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Strong Towns Ottawa

@strongtownsottawa.ca
1.2K followers 248 following 526 posts

linktr.ee/strongtownsottawa We're an urbanist group, focused on safer streets, giving citizens more options, and creating a more financially responsible city. Help us support bus lanes on Bank St: strongtownsottawa.ca/bank

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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 05/10/2026
Thanks to everyone who made it out to vote this past weekend! For anyone still trying to figure out who to vote for, take a look at the questionnaire we've just put out! If you don't see your candidates on here, shoot them an email to respond to our survey! strongtownsottawa.ca/2026-electio...
Strong Towns Ottawa's 2026 municipal election questionnaire page on their website. Found at https://strongtownsottawa.ca/2026-election-questionnaire/
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 04/10/2026
Did you get out to vote today yet? If not, what are you waiting for? You have until 8pm tonight for the final day of special advance voting in the municipal election! If you can't make today, make sure you set aside time on the 16th or 26th (final voting day) to vote! ottawa.ca/en/city-hall...
A sticker for voting early
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 03/10/2026
If you have some time this weekend, please consider getting out and voting in the special advance early voting locations! Poll booths are open from 10am-8pm on both days! You can find the location nearest you on the following site : ottawa.ca/en/city-hall...
Image from Elections Ottawa showing the voting locations available for the special advance voting days, from October 1st to 4th, 10am-8pm.

CARDELREC Recreation Complex (Goulbourn), 1500 Shea Rd.  
Churchill Seniors Recreation Centre, 345 Richmond Road.  
City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W.
François Dupuis Recreation Centre, 2263 Portobello Blvd.
Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Drive.
Diane Deans Greenboro Community Centre, 363 Lorry Greenberg Drive.
Minto Recreation Complex – Barrhaven, 3500 Cambrian Road.
Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue.
Richcraft Recreation Complex – Kanata, 4101 Innovation Drive.
St-Laurent Complex, 525 Côté Street.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 01/10/2026
Join us for our monthly meeting on October 8th, where we'll be focusing on the municipal election, and giving members a chance to debate key topics and questions that have been focused on in the election so far. To RSVP please use our following link! luma.com/0ouk4smo?tk=...
Strong Towns Ottawa's October Monthly Meeting poster, which shows the meeting occurring on October 8th, from 6:15-7:45pm, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, at 400 Sparks Street.

The featured discussion is debating different topics and questions that have been central to the 2026 election.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 29/09/2026
Thanks to everyone who showed up to last week's social gathering! The Oktoberfest action was quite lively! Look forward to our next event, Thursday, October 8th, where we'll be hosting our monthly meeting, 6:15pm at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, at 400 Sparks!
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 28/09/2026
Not sure what to do tonight? Come join us to discuss Walkable Cities by Jeff Speck! You don't have to have read the book to participate, all are welcome to join us! More info can be found on our event page here : luma.com/67fnnpuw
A poster depicting the Ottawa Urbanism Book Club meeting for September 28th, from 6:15-7:45pm at Sunnyside Public Library, to discuss the book "Walkable City" by Jeff Speck
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 24/09/2026
Reminder we have our monthly social tomorrow night, 7pm, at Braumeister Bierhalle! All are welcome, no need to RSVP! They are holding their Oktoberfest festivities at the same time, so we will only have 1 table reserved for us, but there will still be other seating in the restaurant!
Poster for the Strong Towns Ottawa monthly social gathering at Braumeister Bierhalle, Friday September 25th, from 7pm. 

The image depicts a group of members sitting at 2 tables smiling while facing towards the camera.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 23/09/2026
We've sent out our questionnaire that you can see attached to all candidates for mayor and council. We've started receiving responses! If you want to see responses from candidates in your area, feel free to e-mail them and ask them to fill out the survey we've sent! We'll be sharing answers soon!
Strong Towns Ottawa's 2026 election questionnaire that asks candidates about 5 topics and a general question.

Housing : 

What actions, if any, do you believe the city should take with regards to housing affordability? What do you see as the limits for the city in that area?

Long-Term Infrastructure Planning : 

Ottawa faces a significant gap between its long-term infrastructure maintenance needs and projected revenues. How should the city approach closing that gap, and what trade-offs are you willing to accept?

