Statement of David L. Jeanes, President, Transport Action Canada

10 December 2010

I am the President of Transport Action Canada, a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is research, public education and consumer advocacy on environmentally-sound transportation solutions. I have been an advocate on transportation issues in Ottawa for over thirty years.  See the attached for my information on my background.

My testimony will address the issues of intensification (issues #7 and 8), as well urban transit as part of the "good planning" aspect in issues #1 and 10.

Concerning issues #7 and 8, it is my opinion that the intensification and density targets in OPA 76 are modest and could be significantly increased and that the proposed requirement that urban expansion only be considered if intensification targets are met represents good planning, especially in support of the rapid transit objectives set out in the Transportation Masterplan 2008. Meeting and surpassing target densities in the areas surrounding planned rapid transit stations, along transit corridors and in the suburban town centres is critical to achieving the ridership numbers necessary to assure the financial viability of the planned rapid transit system. 

As regards issues #1 and 10, it is my opinion that expanding the urban boundary does not represent good planning, as this would, by definition, reduce the potential densities in the urban area, including areas surrounding planned rapid transit stations, along transit corridors and in the suburban town centres, thereby putting in jeopardy the financial viability of the City's urban transit plan.

The reports on which I will be relying are:

City of Ottawa, Residential Land Strategy for Ottawa, 2006-2031, February 2009

City of Ottawa,  Transportation Master Plan, 2008

(signed)

David L. Jeanes, P.Eng.

687 Windermere Avenue

Ottawa, ON  K2A 2W9

Tel: 613-725-9484

Email: david@jeanes.ca

David L. Jeanes, P.Eng, will appear as an expert witness on behalf of Paul Johanis in the matter of his appeal of the Urban Boundary as defined in the 2008 City of Ottawa Official Plan Update.

I am a retired engineer whose University education was in the Division of Engineering Science at the University of Toronto, leading to a B.A.Sc. Degree in 1969, essentially in preparation for a career in engineering research.

I also studied Computer Science in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto with courses also in the Department of Computer Science for the degree of Master of Engineering in 1973.

My employment spanned 32 years in the high technology sector, with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Research Council, Computer Services Bureau of the Government of Canada, Computer Systems Research Group of the University of Toronto, Bell-Northern Research and Nortel. I retired in 2003.

However, I have also been active as a volunteer researcher and executive for nearly thirty five years in the non-profit sector with Transport 2000 Canada, a respected national advocacy group for Public Transportation. I have been president of the organization, which is now called Transport Action Canada, since 2002.

With respect to public transportation in Ottawa, I have not only participated in most public consultations related to rapid transit, but have served as an appointed member of Public or Agency consultation groups and Technical Advisory Committees for many transportation-related projects in Ottawa, Toronto, and Gatineau.

These includethe following:

the project steering committee for the Ottawa Light Rail Pilot Project in 1998

the public advisory committee for the North-South Light Rail Project

the advisory committee for the 2002 Rapid Transit Expansion Study (a component of the 2003 Transportation Master Plan)

the City Of Toronto Union Station Revitalization Public Advisory Group (appointed for three year terms in 2004 and 2007)

the public advisory committee for the Ottawa North-South Light Rail Environmental Assessment

the technical advisory committee for the Ottawa East-West Light Rail Environmental Assessment

the public consultation committee for the Province of Ontario Highway 417 Expansion (through the city of Ottawa)

the consultative committee for the City of Gatineau/STO Rapibus bus rapid transit

the Ottawa Southwest Transitway extension project (Strandherd to Cambrian)

the technical advisory committee for the National Capital Commission Interprovincial Crossings studies and the Interprovincial Transit study

the agency consultation groups for the Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel and the West LRT Corridor study.

There have been numerous other transportation studies at all levels of government where I have prepared research reports, made submissions, or acted as a reviewer over the past 30 years.

In my earliest involvement with OC Transpo service planning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I represented one of Ottawa’s largest employers, Nortel, to initiate and develop bus services to suburban office park locations. This included employer-conducted origin-destination and attitude surveys, promoting bus use to employees, and developing on-site sates of tickets and bus passes. This led directly to the creation in th 1990s of what came to be considered one of the best examples of an employer-supported Travel Demand Management program in Canada.

I continue to be involved in all ongoing transportation studies in Ottawa and to participate in conferences, seminars, and other events related to public transportation.