Overview
A planning and functional design study is underway for a bi-directional cycling facility on Wellington Street between the Mackenzie Avenue cycling facility at Rideau Street and the forthcoming cycling facility on O’Connor Street. The City is also considering extending the facility to the limits of the Parliamentary Precinct at Bank Street. And the City is carrying out the planning and functional design of a two-way protected cycling connection from the termination of the Mackenzie Avenue cycle track at Rideau Street to the NCC Rideau Canal Eastern Pathway (which also provides a link to Cross-town Bikeway #2 at Laurier Avenue). Currently, a southbound painted bike lane is provided between the Mackenzie cycle tracks and the Rideau Canal Pathway, with northbound cyclists needing to use a shared facility on Colonel By Drive and Rideau Street. The proposed, upgraded cycling connection will run along the Mackenzie Avenue/Colonel-By Drive ramp between Rideau Street and Daly Ave, but will add a northbound direction as well as physical protection from traffic
The project is intended to further improve the cycling experience along the route known as Confederation Boulevard and which is identified as Cross-town Bikeway #1 of the Ottawa Cycling Plan. The facility will connect to other key cycling links and major destinations in Downtown Ottawa. Alternatives will be developed and evaluated based on factors such as impacts to other road users, comfort and safety, cost, and enhancing the street’s character. The City will pay special attention to connections with existing and upcoming cycling facilities in the area and key corridor challenges such as the interaction of all modes at bus stopping areas and entrances at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. The City is developing a functional design plan to identify the preferred option, which will be carried forward to detailed design and implementation.
Planning Context
The study is built upon several Capital sustainable-mobility initiatives:
Horizon 2067: The Plan for Canada’s Capital (NCC, 2017)– Established policy direction for federal departments and agencies to follow over the next 50 years. Key policy directions include reimagining the streetscape and pedestrian and cyclist realm on Wellington Street, collaborating in the financing of the Confederation Boulevard cycling route, contributing to high quality sustainable mobility in the region, and working with municipalities to find ways to balance the transportation modal split.
Downtown Moves: Transforming Ottawa’s Streets (2013) – An urban design and transportation study that aimed to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists above vehicles in allocating street space and to redistribute the streetscape environment within Ottawa’s central business district. A design framework and toolkit and a compilation of best practices were used to create a phased implementation strategy that included streetscaping and a bi-directional vertically separated cycling facility on the north side of Wellington Street.
Project Status
- The Wellington Bikeway functional design Project (from Bank to Makenzie) is on hold until further notice, until the ultimate configuration of Wellington is decided through other higher-level studies. This project was first identified in the OCP2013 ( project P2-16).
Design Elements
- Protected bi-directional cycling facility
- Adhering to Confederation Boulevard design standards
- Consideration to provide protected intersections where possible
Public Consultation
Public consultations for Wellington Bikeway is planned for winter 2019/20. If you wish to provide comments related to the project in advance of consultations, please contact:
Adam Hortop, M.Sc., P.Eng.
Project Manager
Transportation Planning
Transportation Services Department
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue, 4th Floor
Email: adam.hortop@ottawa.ca
613-580-2424 ext. 20234