King Edward and Rideau North, 1938


New Report - City Fails King Edward Avenue:
Transportation Committee to Decide on Four Lane Option October 3 Media Advisory

(October 2, 2007, Ottawa) Ecology Ottawa launched its report “How the City of Ottawa failed King Edward Avenue” today in anticipation of the Transportation Committee’s agenda item on King Edward Avenue. This case study examines the damage that poor city planning has done to the community of Lowertown and recommends a way to restore what was once a grand Avenue in the heart of the City of Ottawa. “It is a clear example of what happens when you turn a community into an off ramp,” said Liz Bernstein of Ecology Ottawa.

On Wednesday October 3 at 9:30 a.m., the City of Ottawa Transportation Committee will consider the plight of King Edward Avenue. Ecology Ottawa calls on the committee to support a study on the current impact of reducing King Edward Avenue from six to four lanes during construction and consider a dedicated bike lane in each direction.

The pollution on King Edward Avenue poses both a health and environmental threat. A 2002 environmental assessment of the King Edward Avenue-Rideau intersection found that pollution levels were reaching 200% of acceptable levels when measured at peak-hour. Much of the cause of this extremely high level of pollution is the many trucks that use King Edward Avenue as a through-way and the 20-30 STO buses per day that frequently sit and idle on the side of the road, often outside of residences, and in one case, right beside a daycare centre.

The King Edward Avenue report was prepared with the assistance of Marc Aubin of the King Edward Avenue Task Force. A copy of the report has been sent to all City Councillors.

For further information, please contact:
Liz Bernstein, Ecology Ottawa, 613-262-1969
For additional information on the King Edward Task Force, contact Marc Aubin at 613-298-6894

Download the report here:

KingEdward_CaseStudy_web.pdf

The King Edward Avenue Task Force is a local grassroots group. It was formed by Lowertown residents in 1986. About 8-10 people attend its regular monthly meetings. After 2002, the group merged with the Lowertown Community Association. In 2007, outrage and disappointment at the lack of progress with the King Edward renewal project led to the reactivation of the group. The group is currently implementing a campaign to deal with most of the unresolved problems on the avenue.

The current campaign took off with a protest on King Edward Avenue in mid-April of 2007. This rally of about 40 people was followed by an enormously successful forum held in late May. The forum featured a slide show, discussion panel, and recommendations made by the Lowertown Community Association. Since then, the task force has been working hard to have each of these recommendations implemented. The momentum has been profound. After lobbying the city council, a crosswalk will now be built at Cathcart Street across King Edward. The city will also look at the costs involved in studying the impact of permanently reducing the lanes on the road to create a grand boulevard and add bike lanes. Progress has also been made towards removing idling buses from the street, and the group continues to lobby for a permanent removal of trucks via a new east end interprovincial bridge. The group's work was also endorsed recently by former Governor General the Honourable Adrienne Clarkson. The campaign continues!

Download the report in French here:

KingEdward_CaseStudy_FR_Web.pdf