City of Ottawa looks to stay ahead of fall commuter surge with nearly $29M plan

As more federal workers are back to the office and students return to school, the pressure is on for the city to keep traffic moving.

As more federal workers return to the office and students go back to school, the pressure is on for the city to keep traffic moving. OC Transpo has unveiled a report looking to spend millions in enhancements to the city’s transportation network to get commuters to where they need to go in the fall. OC Transpo’s nearly $29 million plan in upgrades includes increasing frequency on LRT Line 1, beefing up bus service to some key commuting hubs, and improving schedule reliability on 30 of the busiest bus routes.

It’s also adding more express buses from the west end into areas such as the Department of National Defence Campus on Carling, where concerns have been raised about parking and a lack of transit options. Ottawa city councillors discussed the plan at Wednesday’s council meeting, where the plan was approved unanimously. University of Ottawa PhD student Ariana Furlong has noticed the LRT is already getting busier and worries things could get worse in September.

“I think it’s just going to get a lot more crowded. I know people who take the train and they have been seeing the same thing in the past week. I know people who have been driving, and they’ve just been leaving two hours early which just isn’t manageable,” said Furlong.

Data from the federal government finds the increased frequency of employees in the office could result in at least 65,000 additional weekly trips into Ottawa’s downtown core, across all modes of transportation. Non-executive workers in the core federal public service have been required to work in the office at least four days a week as of July 6. In the plan, the bulk of the money ($20.1 million) will be spent on expanding the Bowesville LRT Park and Ride next year.

The city says it’s trying to get ahead of what could be one of the busiest times on the road in years, when summer vacations end and students head back to class. Furlong believes reliable services should be a priority. “I think that they need to make sure that the train can consistently work.

Having six months of just half of the train being open that was crippling.” Yvon Martel starts his commute on bike from Hunt Club and gets on the LRT at Bowesville Station. He says more parking is needed.

“I often see the parking almost full,” says Martel. “Limebank Station doesn’t have any parking. Leitrim’s got some parking, that’s fine, but yes, I would support expanding the parking.”