Transportation :

How do you think Ottawa should prioritize competing demands on road space and transportation infrastructure investment over the next 10 years?

Mixed-Use Development :

How do you see the relationship between land use policy such as zoning, building types, the mix of uses, etc... and residents’ quality of life and daily mobility? What room do you think there is for commercial use in residential neighbourhoods? What is the city getting wrong and what should it be doing differently?

Transit :

Where do you see the future going for OC Transportation over the next 4 years if you were to win your election?

General : 

If you have the time: Is there any other specific policy or zoning change that you would really like to see implemented, and why?
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 14/08/2026
Thank you to all of our wonderful members who showed up, as well as to @bettertransitottawa.ca for coming to present, and all of their followers for attending too! Big thanks as well to councillors Sean Devine and Jeff Leiper for taking interest in such an important topic!
Members posing at the Strong Towns Ottawa monthly meeting in August 2026, where Better Transit Ottawa presented
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 11/08/2026
One of the more frustrating arguments from the city yesterday as to why they're keeping a whole 13 parking spots instead of widening the sidewalks further was due to multi-unit housing needing parking... The housing type that objectively has the lowest car ownership rates and walks the most?
An image from the city of Ottawa's transportation trends report on "Daily mode share by trip origin". The table shows the downtown core having under 30% of trips done by vehicle and 44% done by walking.An image from the city of Ottawa's transportation trends report showing the vehicle ownership rates for different parts of the city. The downtown core shows 48% of households with no vehicle at all, and 45% with only a single vehicle.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 10/08/2026
The Kent Street Redesign online consultation is tonight 6:30-8:30 pm, we strongly urge you to sign up and show up! Link is here us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... This project is extremely disappointing for so many reasons. This road is an extremely uncomfortable sewer for traffic, we can do better.
A Google streets view of Kent Street showing how uncomfortable it is to use as someone outside of a vehicle. The road is 4 lanes wide with lots of asphalt, small sidewalks with power lines, and no safe infrastructure for cyclists.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 08/08/2026
Pedestrians are forced to cross this extremely large road, with very long signals, twice so that they can legally continue on their path. Many will just walk in the road where they are not designated to. This section of road is plenty wide to provide for proper accommodations for pedestrians.
Close up picture of the signs showing for pedestrians to cross to the other side of the wide section of Elgin street
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 08/08/2026
Some of you might remember last year when the city closed down the sidewalk on Elgin near city hall for pedestrians forcing them to take a huge detour all so that 6 lanes for cars could remain open. Well thankfully we're now getting the same thing just on the other side of the road...
Pedestrian sidewalk closed causing them to make a large detour through an extremely wide road to get around.Pedestrian walking in the road due to no accommodation being made for pedestrians meanwhile two lanes are open for cars.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 06/08/2026
We've received photos from the Train to Nowhere event that @giopetti.bsky.social hosted at the Bytowne theatre. We were extremely honoured to have been invited to participate in the panel discussion after the showing, with board member Marko joining Gio, Laura, Meg, and Tom!
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/07/2026
We forgot to take group pictures of the social last night, so please enjoy the only one taken. A selfie from Ajay of @bettertransitottawa.ca
Selfie of Ajay from better transit Ottawa with a thumbs up.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 16/07/2026
We wonder if OCOBIA checked in with the Glebe BIA to see if they support this position of improving transit to help support main streets? This energy would have been wonderful to see before the Glebe BIA fought tooth and nail to gut the hours and try to kill the Bank Street bus lane project...
An ad from OCOBIA (Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas) that says they strongly support improving transit to help support local economies and to strengthen communities.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 03/07/2026
