by Alayne McGregor
UPDATE (April 27): On Somerset Street West by Massine’s Grocery Store, the parking lanes have been marked off by barrels to make more room to safely distance for people lining up for groceries.
The curb lanes on the Bank Street Bridge in the Glebe have been closed to motor vehicle traffic.
The NCC’s first trial closure of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Fifth Avenue to Laurier Avenue was successful and has been extended to May 10, running daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
[Brett Delmage/The BUZZ]
How can you safely stay two metres away from another person on a sidewalk only two metres wide?
That’s the question Ottawa pedestrians have been asking themselves since COVID-19 social distancing began–and nowhere is it a bigger issue than on Centretown’s main shopping street, Bank Street.
As Councillor Catherine McKenney points out, this busy street has essential destinations which residents need to get to even in a pandemic, including grocery stores, pharmacies, a pet food store, and the emergency food centre. “And this is all within a short distance on a street that people have to walk on. Bank Street has to be a priority.”
On quieter streets, one can simply step out into the street to keep far enough away to avoid infection.
This is not easy on Bank Street with its heavier vehicle traffic, large numbers of parked cars–and many pedestrians.
Together with Councillor Shawn Menard, McKenney has strongly pushed to have at least one curb/parking lane of Bank Street, downtown and in the Glebe, reallocated to pedestrian traffic.
This would add at least three metres of additional walking space along the street.
On Monday, Menard announced that the Bank Street Bridge at the south end of the Glebe would have its two outer curb lanes dedicated for pedestrians and active transportation.
But that’s the only section of Bank Street so far to be narrowed.
Some recently rebuilt parts of Bank Street do have wider sidewalks, McKenney said, “but then if you look across the street, the sidewalk will be 1.8m, maybe 2m in some cases–so absolutely not adequate for several people being able to pass. Even two people passing each other, if you’re walking up from behind someone and pass them, that’s a slow pass.
“You’re not always going in opposite directions. I’ve noticed that when I’m out walking my dog. I will pass someone and I will step out to the street because I know that’s going to take me 10 to 15 seconds to get around someone, so it’s not a safe pass. So the sidewalks on Bank in certain areas are wider, absolutely–but to get to each of those essential services, we need more space.”
Mayor Jim Watson has consistently opposed narrowing Bank Street, although he did say he would support creating “pods” around grocery stores and pharmacies to allow pedestrians more space for very short distances.
When the issue was discussed at City Council on March 25, Watson directed staff that any road closures or sidewalk extensions must be paid out of councillors’ individual office budgets.
Last week, McKenney said, she received a suggestion from city staff of two “bump outs” on Bank Street: “one in front of the Shoppers Drug Mart on Bank at Gladstone (eliminating maybe 2 parking spots), the other on Somerset just east of Bank at the door to Massine’s (eliminating 3 parking spots). I declined to pay for these out of my office budget since they are highly insufficient in providing safe physical distance for pedestrians walking to essential services.”
Interviewed on CBC Radio, Watson argued that reallocating a lane on Bank would interfere with bus traffic. McKenney disagrees. “There will still be three lanes. A bus can pull up to what will be the new curb. There’s plenty of space for emergency vehicles, and we can plan the space for the small amount of traffic that is using all of our streets today.”
Watson also contended the widening would encourage people to congregate on the street. McKenney said it would simply handle already-existing pedestrian traffic, which will “continue to increase as we continue to have to self-distance during this pandemic.” People can choose quieter side streets, as Watson suggested, when they are walking for fresh air, McKenney said. But they still need to use Bank Street for essential trips. “People live and travel in this area – they don’t drive near Bank, get out, go in, and come back out.”
The cost for closing off one lane of Bank Street? “Probably around five thousand,” McKenney said. “We got our own quote early on for different scenarios. So, yes, it’s quite expensive to rent these barrels for what could be months.”
The city would need to use standard road closure devices: “you have to make sure that the space that you’re providing for pedestrians is safe, at night that it’s reflective.” Last week, Councillor Jeff Leiper had a section of Byron Avenue in Westboro closed to all but local traffic in order to give walking and cycling priority. Leiper had to pay for this closure out of his ward’s traffic calming budget; he told CBC it cost about $3500/month.
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In addition, the National Capital Commission said Monday that it was developing “a pilot project to close parts of Queen Elizabeth Driveway to motor vehicle traffic”, and was working with stakeholders and partners to ensure coordination.
McKenney had previously suggested either the Driveway or Colonel By Drive be closed, especially since the multi-use paths along those those roads are narrow and heavily-used. “I think that would give people who want to get out and want to enjoy a nice spring or summer day, that space to be able to do so.”
The NCC rejected a proposal to close the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, despite the fact it has been regularly closed on Sundays for bike days, “due to advice from public health agencies, logistical challenges, staffing requirements and the need to ensure continued access for transit and emergency services.”
McKenney said they were still hoping to get a satisfactory plan that “meets the health needs and safety needs of pedestrians. If that’s the case, we hope to have it in place relatively soon.”
Their proposal has been supported by a heavy stream of pro-lane-closure comments on twitter from Ottawa residents. Ecology Ottawa is also circulating a petition urging City Council to re-purpose underused roadways to provide safe outdoor access for pedestrians and cyclists during the COVID-19 crisis.
McKenney points out that other Canadian and international cities, including Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, have closed roads. “Toronto is looking at road closures. So it’s being done in other municipalities during the pandemic, recognizing that, again in urban wards, we have got to walk.”
The city of Oakland, California, announced on April 9 that it was closing 10% of its streets (74 miles) “so that bicyclists and pedestrians can spread out and take in fresh air safely.”
Walking has always been far more important in Centretown than elsewhere in Ottawa. Every 10 years, the city runs an Origin-Destination survey to get an official count of where residents are going and by what mode. The latest survey, in 2011, showed that in central Ottawa. 12% of all trips were on foot. In Ottawa as a whole? Only 1%.