Thank you for your article on the proposed light-rail transit (LRT) project that will bring trains from Quebec into downtown Ottawa. This is an important and exciting project for the city of Ottawa-Gatineau. And, yes, it is one city, despite the best efforts of the various levels of government over its history.
Transit is an important example of the disconnect between the two sides of the city. How can so many live on one side of the river and work on the other without an interconnected transit system? Public perseverance and suffering are how.
To make people’s lives easier and start the critical transition from personal vehicle trips to rail, bus, cycling and pedestrian trips, Ottawa-Gatineau needs a joint transit authority that unifies the current systems. The public needs seamless connections that increase the efficiency of the city to reduce costs for business and save time for people. A joint authority could achieve this goal.
Gatineau’s LRT proposal is exactly the type of project that would benefit from joint governance which has a larger vision for the city as a whole. Others include a streetcar loop around Confederation Boulevard or the rehabilitation of the Prince of Wales rail bridge.
A joint authority could have an equal number of representatives from each side of the river and govern by consensus. Given the interprovincial nature of the system, it would also merit federal funding.
Importantly, such investment would only benefit the city. After all, transit is much cheaper both societally and individually. All that needs to happen to reap the benefits of this efficiency is for the system to reach a tipping point in service levels that pushes ridership higher. As long as the two systems remain separate, this tipping point remains a ways away.
Desmond Fisher