Albion Road Traffic Study

The City of Ottawa is conducting a traffic study along Albion Road between Bank Street and Lester Road. The purpose of this study is to address traffic concerns and recommend solutions to reduce the negative impacts of motor traffic. This study will not be recommending traffic management solutions (e.g. turn restrictions or road closures).

Study Area [ PDF 389 KB  ]

Updates will be provided periodically on this website.

Public Survey

A public questionnaire was completed over the summer of 2019 by approximately 680 residents to help the project team understand the broad range of concerns, general background, and potential solutions for consideration.

Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting has been replaced with an online consultation activity described below.

A summary of feedback provided by public participants in the study.

Feedback has been gathered from study participants through the summer 2019 online survey and the November 2019 Public Open House. An estimated 80% of survey respondents live in the study area (the region bounded by Lester Road, Hunt Club Road, Bank Street and the Airport Parkway), of which nearly 80% use Albion Road between Bank Street and Lester Road at least four times a week. In total, approximately 680 people responded to the public survey and over 30 people signed-in to the Public Open House.

According to the survey results, the main traffic issues on Albion Road include heavy vehicle volumes, high vehicle speeds, aggressive driver behaviour, and excessive cut through traffic volumes. The most common comments are summarized below.

Vehicle Speeds/Volumes:

• Speeding, especially during rush hour and late at night
• Excessive cut through traffic on side streets (Wyldewood, McMahon, Autumnwood, Baden, Queensdale, and Mory)
• Speeding on side streets (Trapper’s Way, Wyldewood, and Brampton)
• Difficulty turning onto Albion from side roads (Goth, Brampton, and McMahon) during peak hours
• Difficulty turning left from Albion onto side roads during peak hours
• Difficulty coming and going from driveways
• Noise created by the acceleration and stopping of vehicles at traffic lights
• Drivers speeding through the southern portion of study area (between Lester and Baden)
• Drivers speeding in between stop signs and traffic signals
• Traffic lining up at the intersection of Lester and Albion during peak hours
• Volume and speeds of vehicles on Albion between Lester and Leitrim is an issue.

Safety/Compliance:

• Drivers failing to make a complete stop at stop signs (Wyldewood, Rosabella, and Queensdale) and traffic lights
• Overgrown trees are hiding stop signs
• Lacking an accessible crossing at the Sawmill Creek Pathway
• Pedestrian crossing facilities at D’Aoust, Bridal Path, and Queensdale are not safe
• Intersection of Bank and Albion is dangerous, especially for pedestrians

• Cyclists are not stopping at stop signs
• Not enough enforcement of posted speed limit and stop signs
• Drivers are failing to stop for pedestrians.

Design/Operations:

• Excessive number of stop signs interrupts flow of traffic and makes drivers less likely to obey the signs
• Road is too narrow and should be widened
• Condition of the road is poor - it is uneven and there are many potholes
• Snow banks block vision for drivers and pedestrians
• Traffic turning left from Albion onto D’Aoust cuts corner
• Poor lighting at night.

Although nearly 80% of Public Open House survey respondents support the consideration of permanent traffic calming measures on Albion Road, many respondents communicated their concern that a modification of Albion Road may increase unwanted traffic on the residential streets in the study area.

80% of survey respondents believe that these traffic issues have become worse over the past few years, mainly due to the ongoing development outside of the study area and congestion on other nearby north/south streets.

Study participants also provided potential solutions during the Ideas session at the Public Open House in November 2019. Suggested potential solutions from that session are listed below.

• Provide alternate north/south main corridor
• Increase enforcement of posted speed limit and stop signs
• Reduce speed limit
• Consider restricting hours for turning on/off side streets (Wyldewood and McMahon) to discourage/reduce through traffic
• Add a right turning lane southbound at Albion and Lester intersection
• Add a right turning lane southbound at Albion and Lietrim intersection
• Use pedestrian crossovers instead of stop signs
• Add raised cross walks
• Lengthen median for pedestrian refuge at intersections (Bridle path and Bank)
• Give pedestrians advanced green lights at traffic signals
• Add bike lanes through the intersection of Albion and Lester

This feedback allows city staff to better understand the diverse traffic concerns on Albion Road and in the study area. Furthermore, the comments will be useful when generating and evaluating potential solutions. Thank you to everyone who provided comments.