Billings Bridge

Active Transportation Improvements

Transportation Committee
August 24th, 2023

1
 Rideau Canal

Project Description N

• New cycling facilities on Bank St. across Billings Bus Lane

Northbound
Bridge

Riverdale Ave.
PM
o Riverside Dr. westbound to Chesley St.
• New northbound bus lane on Bank St. in the
afternoon peak (2:30-5:30pm)
o Chesley St. to Aylmer Ave.
o Cyclists can also use bus lane
• Coordination with Bank St. Renewal
Bike Lanes

Rideau River

2
Problem – Safety
• Bank/Riverside WB – high risk for
cyclist collisions
• Bank Street – high volume 4-lane 180
Billings Bridge Cyclist Volumes and Locations (May 2023)

road with very high cycling demand 160

144
154

Uncomfortable for many cyclists to

140

115

Number of Cyclists
120

share lane with vehicles 100

81
80

• Sidewalk cycling prevalent – 60

hazardous to people walking on 40

20

sidewalk, including with mobility 0

Weekday AM Weekday Midday Weekend Midday Weekday PM

devices 7:30-9 Day 11:30-1

and Time 3:30-5

Sidewalk Riding On-Street Riding

~100 cyclists per hour in PM peak and on weekends

Average 40% riding on sidewalk (all time periods) 3
 Problem – Connectivity
Lansdowne

• Rideau River major barrier to cycling

• Connects major cycling routes
Windsor Hospitals
• Connects to key destinations Hopewell
Park

School

Brewer Billings Bridge

Park
Key missing link Carleton Mall
identified by public University

RA Centre Transitway

Confederation Heights
N
4
 Average Travel Time - Bank / Riverside WB to Bank / Aylmer

Problem - Transit 0:08:00

0:07:00

0:06:00

• Single northbound lane in PM peak 0:05:00

due to on-street parking → Transit

Average Travel Time

0:04:00

delays and reliability impacts 0:03:00

• High-demand routes 6 and 7 0:02:00

• High-capacity buses on both routes 0:01:00

• New trips/ schedule adjustments for 0:00:00

Summer/Fall 2023
1 hour window beginning at:

5
Study Background
• Study initiated in late 2020; challenges with functional design of the
Riverside WB intersection; coordination opportunity
• #1 “Councillor Pick” for Ward 17 and Ward 18 Councillors in 2021
• High-Risk Cycling Safety Intersection
• TMP direction:
o Cycling Feasibility Study project and Cross-Town Bikeway
o Transit Priority Corridor

6
Recommended Plan
• 3 lane + bike lanes – one lane each direction with auxiliary lanes
• Protected signal phase for southbound right turns at Bank and Riverside WB

7
Impacts
• Cycling – improved safety and comfort
o Intersection design improvements for cycling safety (“protected” intersection)
o Signal phasing eliminates major conflict point at Bank and Riverside westbound
o Bike lanes on Bank across Billings Bridge → connects destinations, paths, Equity Priority Neighbourhood
• Pedestrians – improved safety
o Shorter crossings
o Reduced vehicle turning speeds
o Pedestrian “head start” signal
o Fewer bikes on sidewalk → fewer conflicts with pedestrians
• Transit – reduced delays and improved reliability
o Route 6 buses save 1200 customer-minutes daily (# mins saved x total # of customers)
o Minor impacts to Route 5 in AM peak

8
Impacts
• Traffic – reduced capacity during peak hours
o Traffic analysis used pre-pandemic volumes, included nearby developments
o Riverside westbound increased delay: 2.5 min AM, 1 min PM
o Increased queues during peak hours on Bank and Riverside
o Some traffic diverted → other parallel routes have capacity
o Current construction delays not reflective of expected impacts from this project
• Parking – 14 spaces permanently removed and 41 spaces restricted in PM peak

• Trade-off between cycling & pedestrian safety/transit reliability and traffic operations
• TMP policies: repurpose peak road capacity to provide space for pedestrians, cyclists,
transit; prioritize multimodal mobility over peak period vehicular capacity

9
Public Engagement
• Survey on Engage Ottawa June 14th to 30th
o 300+ responses to survey and via email
o 82% support bike lanes, 67% support bus lane
• Virtual public meeting June 21st
• Accessibility Advisory Committee consulted
• Major concerns identified:
o Loss of parking for businesses and people with disabilities
o Traffic congestion
o Desire for physical separation of cycling facilities

10
Next Steps
• Time-sensitive opportunity to include in Bank St. (Riverside WB to Ledbury)
Renewal project
• TRC and Council decision
• If three-lane configuration is approved, refine recommended design
• Construction 2024

11
Questions

12