CCC Contribution to 2013 Draft TMP

Post date: Nov 22, 2013 6:59:01 PM

On Nov 15th the CCC provided comments to the Draft 2013 TMP. Copies of the actual submissions are available on our 2013 TMP page. The comments were focused on the following areas all identified to be of common interest across the CA`s participating in the CCC.

a) Interprovincial Transit

- need for a better plan to reduce the cars cuttting through downtown CA`s (in both directions)

- need a better plan to reduce the volume of STO buses on Rideau & Wellington

b) Interprovincial Truck Route-Trucks in the downtown

- need for a review of the current truck routes to explore possibilities to reduce the impact of the current truck routes (short term action)

- and a need for the City to be proactive and take the lead with other levels of government to get started on a new long term plan (now that the east end interprovincial bridge project has been halted)

c) A more ambitious cycling plan

- the proposed TMP has a very ambitious plan to transform transit but only a status quo plan to improve cycling

- we are not clear on why the `affordability lens` allows for such an ambitious transit plan but an un-ambitious cycling plan and we would like to request more focus on correcting missing links and unsafe stretches of road for cycling in our communities

d) Improving the Pedestrian experience

- because so many people walk in the downtown communities, we need more emphasis on improving walkability and safety. These include...better repairs of cracks & holes in existing sidewalks, better snow and ice clearing, slowing of traffic in areas of high pedestrian volumes

- also there are many measures that can be made that communicate the pre-eminence of walking in our communities such as compelling construction sites to keep sidewalks more open during construction periods

e) More visibility of decision making criteria on TMP infrastructure projects

- in general, there was a sense that not enough information had been provided in the TMP to indicate why certain transit, cycling, and road projects were prioritized over others

- even city councillors seemed in the dark on many of these

- also, the plan contains many changes from the 2008 plan and we believe there would be more credibility of the current plan if it explained the reasoning behind the changes (ie.. why did many important projects in 2008 suddenly become so much less of a priority)