Interested in hearing from Gio Petti, the creator of "Dude Where's my Bus?" and "The Train to Nowhere"? Join us for our monthly meeting, on July 9th! Info at the following link : luma.com/qe0i650r?tk=... He'll be touching on the importance of local activism, some tips on documentaries, and more!
A poster for the documentary "Dude, Where's My Bus?" by Gio Petti, showing an OC Transpo bus which has a sign at the back saying "A look at Ottawa's messy transit system".
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/06/2026
Seeing streets on a local road ruined with this asphalt where there was previously grass is a bit disappointing. This is on Cartier which is meant to be a local road, yet tons of cut through traffic drives on the sidewalks as they speed along here. Residents deserve safe streets, not speeding.
Asphalt paved over the sidewalk of a bulbout on Cartier street, previously this was covered with grassAsphalt paved over the sidewalk of a bulbout on Cartier street, previously this was covered with grass
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 26/05/2026
We had a great turnout at our book club yesterday to discuss Human Transit, thanks to all who came out, and to Derrick for leading the discussion! There was so much thoughtful discussion about how best to provide transit, should transit be free, and balancing priorities like ridership vs coverage!
Members sit around in a circle discussing Human Transit at the monthly book clubMembers at a bike rack outside of the library after the monthly book clubMembers sit around in a circle discussing Human Transit at the monthly book club
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 22/05/2026
It is wonderful to see the Glebe BIA acknowledge that buses, cycling, and walking are the best way to get a lot of people around in our city. Even though they fought hard against bus lanes to improve public transit very recently, it is wonderful to see them recognize the errors in their ways.
E-mail from the Glebe BIA about the Great Glebe Garage Sale, recommending people to take the bus, walk, or bike to the Garage SaleE-mail from the Glebe BIA about the Great Glebe Garage Sale which talks about the street closures as well as removal of parking during the garage sale.E-mail from the Glebe BIA regarding the Great Glebe Garage Sale, where they recommend using alternative transportation, such as cycling or public transit.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 22/05/2026
Last reminder we have our social tonight! Hope to see you all there! We'll also be at the Great Glebe Garage sale the next morning if you want to stop by and visit, or if you even want to help handle the table and talk with passersby! Info for that available here : luma.com/eukwpt7c?tk=...
A poster for Strong Towns Ottawa's monthly social gathering, this month, on Friday, May 22nd, 2026, from 7pm onwards, at Braumeister Bierhalle, 175 Carruthers Ave.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 19/05/2026
We have our monthly social this Friday at 7pm! If you're looking for a great environment to meet local passionate citizens, have some good food and drinks, and chat about the upcoming projects in the city, join us! Info available at the following link : luma.com/5ds1buue?tk=...
Strong Towns Ottawa members sitting around tables at their monthly social gathering
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 15/05/2026
Wow, what an amazing turnout last night for our May monthly meeting! We got to hear from Nico Larco, author of The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook. We're honoured that he was able to make the time for us while visiting Ottawa. Highly recommend checking out his book if you can!
Members of Strong Towns Ottawa standing around the meeting room participating in the icebreaker where they introduce themselves to each otherNico Larco standing at the front of the meeting, presenting on Sustainable Urban Design to the Strong Towns Ottawa group.Strong Towns Ottawa members posing at the end of the May monthly meeting.Strong Towns Ottawa members listening to Nico Larco present
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 13/05/2026
City's are for people. Making use of patio space, especially in places where parking is taking up much of the streetspace, is a great way to revitalize areas and allow people to enjoy the outdoors!
Image of a patio where parking would be in front of Pure Kitchen on Elgin Street in Ottawa
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 06/05/2026
The City of Ottawa released a report regarding compensation for transit users. One of the main ways they identified to make the service better in the short term was transit priority measures, one of the cheapest ones identified was continuous bus lanes! This is cheap and easy, do it now!
Illustrative option A2 – Implement additional transit priority measures

