Varennes Boulevard Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Study and Valin Street Active Transportation Project

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Project status
Planning underway

Overview

The City of Ottawa is conducting a Neighbourhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Study along Varennes Boulevard between Watters Road and Valin Street in response to traffic concerns raised by residents.

The purpose of this study is to recommend permanent roadway modifications intended to improve safety for all road users, primarily by reducing vehicular speeds.

Study limit for Varennes Boulevard

Varennes Boulevard – Study Limit

The Varennes Boulevard study focuses on key locations within the means of the Neighbourhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Program. Traffic calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behaviour, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Additional information on traffic calming.

The City of Ottawa is also conducting an Active Transportation (AT) Project along Valin Street from Charlemagne Boulevard to Portobello Boulevard. The City is proposing cycling lanes along this section of Valin Street as per the Transportation Master Plan . Other safety measures are also being proposed especially near St. Peter Catholic High School.

Valin Street study limit

Valin Street – Study Limit

Proposed Concept Plans

Based on traffic data, coordination with various stakeholders, and project constraints, proposed concept plans have been developed.

The Varennes Boulevard NTC plan includes:

  • Varennes Boulevard between Watters Road and Valin Street
    • 5 speed cushions. Speed cushions are being proposed along this section of the street because it is an OC Transpo route and a key emergency response route for Fire Services. Speed cushions allow large vehicles like buses and emergency response vehicles to straddle the cushions.
  • Varennes Boulevard between Tempo and Sheenboro Crescent (north)
    • Upgrade existing bus shelter pad on the east side.
  • Intersection of Varennes Boulevard and Sheenboro Crescent (north)
    • Curb-radii reductions on the northwest and southwest corners.
    • Accessibility upgrades on the northeast and southeast corners.
    • Painted crosswalks on the north, east, and west legs.
  • Varennes Boulevard between Watters Road and Valin Street
    • Painted cycling lanes. Please note that cycling lanes require curbside no-stopping restrictions. As a result, all on-street parking along Varennes Boulevard will be removed if cycling lanes are implemented.
  • Varennes Boulevard between Watters Road and Corsham Avenue
    • Sidewalk on the south side.
    • Pedestrian refuge area on the south-west corner.

The Valin Street Active Transportation plan includes:

  • Valin Street between Charlemagne Boulevard to Portobello Boulevard
    • Painted cycling lanes. Please note that cycling lanes require curbside no-stopping restrictions. As a result, all on-street parking along Valin Street will be removed if cycling lanes are implemented.
  • Intersection of Valin Street and Northlands Drive
    • Accessibility upgrades at all four corners.
    • Ladder markings on the south and west legs.
    • Painted crosswalk on the east leg.
  • Intersection of Valin Street and Varennes Boulevard
    • Ladder markings on the north and west legs.

Please view the proposed concept plans:

Concept Plans [ PDF 5.176 MB ] Opens in a new tab or window

Rationale for a Traffic Calming Study

For a street to qualify for a NTC Study, it must meet certain criteria as indicated in the NTC Study Process Opens in a new tab or window (approved by council in 2019). The NTC Study Process indicates a street must have an average speed of 45km/hr or more and/or an 85th percentile speed of 55km/hr or more to qualify for a NTC study. Apart from the speed data, there are other factors that we consider as part of qualification process such as: 

  • Road classification 
  • Road reconstruction plan within 5 years  
  • Presence of sensitive land use (school, park, daycare, etc.) 
  • Councillor support 

For more detailed information about the qualification process, please refer Figure 3 and Figure 4 in the NTC Study Process. Once a street qualifies for an NTC study, the implementation timeline and/or consideration of NTC funding support depends on where the street is located on the prioritization list compared to other streets that have qualified. For more detailed information about prioritization, please refer to Figure 8 in the NTC Study Process. 

The City’s received concerns from residents about speeding along Varennes Boulevard. Upon review, Varennes Boulevard qualified for a NTC study.

 

Additional Information about the Proposed Traffic Calming Measures

There are many benefits to implementing traffic calming measures along a street including reduced vehicular speeds and increased pedestrian and cyclist safety. The following section will provide an overview of the potential traffic calming options along Varennes Boulevard.  

Speed Cushions

Speed cushions are a type of vertical traffic calming measure which cause a vertical upward movement of the vehicles that are traversing over them. They are raised areas, similar to speed humps, but not covering the entire width of the road. They are designed to allow large vehicles to ‘straddle’ the cushions, resulting in less impacts to emergency and transit vehicle operations. Smaller vehicles are vertically deflected which generally results in lowered vehicles speeds as motorists slow to avoid unpleasant sensations when traversing them. The photos below provide an example of speed cushions that are located along Knudson Drive in Kanata: 

Speed cushions on Knudsen Drive
Speed cushions on Knudsen Drive

The benefits of speed cushions include reduced vehicular speeds, they are self-enforcing, and they impact larger vehicles less than other vertical measures. Potential disbenefits include that they may affect emergency response times (but less than other vertical measures), could create noise and vibrations, may result in a loss of some on-street parking (adjacent to the speed cushions), require additional winter maintenance due to the gaps in between the cushions, and may cause discomfort to some drivers and passengers at high travel speeds. 

Corner Tightening (Curb-Radii Reductions) 

Corner tightening or curb-radii reductions involve modifications of intersection corners to implement tighter corners (smaller radii). The benefits of corner tightening include reducing speeds of right-turning vehicles and shortening crossing distances. The disbenefits include larger vehicles may need to cross into adjacent travel lanes and there’s the potential for larger vehicles to mount the curbside space.