With opening of LRT, bus lanes being cut, more lanes for cyclists being added

Committee supports Albert, Slater redesign

Council’s transportation committee on Wednesday approved a redesign plan for two downtown streets as the city prepares to reduce the number of buses when the Confederation Line opens.

The bus-only lanes on Albert and Slater streets won’t be necessary when the LRT line is running through the tunnel under Queen Street in November.

The number of buses cutting through the downtown will be reduced by half, and more in some locations.

Under the proposed redesign plan, separated bike lanes will be added to Albert and Slater streets. There will be more bike parking spaces and planters to improve the streetscape.

The intersection of Albert and Slater streets, west of Bronson Avenue, will be transformed as part of a larger sewer and water-main project by pushing the intersection slightly east.

It will cost $26 million to reconstruct the Slater-Albert-Bronson node, but the money isn’t expected to be available until 2021. The rest of the corridor, from Bay Street through to the Mackenzie King Bridge, will cost about $6.4 million.

The city expects a provincial grant will help pay for some improvements.

The major work at the Slater-Albert-Bronson node won’t happen until 2021, lasting three construction seasons.

All other work in the AlbertSlater corridor will start in 2019 and go until 2021.

The number of on-street parking spaces will increase by 65 during the day compared to the current design, but decrease by 190 spaces in the evening and weekend hours. The city says there are 3,000 offstreet parking spaces that have low rates of use at night and on weekends.

Rideau- Goulbourn Coun. Scott Moffatt said Albert and Slater streets might have been better locations for segregated bike lanes, rather than Laurier Avenue. Moffatt, who said he’s interested in the safest route possible for cyclists, wondered if the Laurier Avenue bike lanes should be relocated to Albert and Slater streets.

We don’t remove bike lanes. We need to add to that capacity.

However, his downtown council colleague didn’t like the sound of that. “We don’t remove bike lanes. We need to add to that capacity,” Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said.

The ByWard Market BIA and Downtown Rideau BIA expressed concern about customers accessing those shopping destinations if the number of vehicle lanes on the Mackenzie King Bridge is reduced to one in each direction. There are currently two lanes but one is a bus-only lane. City transportation staff committed to working with the BIAs.

ByWard Market BIA executive director Jasna Jennings said market research done by the organization suggests the impacts of construction and lane closures are the No. 1 concern for market patrons, which surprised even her, since parking is usually the top issue.

Council will consider the redesign blueprint next Wednesday.