Complete streets for people, NOT just cars

A Main Street built for cars or for all people? That’s the question before Ottawa city council. The “Complete Street” proposal for Main Street will be voted on by Ottawa city council this July 17, 2013. Call or write your councillor. Let them know that you want streets for people, not just cars.

A Complete Street is designed for all ages, abilities, and modes of travel. Main Street would be transformed by the Complete Street plan with elevated bike lanes, widened sidewalks, trees planted and bus shelters added.

The Complete Street plan for Main Street, recently before the Transportation Committee, was narrowly passed by a 6 to 4 vote. Councillors David Chernushenko (representing Main Street’s ward), Keith Egli, Mathieu Fleury, Rainer Bloess, Marianne Wilkinson and Peter Clark voted for the plan. Councillors Tim Tierny, Diane Deans, Allan Hubley and Scott Moffat voted against the Complete Street plan.

Now, the plan goes to city council.

The plan’s narrow victory in the Transportation Committee does not mean that the plan will pass when it’s before the full city council. Councillors from some suburban and rural areas have made it clear that they want a Main Street that moves cars. A Main Street for traffic.

Despite widespread support from the Main Street community and local councillors, a handful of councillors are lining up to block the Complete Street plan.

Help ensure that Main Street is a people street. Join Ecology Ottawa in demanding Complete Streets for Ottawa.

Councillors value hearing from their constituents, so please focus on your representative. You can find the phone number and email address for your councillor here.

Thank you,

Graham Saul, Executive Director
Ecology Ottawa

P.S. If you have not already done so, please sign Ecology Ottawa’s petition urging Mayor Jim Watson and all Ottawa City Councillors to support the passage and implementation of a comprehensive Complete Streets policy for the City of Ottawa as part of the ongoing review of Ottawa’s Official Plan. You can find the petition here.