Chapter 12 – Environmental Protection Ottawa’s natural environment is a high priority of its residents. The natural environment faces real and increasing risks arising from the community’s continued expansion. The importance of dealing with growth in ways that minimize environmental impacts is vital, and transportation poses a particular challenge. Our network of infrastructure and complex fabric of operations directly influences the quality of our air and water, the integrity of our land, the vitality of our flora and fauna, and the depletion of our resources. This plan’s intent to maximize walking, cycling and transit use by residents will help to minimize our energy and land consumption, and improve our air and water quality. The City has many immediate opportunities to demonstrate environmental leadership through progressive transportation practices, such as:
As noted in Chapter 1 of this plan, the City of Ottawa is developing an Environmental Strategy as part of its overall approach to growth management. That strategy will provide comprehensive direction on city-wide environmental policies and programs, including those related to transportation. This section addresses, in a more limited way, some key ways in which Ottawa’s transportation policies and programs can contribute to the preservation of our natural environment. The main areas of City endeavours are described in the following paragraphs. Some of these have been mentioned in other areas of this plan, and it should also be noted that the City must also conduct comprehensive environmental assessment processes as it moves toward implementing the infrastructure requirements of this plan (see Section 14.5 for additional details). Air quality and climate change. As a general objective, the City will strive to reduce air quality impacts and climate change by minimizing private motor vehicle use and fuel consumption through a wide range of measures discussed elsewhere in this plan. More specifically, it will develop an Air Quality and Climate Change Plan, in support of the Official Plan and Environmental Strategy that will consider transportation-related measures that can reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that cause climate change, and the emission of air toxins like those that form smog. While future growth in population and traffic volumes may cause total vehicle emissions to rise, the City may be able to achieve a reduction in transportation emissions on a per capita basis. The federal government’s recent ratification of the Kyoto Protocol supports the pursuit of significant technological advances and behavioural changes to meet national targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, and may ultimately have a great effect on the role that municipalities are called to play. Water quality. Paved streets, driveways and parking lots prevent water from soaking into the ground and increase storm water volumes in the drainage system. In order to improve the quality of storm runoff and reduce its volume, the City will encourage shared parking facilities that reduce the size and number of lots, reduce parking requirements for some land uses, encourage shared driveways between adjacent developments, encourage the use of permeable surfaces for driveways and parking lots, and follow guidelines for erosion control during construction. Surface water runoff will be treated using methods specified by the Ministry of the Environment before it is released into open waterways, to minimize its impacts on fish and wildlife habitats. Transportation facilities will incorporate storm water management principles and techniques into approved drainage designs. Vegetation. Transportation infrastructure projects frequently require the removal of natural vegetation. Vegetation in or near road corridors are also affected by road use and maintenance. For example, car emissions consist of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds that can affect the health of trees and other vegetation. The use of road salt to create safer winter driving conditions also impacts the health of plants to various degrees. The City has begun efforts to reduce road salt use and "green" its roadways through the development of a Salt Management Strategy and Greening Guidelines, and these efforts will be enhanced over time. This plan’s intent to minimize automobile use will reduce the need for new infrastructure and limit air emissions pollutants that can damage trees and vegetation. Greening our roadways and pathways will also make them more attractive for walking and cycling. Vegetation chosen to green these areas will favour species that can withstand the sometimes harsh conditions along roadways – drought, vehicle emissions and road salt. Land consumption. To minimize the possible consumption of valuable agricultural and natural resource lands by transportation infrastructure expansion, the City will continue to maximize the efficient operation of existing facilities before adding new ones. A wide range of strategies will also help to increase the use of walking, cycling and transit, which can move a given number of people in less physical space than roads. Noise. This plan aims to protect communities from unacceptable levels of transportation-related noise that are most likely to arise from airplanes, arterial roads with high truck and bus volumes, rapid transit facilities and intercity rail facilities. Future changes to the City's road and rapid transit networks will require study of projected noise levels and mitigation needs. The Provincial Ministry of the Environment and the City have approved Noise Control Guidelines that identify different noise sources, and regulate what measures are required. Readers are referred directly to these Noise Control Guidelines for details on sound level, design criteria, and various noise control measures and methods. Readers are also referred to the City's Official Plan for specific policies related to the establishment and implementation of acceptable noise levels, including sound level criteria for outdoor residential areas. It should be mentioned that the 30 minute averaging protocol (Leq - 30 min.), incorporated in the City's Official Plan, applies to the Noise Control Guidelines documents within the City of Ottawa. The City will:
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