Alayne McGregor
A citizens group has stepped forward with a vision to turn Wellington Street into a pedestrian mall and to link Ottawa and Gatineau’s downtowns with a bidirectional tram loop.
The Supporters of the Loop, who include several former mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau and prominent businesspeople from both sides of the Ottawa River, were inspired by the recent proposals from Gatineau’s transit corporation (STO) to build an electric tramway link from Aylmer ending in Ottawa’s downtown (see the October BUZZ). These options will be discussed at Transportation Committee Nov. 16 and then at Ottawa City Council.
But, according to group spokesperson Bob Plamondon, the STO proposals don’t go far enough in terms of addressing the need for better transit links across the river, a better tourist experience, and better security around Parliament Hill.
Plamondon, a former National Capital Commission (NCC) board member, told The BUZZ that the loop idea had been around for a long time–but this time is different.
“Every 10 years it seems to come up as an obvious way to connect both cities, both from a public transit point of view and just from a functional point of view, to shrink the downtown core and to make our national institutions and sites more accessible. It was a good idea every time it’s been raised, but it never had enough champions. The timing wasn’t quite right.”
But now Ottawa has a light rail system and Gatineau is planning one. For its Ottawa link, Gatineau is considering either a tunnel, which Plamondon says would be “prohibitively expensive,” or a surface tramway on Wellington ending before Confederation Square.
The Gatineau surface option is “already covering almost half of what would be the loop that we propose.”
The loop would also help complete Ottawa’s light rail system and give people more reasons to use it, he said. It would increases ridership and be simpler to use than trying to find a parking spot in Gatineau, he said.
Secondly, the Alexandra Bridge is proposed to be replaced in the next 10 years, making this “an ideal time” to make the replacement bridge compatible for light rail.
And, thirdly, increased concerns about public security mean that “Wellington Street needs to be closed off to traffic [in front of Parliament Hill]. Right now it’s littered with trucks and buses and cars. You’ve got a massive amount of noise and pollution within feet of the East Block and West Block. A five-ton truck could pull up right beside the prime minister’s office and that’s an issue that has to be managed.”
The loop would also be a tourism draw, he said, bringing tourists to major attractions like museums or Winterlude, and making the capital that much more appealing. It would also make it easier for public servants to get to meetings on the other side of the Ottawa River.
For Centretown residents, the loop would make it “a lot more convenient” to get to museums, parks, and restaurants in Gatineau, he said. It would also make it easier for Gatineau residents to patronize businesses in Centretown, and it would remove car and truck traffic from Centretown streets.
“This makes the loop idea that was a good idea 30 years ago that much more attractive today.”
The tram loop would be an at-grade, continuous bidirectional loop, Plamondon said. It could either be a 5km loop covering the Ottawa and Gatineau’s downtowns, or it could include Gatineau’s rail link out to Aylmer. In either case, it would likely cross the river at the Portage Bridge, travel down Wellington Street and then back (via a so-far-undetermined street in Lowertown) to the Alexandra Bridge, and then to Laurier Street in Gatineau.
Plamondon envisioned the tram having frequent, all-day service: “a convenient, predictable, accessible public transit option.”
The group’s website (transitloop.ca) includes illustrations by local architect David McRobie of what the pedestrian mall and tramway might look like in front of Parliament Hill.
Plamondon emphasized that their proposal is only a vision so far, and would need to have the details fleshed out by a study, preferably conducted by the NCC. This would include the exact route, how the tram would be powered, the number of stops, the links to Ottawa’s LRT, and the hours of operation, and whether it would be free or charge fares.
Plamondon said that the pedestrian mall was integral to the proposal but might only cover the portion of the street from Bank to Elgin. He envisioned the mall as “a gathering place,” a safe place which could include art, monuments, and benches.
He said the mall would also allow cycling and would be a “slow zone” for both the trains and cyclists. This works very well all across Europe, he said: “a somewhat seamless integration and harmony between pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit. It is effectively managed and respected. It’s just a matter of getting used to it.”
When asked about concerns that the tram operations might be blocked by demonstrators going to the Hill, Plamondon pointed out this could happen today with protests blocking buses.
He said the group wants this to remain a citizens’ initiative and so has been trying to avoid making it partisan by getting endorsements from current politicians. He did note that Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKenna, who is federal minister of Infrastructure and Communities, mentioned the proposal in a speech the morning after its release.
Plamondon said his inbox has been flooded with support. People say “it ticks virtually every single box that we need ticked. So how do we make it happen?”
The group is now sending letters presenting the case for the loop to local decision-makers in the two cities, the federal government, and the NCC. It’s also looking for broad community support.
“We think this is a project that gives us the foundation for public transit and how this national capital should work for a hundred years.”