Some of the transit priority measures identified in the Transportation Master Plan – Part 2 (ACS2025-PDB-TP-0012), or measures identified through other work, could be introduced through one-time funding. 

To improve travel times and reduce variability of bus service, funding could be invested in transit priority measures, such as:Excerpt from the staff report : 

Continuous bus lanes, at $20,000 to $100,000 per kilometre, if done by lane conversion. As examples, continuous bus lanes through lane conversion are currently being studied for locations on Carling Avenue.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/04/2026
2015 vs 2022. Montreal road 🚲
Side-by-side comparison of Montreal Road in 2015 vs 2022.

Top (2015): A busy, slightly worn streetscape with multiple cars.

Bottom (2022): The same view after a new protected bike lane was added. It shows a streetscape with widened sidewalks, new paving, benches, and a bus stop.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/04/2026
Amazing turn out last night for the social! Thank you to everyone who joined us, it's always a blast 😁 Our next event is book club on Monday, this one is gonna be a good one! We'll be discussing If You Want To Win You've Got To Fight, join us even if you haven't read! luma.com/9hsntyd2?tk=...
Members of Strong Towns Ottawa at a couple tables for their April Monthly social gatheringMembers of Strong Towns Ottawa at a couple tables for their April Monthly social gathering
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 24/04/2026
There is a public information session on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m (Carlsbad Springs Community Centre - 6020 Piperville Road) regarding the Tewin project. We strongly encourage anyone who can to make it out. If this project must go forward, it needs the following :
An invitation to the Tewin open house on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, from 6:30-8:30 pm, at Carlsbad Springs Community Centre, 6020 Piperville Rd., Ottawa, ON
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 13/04/2026
Bank Street is about 1.3Km. Imagine how good bus lanes would be for transit service, not just on the 6 & 7, but every route that connects to them. strongtownsottawa.ca/bank
Google Earth of Bank Street and the Glebe with a ruler showing the length of Bank street at about 1305 metres.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 13/04/2026
"Heritage" 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
A picture of the building at 267 O'Connor, which is mostly just a rectangular brick building with a very large parking lot sitting beside it.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 10/04/2026
Such an amazing turnout last night at our monthly meeting! Great conversations about next steps for bus lanes on Bank Street, the upcoming election, and our future advocacy! If you're looking to join in on the fun, check out our next events at luma.com/STO We look forward to seeing you there!
Members of Strong Towns Ottawa pose for a picture after the April Monthly MeetingMembers of Strong Towns Ottawa introducing themselves to each other during the ice breaker
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 10/04/2026
Here's a map of the current congestion around the core of the city of Ottawa today right around noon. As you can see, pretty much the only place that is backed up with congestion is in the area where the pilot study for bus lanes is. Yet apparently this isn't "peak hours" to some? 🤔🤔
A map of the congestion happening in the city of Ottawa at around noon on a Friday. There is a red circle around the section of Bank Street in the Glebe which shows significant delays. The rest of the map is almost all fully green with no delays.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 10/04/2026
For reference this is what the "data collection" motion did to the hours of the bus lanes. Certainly doesn't just seem like "collecting data" to us...
Graph showing the hours where the bus lanes would be in effect going Northbound for the pilot before and after Menard's motion, which cut down the hours by 33% (1 hr of the 3hrs)Graph showing the hours where the bus lanes would be in effect going Southbound for the pilot before and after Menard's motion, which cut down the hours by 33% (1 hr of the 3hrs)
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 10/04/2026
Describing gutting the hours that the bus lanes will be in effect by 33% (2 of the 6 hours) as "cleaning up a few things around data collection in particular" is certainly a very interesting way to tell the public/other councillors what you're trying to do... Please contact your local councillor.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 08/04/2026
Disappointment at council today. Council just passed a motion from Councillor Menard for the Bank Street bus lane study which will restrict bus lanes even further from staff's proposed 3 hours to 2 hours. This means we will get no data about how parking affects bus flow in the area.
Motion brought forth to council by Councillor Menard, which sought to restrict the bus lanes on Bank Street from 3 hours in each peak direction to 2 hours.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 07/04/2026
Tomorrow City Council will discuss and vote on the final approval for the Bank Street bus lane pilot. We still think it is a huge mistake that the city took out their planned event day bus lanes. Every side seems to support this, here's Darrell Cox (BIA Executive Director) saying it's a great idea
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 01/04/2026
To provide a pleasant experience for all we must ensure that there is enough parking for everyone to come. We will be tearing down all of the structures put in place around Lansdowne to make sure that we can fit as many cars as possible in the location, to improve accessibility!
An older aerial picture of Lansdowne before much of the newer changes, when most of the lot was a large parking lot near the stadium.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 01/04/2026
Starting today, we will begin our newest campaign to advocate for Bank Street to be widened so that we can make sure to provide as much parking as possible. We will start with tearing down all of the businesses that stand in the way of the space for our wonderful new parking lanes!
An image of a stroad, lots of stores/shops on the side of a very wide road with lots of cars on it.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 29/03/2026
Today is the final day to be able to sign up to delegate tomorrow at PWIC in favour of bus lanes on Bank Street. Please if you haven't done so and are interested take a read through our page here that explains how to take part! Every voice matters! strongtownsottawa.ca/2026/03/23/f...
A collage of images from Strong Towns Ottawa efforts to support 24/7 bus lanes on Bank Street
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 25/03/2026
We have sent a letter out with our 4 key asks for the upcoming Bus Lanes on Bank Street report coming to PWIC on March 30th. You can read the asks here : strongtownsottawa.ca/2026/03/24/o... The letter is also attached in the post. Want to delegate? strongtownsottawa.ca/2026/03/23/f...
The first page of a letter from Strong Towns Ottawa to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, sent on March 24th, 2026. The letter makes the argument that our transit system is in a crisis and our city needs to be bold because of that. The asks are to implement the pilot project by summer of 2026, not 2027, to extend dedicated bus lanes to weekends and events, to operate bus lanes in both directions, and to extend the hours to at minimum 6am-6pm, and ideally to 24/7. 

