7.0 A Road Typology

Den Haag Drive, Ottawa

Aquaview Drive, Ottawa

An analysis of the context and planned function was completed for the Major Collector and Collector Roads located in the Urban Area and Villages, and the Arterial and Collector Roads located in the Rural Area. This led to the identification of the following six (6) main Road types:

1. Neighbourhood Collector

These roads are the most “minor” of the City’s Collector Road network. They are typically located in the General Urban Area and are flanked primarily with residential uses of varying sizes and densities together with supporting smaller scale neighbourhood uses such as schools, parks, and places of worship. They are often shorter segments that connect these uses to other Collector Roads and Arterial Roads. Buildings are located close to and oriented towards the street, often with numerous driveways. They are two-lane roads with an urban cross-section and on-street parking.

2. Village Collector

These Village roads serve adjacent residences on larger lots and occasionally parks, schools and other community serving uses. They are often shorter segments that connect these uses to other Collector Roads and Arterial Roads. Buildings are set well back from the street with larger front lawns, sometimes in a forest setting. They are two-lane roads, often with a rural style (shoulder and ditch) cross-section.

3. Community Collector

These relatively long road segments are often designated as Major Collectors. They are typically located in the General Urban Area and Mixed Use Centres. They are flanked by a very wide range of uses, densities, and building sizes. In more densely “urban” areas, these roads sometimes have a “mainstreet” function, with multi-storey mixed-use buildings set close to the street, and sidewalks along the curb. In more “suburban” areas, these roads are lined with larger community components such as schools, major parks, and civic buildings as well as higher density residential uses. In both cases, the number and spacing of driveways is limited in response to the higher volumes of traffic that may use the corridors. They are typically two-lane roads with an urban cross-section and lined with trees, and are transit routes. They often provide on-street parking, although some have been constructed in the past with four traffic lanes without on-street parking.

4. Business Area Collector

These relatively short road segments are located in the City’s business parks and industrial areas, typically on lands designated Employment Area and Enterprise Area. They are flanked by typically large office and industrial buildings on spacious lots with surface parking areas and relatively widely-spaced individual driveways. Landscaping along the street is often provided on private land in a campus setting. These streets are most often two-lanes, occasionally providing for on-street parking. The segments connect the employment uses to the adjacent Arterial Road network, and in some cases form part of the City’s Urban Truck Route network. They are often transit routes.

5. Rural Collector

These designated Collector Roads are the majority of the “country roads” located along historical concession ROWs in the City’s Rural Area. They are flanked by farms and other rural land uses including rural residences on severed lots. The roads often afford long views of the expansive countryside including intermittent buildings, woodlots, natural features, and farmland. The roads have two-lanes with shoulders and open ditches and are not designed for on-street parking.

6. Rural Arterial

These designated Arterial Roads are the longer and more heavily-traveled roads in the Rural Area. They are a combination of main concession roads as well as some former Provincial Highways now under the City’s jurisdiction. They are flanked by farms and other rural land uses including rural residences on severed lots as well as some rural businesses. The roads often afford long views of the expansive countryside including intermittent buildings, woodlots, natural features, and farmland. The roads have two lanes with shoulders and open ditches and are not designed for on-street parking.

The comparative characteristics of these six (6) road types are summarized on Table 7-1. Demonstration cross-sections, design emphases, and ROW requirements are provided in Appendix A. These demonstrations are consistent with the design guidelines for corridor components and rural conditions presented in Sections 5 and†6. They are, however, merely demonstrations. Detailed designs will need to be prepared by the City on an as-required basis and in collaboration with utility companies and other key stakeholders.

The demonstration plans will enable a review of current ROW width protection requirements set out in the Official Plan. They will also serve as a starting point for the refinement of the most appropriate detailed designs that adequately provide for services and utilities.

Details for individual road design elements are provided in Tables 1 and 2 in Appendix B. These are provided as a helpful reference, however, original reference documents should be referred to when completing detailed designs. These details are also reflected in the demonstration plans. Some of these details reflect emerging best practices. Follow-on work is suggested to update existing specifications, as appropriate.

This section provides an overview of how to apply the appropriate demonstration plan from Appendix A when planning/designing a new collector or rural Arterial Roadway, or reconstructing an existing facility. Alternative demonstrations are provided for some of the road types so that a diversity of land use conditions can be addressed. The variability in the alternatives is either in the ROW required or the spatial arrangement of the cross-section elements, or both. Table 7-2 (right) provides direction on when each cross-section is most applicable.

For new road corridors in Greenfield settings, demonstration plans using a ROW of 24m or 26m are applicable for most Collector and Major Collector Roads, respectively. These ROW widths provide sufficient space not only for the on-road requirements but for the many streetscape elements along the road edge as well as choices for the location/design of services and utilities.

In other instances, such as existing road corridors with constrained conditions, or for application in mixed use centres or areas where a highly urban environment is desired, road cross-sections which reflect a narrower ROW should be considered. In constrained or existing locations in older parts of the City, a 20m ROW is typically found, and there is often little or no opportunity for ROW widenings to be provided.

Roads with “Green Street” treatments (See Section 8.0) may require a wider ROW in order to accommodate enhanced features such as additional landscaping, multi-use pathways, etc.).

When assessing the appropriate demonstration plan for use, considerations include the adjacent land use, applicable roadway typology, projected traffic volumes, and other functional requirements (turn lanes, transit, on-road parking, and cycling facilities). The Official Plan and Community Design Plans will often provide guidance on these matters.

Orleans Boulevard, Ottawa

Of the various demonstration plans provided in Appendix A, only the 24m Option 1 - Standard cross-section has been confirmed by the City for immediate use. It is the only collector included in the City’s Right-of-Way Cross-Sections for Residential Roads. Designs for services and utilities have been approved for this option following a lengthy design process involving key stakeholders, including utility companies. A similar process is recommended for the other collector road and rural arterial road demonstration plans, as needs arise.

As a first priority, detailed designs for the Neighbourhood Collector 24m Option 2 demonstration plan should be investigated. Whereas Option 1 locates trees between the sidewalk and street lot line, Option 2 locates trees between the curb and sidewalk. There are numerous above-grade benefits to the Option 2 demonstration plan, where the trees create a superior enclosure to both the roadway and the sidewalk. It also provides the opportunity for full canopy enclosure over the sidewalk, depending on the location of a second row of trees on adjacent private land. Locating trees closer to the roadway also brings a traffic calming effect, and should not result in traffic safety (collision) concerns due to the relatively low speed of the roads in question. With proper separation of 2 to 2.5m from the roadway, street lighting conflicts, snow maintenance, and salt damage concerns are minimized. Trees located closer to the roadway of lower speed roads is a fundamental principal of contemporary urban road design, and is enshrined as a principle in the RRCDG.

There will often be situations where it will be difficult to accommodate all the required and desired design elements in the cross-section. Trade-offs may need to be made. When completing the final designs, care must be taken to balance competing demands, keeping in mind these design guidelines and broader Official Plan directions. In most instances, priority for space within a road corridor should be given to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit needs, as well as trees and vital infrastructure and utilities. The best design solutions will be made with multi-disciplinary input from (listed alphabetically): landscape architects and foresters, municipal engineers, utility engineers, transportation engineers, urban planners and designers, as well as development proponents and community representatives.

For ROWs of 22 to 26m, road edges of 6.0 to 7.5m approximately provide sufficient space for above-grade elements, and provide choices for services and utilities.