, or STO Multi card), OC Transpo bus transfer, or a single-fare ticket or day pass purchased from the nearby ticket machine. It is important to note that paper bus tickets will be discontinued and will not be accepted. There will be no need to tap or scan your fare when you exit an O-Train station because the gate will open automatically as you walk through. For more information on the O-Train Confederation Line, please visit OC Transpo's "Ready for Rail" web section at www.octranspo.com/ready4rail or contact OC Transpo at 613-741-4390. |