The full letter can be found here : https://strongtownsottawa.ca/2026/03/24/open-letter-bus-lanes-on-bank-street.htmlThe second page of a letter from Strong Towns Ottawa to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, sent on March 24th, 2026. The letter makes the argument that our transit system is in a crisis and our city needs to be bold because of that. The asks are to implement the pilot project by summer of 2026, not 2027, to extend dedicated bus lanes to weekends and events, to operate bus lanes in both directions, and to extend the hours to at minimum 6am-6pm, and ideally to 24/7. 

The full letter can be found here https://strongtownsottawa.ca/2026/03/24/open-letter-bus-lanes-on-bank-street.html
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 24/03/2026
With the extremely unfortunate passing of the crossing guard in Barrhaven following a hit and run, it is notable that one of the roads in the intersection he was working on has no sidewalks. This feels even more tragic knowing that there are people fighting against sidewalks in Manor Park.
Two pedestrians walking on the road on Cedarview road, which has no sidewalksA pedestrian walking on the road on Cedarview road, which has no sidewalks
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 23/03/2026
It is unfortunate that even though the city staff running the study for Bank Street Bus Lanes agrees with us that bus lanes should be in effect longer, on weekends, should operate in both directions, and that they should be running on events is being stifled by a small minority of very loud voices.
Section of the city staff report for Bus Lanes on Bank Street that says "Ultimately, bus lane hours extending beyond these peak periods, and in the off-peak direction, are recommended, including during a greater number of Lansdowne events and on weekends."
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 21/03/2026
On the way back, due to a 67s game there was an incredible amount of traffic that we got stuck in. I saw hundreds of people on the sidewalk. Again about 45 parked cars holding up a bus load of people Anyone who thinks that more space for cars is the solution isn't being honest
View from inside a bus. There are many cars in front of the bus.View from inside a bus of a line of people on the sidewalk. Two parked cars take up the same amount of space as about 30 people waiting in line.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 20/03/2026
One concerning piece from the city's proposal for Bank Street bus lanes is that they seem to have removed large event bus lanes. Even though according to their own report, this is probably the most important time for bus lanes to be present. Please sign up to delegate for the March 30th meeting!
Text taken from the City of Ottawa's report for bus lanes on Bank Street with the following text : "Travel times are longest during major events, up to 18 minutes, when the high volume of buses, passenger drop-offs, staging, and increased pedestrian and vehicle activity affect both event attendees and other road users traveling through the corridor." The text "Travel times are longest during major events, up to 18 minutes" has been highlighted in yellowText from the City of Ottawa study on Bank Street reads : "During major events, parking demand within the study area exceeds supply, and this contributes to the large-scale adoption of transit by people travelling to major Lansdowne events." with the text : "large-scale adoption of transit by people travelling to major Lansdowne events." highlighted.Text from the City of Ottawa study reads : "At this time, the pilot is not envisioned to affect transit or road operations during major events at Lansdowne"The City of Ottawa's proposal during the open house in 2025 showing that they had intended for bus lanes to be in effect "in both directions during major events".
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 19/03/2026
City staff has released the agenda for the PWIC March 30th meeting, where Bank Street Bus Lanes will be discussed (item 5.2). Please consider signing up to delegate in favour of expanding bus lanes further. On-street parking is extremely underused here and is standing in the way of real progress.
The number 6 bus is shown driving along Bank Street in front of a sign at the Mayfair Theatre. The sign reads 

