Full steam ahead for city LRT expansion plans, Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 2015 | Unpublished
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Unpublished Opinions

AlexCullen's picture
Alex Cullen
Ottawa, Ontario
About the author

Former OBE Trustee (1982-88), Ottawa City Councillor (1991-94), RMOC Councillor (1991-97), MPP Ottawa West (1997-99), Ottawa City Councillor (2000-2010). Economist, former Policy Analyst NHW (1982-91), former Executive Director Council on Aging (1999-2000), former Parliamentary Assistant to MP Mike Sullivan (2011-2015). Triathlete (including 4 iron distance triathlons), 3-time winner Rudy Award. Past-President Federation of Citizens Associations.

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Full steam ahead for city LRT expansion plans, Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 2015

June 23, 2015

I am the President of the Board of Directors of River Parkway Children's Centre, a licensed non-profit child care centre located at 40 Cleary Ave. in the Unitarian campus, where the City is proposing that the LRT West (Stage 2) is to go. We have grave concerns over the impact of both the construction of this route and its operations on oyur program, and on the seniors residence at nearby Unitarian House, particularly as there are better options nearby.

Dear Editor (Ottawa Citizen):

 

   While in general this is an ambitious plan for expanding the LRT ("Full steam ahead for city LRT expansion plans", Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 2015), there is one inconvenient problem that continues to plague a 1.4 km section of the LRT west section, and that is from Dominion Station to Cleary Station and through the Unitarian campus.

 

   The City appears to have decided that disturbing a 130-resident seniors residence and a 70-child childcare centre on the Unitarian campus is worth more than going through Rochester Field and under the Byron Linear Park (the original Ottawa Tramway line). Not only will the seniors and children face great disruption during the cut & cover construction within metres of their buildings (including blasting, pouring foundations, constructing the tunnel housing, etc.) but they will face noise & vibration from 43-ton LRT cars running by (in both directions) every 3 minutes during rush hour, and every 8 to 15 minutes in the evenings & weekends.

 

   The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has classified seniors residences and child care centres as "sensitive receptors" to noise and vibrations. It is simply bad planning to construct and operate an LRT route so close to these programs. The City needs to re-assess this alignment, particularly when there are better options nearby.

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