April 24, 2005

Mr. Richard Holder,
Infrastructure Services Branch
Public Works and Services
100 Constellation Crescent
Ottawa, ON
K2G 6J8

Dear Mr. Holder,

This letter is to comment on the material presented at your Open House regarding the Bank Street reconstruction project. I am a long-time resident of the Glebe, and am about to move into my first house which is located in the Glebe. As such, I am focusing my comments on the area between the Queensway and the canal.

My primary concern with the proposed reconstruction of Bank street is the preservation of the village feel of the Glebe. Bank Street is the heart of the Glebe, and it is very successful at present. Although there is always room for improvement, it is my opinion that making major changes for the sake of change would be ill-advised as the potential to destroy the good things is very real. Conservative improvement should be the guiding principle.

In my opinion, the appeal of Bank Street in the Glebe is that it is a vibrant pedestrian-oriented main street. It is this animated pedestrian environment that supports strong independent businesses. Living in the Glebe is a lifestyle choice that centres around ‘no car’ access to these often neighbour-owned businesses. Indeed, many people across Ottawa travel to the Glebe, park their cars and join in the Glebe culture; visitors from other areas of town add to the viability of businesses and help to propagate the main street feel.

Without the businesses there would be no draw for pedestrians, and without pedestrians there would be no patrons for business. This mutual dependence is a symbiotic relationship that must be nurtured and protected in order for this reconstruction to be successful.

The primary desire to maintain and enhance the heart of the Glebe leads me to the following specific comments regarding your proposals.

No Increased Transit Usage: The primary function of the roadways must be to support the pedestrian environment in the Glebe. Only on-street parking can provide a safe feeling for pedestrians by providing a physical barrier between moving traffic and pedestrians. Therefore, I am vehemently opposed to any designation of lanes for transit use. Loud noisy fast buses will scare pedestrians off Bank Street, which will spell doom for local businesses and our main street.

De-clutter Sidewalks: Parking meters should be removed entirely. Signs should be moved to the building sides of the sidewalks, and preferably mounted directly on buildings where possible. Cycling racks should be provided, and potentially located just off Bank Street on cross-streets where they will not interfere with through-pedestrian traffic.

Maintain Existing Sidewalk Widths: De-cluttering the sidewalks will have the effect of widening the usable space by almost 2 feet. This is plenty given that the pedestrian environment is very successful at present.

Maintain existing lane allowances: Currently the outside lanes have additional width. This allows for safe exit from vehicles parallel parking on Bank Street. Additionally, Bank Street may not be a popular through-cycling route but cycling into the Glebe as a destination is an important way to access businesses, and this use should be maintained and supported in this additional width. I feel nervous that messing around with the road width could have unintended and unforeseen consequences with respect to cycling, parking and pedestrian safety on Bank Street.

Streetscaping Where Possible In Existing Widths: Further to the previous point, streetscaping would be nice, and should be incorporated into the design where possible, but not at the cost of eliminating the additional space in the outside lanes of Bank Street.

Hydro Lines: I realise that many of my neighbours are strongly in favour of burying hydro lines. I support this plan insofar as it will allow further decluttering (and hence sidewalk space) without needing to cut into the road allowance for cycling and parking. However, I do not find the poles objectionable in and of themselves, and I appreciate the postering and other opportunities for neighbourhood announcements that they provide. They may give Bank Street part of its older urban appeal, and in any case the experience in Centertown is that plenty of hydro remains visible as lines are not buried when they cross Bank Street on side streets.

Return to Free Parking: Parking on Bank Street throughout the Glebe is an important aspect of the main street feel. As discussed above it provides a safety barrier for pedestrians, and brings people in to the local businesses. It should not be viewed as a money-making opportunity by the city. Parking must be returned to its free state (with a two hour time limit during business hours) on and adjacent to Bank Street. Removing pay facilities for parking will further de-clutter the sidewalks, resulting in more available pedestrian space without the need for cutting into the road allowance. In fact, I believe the city should investigate ways to increase the amount of parking. Perhaps angle parking can be provided on one or both sides of the roadway?

Better options needed for sidewalk fixtures and lighting: The proposed light fixtures and bicycle racks are too modern looking. Regardless of official status, the Glebe is a heritage district within Ottawa. The proposed fixtures need to better match the character of the existing buildings. The least modern bench option looked acceptable to me, but the options for racks and fixtures need more work.

No Park Underpass: I am not aware of a pedestrian underpass that is considered to be safe at night. There should be no underpass installed at Central Park.

Rounded Park Entrance: I like the idea of bringing Central Park into the Bank Street space. Of the three options I liked the one that had the matching ovals on both sides of Bank with the minimal intrusion into the park itself. I believe that there should be a traffic signal for pedestrians right at the park entrance (similar to the crossover between city hall and confederation park, or across Sussex at Major’s Hill Park). Perhaps we could dispense with the signal at Strathcona and move it to the park? Also better lighting and a few amenities could significantly improve use of the park itself.

Landsdowne Park: Unfortunately I did not make notes about this part of the project, but I remember liking the option that didn’t have additional roadlets cutting through islands.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Bank Street reconstruction process. I would be pleased to comment on any additional revisions to your plan.

Sincerely,
Colin Henein

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