"Mayfairtheatre.ca
Support bus lanes on bank st
Strongtownsottawa.ca"
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 19/03/2026
We applaud the Centretown Community Association on their letter in support of pushing for a better solution to Bank Street! Residents from all parts of the city would stand to benefit from more reliable transit, not just those living in the area! www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
A letter from the Centretown Community Association to Lise Guèvremont in support of expanding the study for bus lanes on Bank Street. The letter reads : 

"While we are optimistic for the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study, we believe the most recent public proposal does not go far enough to prioritize public transportation and move as many people as possible.

The Centretown Community Association would like to make the following suggested changes to the Bank Street Transit Study:

- Bus lanes should be bi-directional whenever in use and the city should consider expanding the duration of active bus lanes.
- The number of 24/7 bus lane sections should be expanded.
- There should be more frequent use of transit priority signals throughout Bank Street.
- The definition of large events requiring bus lanes should be expanded to include events like 613flea and Ottawa Charge games.
- Signage should be improved to direct drivers to the 2nd Avenue parking garage.

As OC Transpo faces reliability and confidence issues, we need to prioritize fast and reliable public transit. Bus lanes are a great way to reduce operating costs, speed up travel times, and increase the number of people that will ride the bus.

We would also love to see the city lean into the pilot project aspect of the Bank Street Transit Study. Once implemented, we believe the project should be reviewed within the first six months with consideration taken to increase bus lane durations and to expand bus lane locations, including into Centretown.

As the busiest bus corridor in the city, we need to be maximizing the efficiency of bus travel to ensure traffic flows smoothly and reliably. A reminder that the City's own data collected outlined that 77% of respondents want more space for people outside of private vehicles on Bank Street.

Thank you, Robert Dekker
CCA President"
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 18/03/2026
Wow, whoever the Glebe BIA hired for their retail analysis really knows what they're talking about! They directly tell the BIA that the on-street parking on Bank Street is not needed for local businesses, and that there are plenty of available spaces around that are cheaper to use!
A page from the Glebe BIA Retail Market and Gap Analysis Final Report. The highlighted section says "  The analysis concluded that 
even if on-street parking were removed along 
Bank St, there would still be parking available 
on side streets and in the parkades; however, 
the businesses who participated in the study 
perceived there to be an inadequate supply of 
parking. The study posited that the perceived 
lack of parking is likely due to the underutilization 
and lack of awareness about the existing parking 
garages, which cost the same or less than on￾street parking along Bank St."
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 15/03/2026
An amazing member of ours put together this graphic that really encapsulates perfectly the situation on Bank Street. There is only so much space available, and we must use it as efficiently as possible. Parking isn't that. Please sign up to delegate on March 30th in favour of bus lanes!
An OC Transpo #6 bus in a bus lane. Inside of the bus there are multiple people, each with a text showing what they're going to be doing. They say "Grabbing a bite to eat", "Going to Lansdowne", "Getting a haircut", "Bought groceries", and "Can finally fit on the bus". The final one was a user in a wheelchair.

Beside the bus there is a single person in a truck in the regular travel lane. Pointing to him it says "Just driving through". They have a thought bubble coming out from their head saying "That bus lane is going to ruin local business!".
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 15/03/2026
Sincere apologies on that! Will try to remember that going forward, I've included alt-text here in case that helps you! - Marko
The image depicts two pie graphs, the first at the top shows customer responses to their primary mode of travel to the Glebe. 62% selected walking, 14% by car, 13% by bike, 11% by public transit, and 4 respondents (0%) by other.

Below is another pie graph but this time from how business owners believe that customers primarily get to their shops. 94% of business owners believe that cars were the main mode of transportation for their customers, 6% responded walking.
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Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 15/03/2026
No that's just the margin of the page on the right, although in my haste I realize now that the second graph is actually what the owners think that customers get there by, not what the owners themselves use to get to the store! Here's the whole page.
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