Chapter 1 – Introduction The City of Ottawa, shown in Figure 1.1, is one of Canada’s largest municipalities and delivers services to about 800,000 people. Over the next 20 years, the City’s population will exceed one million people, and may reach 1.2 million. This level of growth will open new opportunities for the city and its residents, but will also bring enormous change and new challenges. The Transportation Master Plan will guide the City of Ottawa over the next two decades as it strives to manage growing transportation demand in ways that reinforce its residents’ values and aspirations. It identifies the transportation facilities and services that the City intends to put in place by 2021 to meet the travel needs of residents and businesses, and to support the development pattern identified in the Official Plan. Its policies will guide the operation of the City’s day-to-day transportation programs, and provide a basis for developing capital and operating budgets. It does not focus on design or operating details, but refers frequently to existing or future guideline or strategy documents that will give detailed support to policy objectives. All of these actions by the City will complement the actions required of the private sector by the Official Plan. Figure 1.1 –
1.1 Ottawa’s Growth Management Strategy This Transportation Master Plan has been prepared within the broader context of the Ottawa 20/20 initiative, a two-year process to help the City prepare for growth over the next 20 years. Ottawa 20/20 strives to balance social, environmental and economic issues in a way that enables the City to serve today’s residents while being responsible to future generations. As part of the Ottawa 20/20 process, the City has completed five growth management plans in 2003 (namely the Official Plan, Human Services Plan, Arts and Heritage Plan, Economic Strategy and Environmental Strategy). A Corporate Strategic Plan will be completed subsequently. These plans identify the City's long-term strategic directions and form a comprehensive blueprint for the future of Ottawa. In principle, this Transportation Master Plan supports each of the growth management plans. However, it is directly linked to the Official Plan which sets the land use, community design, transportation and infrastructure policies necessary to direct the physical development of the city. The Official Plan is also supported by the Infrastructure Master Plan for water, wastewater and stormwater services, and the Greenspace Master Plan for the protection, acquisition and management of greenspace. All three of these supporting plans set out strategies, policies, programs and infrastructure elements consistent with the directions contained in the Official Plan, and are clearly referenced within it. Figure 1.2 shows how these plans relate to the other elements of the City’s growth management strategy. Figure 1.2 –
1.2 Growth Management Principles and the Transportation Master Plan The Ottawa 20/20 initiative has defined seven guiding principles and accompanying objectives that guide the preparation of all plans related to the City’s growth management strategy. Figure 1.3 identifies some ways in which the Transportation Master Plan directly supports the City’s growth management principles. 1.3 Implementation and Interpretation of the Transportation Master Plan The policies contained in the Transportation Master Plan represent Council’s stated intentions, and will guide day-to-day transportation decisions. This plan is a starting point, and can only come to life through the accomplishment of key intervening steps, including mechanisms such as:
Chapter 14 of this plan provides more details on these and other aspects of plan implementation. It is important to recognize that some of the assumptions underlying the policies and plans expressed in the Transportation Master Plan may change by 2021. For instance, unexpected changes in the pace, location or magnitude of residential, commercial and institutional development may occur, and if so the City may need to change the size, alignment, timing or very nature of the transportation facilities and services called for in this plan. Other changes that may affect the plan’s currency could include changes in the City’s ability to invest in infrastructure, changes to the City of Gatineau’s land use or transportation systems, changes to provincial or federal transportation facilities within Ottawa, or changes in national or international circumstances such as an oil crisis. Figure 1.3 –
The Transportation Master Plan is as robust as possible, and should remain relevant in the face of minor changes over time in these and other variables. The City will review the need to update this plan, in view of major changes that may occur, at the same time that it considers the need to update its Official Plan — a consideration that must take place every five years. In the intervening period, the record of Council decisions related to transportation will serve as a complement to this plan for those wishing an up-to-date perspective on City transportation policy. The successful implementation of the Transportation Master Plan will depend on the active cooperation and participation of a wide variety of actors outside the municipal administration. The City of Gatineau, the federal government and the provincial governments of Ontario and Quebec are all crucial players in the development of a connected and integrated transportation system. The private sector also has an increasingly meaningful role to play through partnerships with the City, such as those to build and manage facilities and services, or to improve the transportation choices enjoyed by employees and customers. Finally, individuals and community groups can do much to define public issues and solutions, and their ongoing participation is essential to implementing the Transportation Master Plan. Each of these stakeholders and partners brings to the table important financial, knowledge-based, motivational, or physical resources. The City will make the best possible use of them, and will seek out new partnerships and other innovative approaches to achieving the vision laid out in this plan. 1.4 Structure of the Transportation Master Plan The remainder of this document contains the following chapters:
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Official site of the City of Ottawa
