Nine out of ten Ottawa City Council candidates say they will prioritize investing in pedestrian, cycling and affordable public transit infrastructure in the urban area over infrastructure for cars if they are elected according to a new survey conducted by local environmental organization Ecology Ottawa.
“The survey shows us that candidates in rural, suburban and urban areas are ready to get behind a new vision for transportation in Ottawa. A vision that truly takes all users’ ages and abilities and all forms of transportation, not just cars, into consideration,” Graham Saul, Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa says.
Ecology Ottawa has sent its Ottawa Elections 2014 survey to all candidates to find out where they stand on Ottawa’s most pressing environmental issues. Forty-seven candidates have responded thus far.
“Candidates want Complete Streets and are enthusiastic about safe and convenient alternatives to driving,” Saul says. “They are telling us that we need improved intra-suburban bus connections, new bike lanes, better signage, bike paths that are integreated with light-rail stations, and multi-use pathways.”
About eighty percent support accelerated funding for safer cycling in the city. Where do your candidates stand? And About ninety percent of candidates who completed the survey state they will support adopting “Complete Streets” principles – making streets safe and accessible for people of all ages, genders and abilities no matter what their preferred mode of transportation. The City of Ottawa endorsed a Complete Streets approach to city streets design last year, but has yet to develop an implementation strategy.
“We asked candidates if they would support accelerating proposed spending on cycling infrastructure in Ottawa and the answer we got back is a resounding “Yes!”,” Saul says.
A full report of candidates’ responses on complete streets can be downloaded here:
The report is the first installment of Ecology Ottawa’s series of reports titled Your Decision, Your Vote - Towards a green and healthy Ottawa, Election 2014. Ecology Ottawa will release five more reports in the weeks leading up to Election Day in Ottawa on October 27th. See Ecology Ottawa's election page for regular updates.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact
Graham Saul
Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa
Office: 613-860-5353, Mobile: 613-710-2819
graham.saul@ecologyottawa.ca
Ecology Ottawa is a not-for-profit, grassroots and volunteer-driven organization, working to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada.
www.ecologyottawa.ca
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