This letter was sent to Councillor Ariel Troster and the Dalhousie Community Association:
I am a resident at an apartment (100 Bronson) on the cliff facing the LeBreton flats, and more specifically the Ādisōke construction site. Recently buses have appeared on Commissioner Street with the “installation” of a so-called bus “terminus” just below my apartment.
Needless to say, we cannot open the window anymore with those buses idling starting at 5:15 a.m. until midnight. The noise of idling buses is not a pleasant one, let alone the diesel fumes. But of course nobody at the city really cares about the nuisance aspect, so let me expand on the problems associated with this terminus.
I have no idea who at the city made such a stupid decision to allow buses to interfere with the heavy traffic on Commissioner Street due to the delivery of materials for the Ādisōke site, the reconstruction of the bridge adjacent to the pumping station, and still further down the construction of the regional heating plant.
But I can assure you, from watching the traffic on a daily basis, it is totally unsafe for riders to board or disembark from those buses on weekdays during daytime. I am surprised there has not been an accident yet. Sometimes the bus has to stay in the middle of the road because delivery trucks interfere with passengers having to extract their baggage in the middle of the traffic.
This so-called terminus is literally in between two O-Train stations. Therefore it is impractical for people wanting to use public transit if they have luggage, so they have to use cars or taxis to get to and from the terminal. Not very ecological is it? In addition to the bus traffic, now we have all of those cars delivering or picking up riders. What a mess!
People waiting for the bus have nowhere to sit, and there is one garbage bin that is overflowing by midday. Completely moronic.
Please get this decision re-examined and find an alternative terminus that meets minimum safety requirements, facilitates access to public transit, and offers decent facilities for riders, including toilets, seating, covered canopy against the elements, etc.
This is the City of Ottawa, the capital of the country. Yet this so-called terminus has the feel of being a bus stop to a small village. And please don’t wait until someone is seriously hurt because of the traffic congestion on Commissioner Street.
This situation needs to be fixed!
Claude A Lachance