AS WE HEARD IT REPORT BARRHAVEN TRANSIT FORUM February 27, 2018 Barrhaven Transit Forum Prepared for: COUNCILLOR JAN HARDER, COUNCILLOR SCOTT MOFFATT, AND COUNCILLOR MICHAEL QAQISH Prepared by: Fotenn Planning + Design Parsons Corporation 223 McLeod St 100-1223 Michael St N Ottawa, ON K2P 0Z8 Ottawa, ON K1J 7T2 fotenn.com parsons.com March 5, 2018 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Consultation Summary 2 3.0 Major Routes 3 4.0 Stations 6 5.0 Service & Rider Experience 8 6.0 Next Steps 11 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 1.0 1 INTRODUCTION Barrhaven is home to approximately 90,000 The Transitway was considered a leading example This report is intended to function as an inventory residents of the City of Ottawa, and is linked of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure at the time of comments, as they were heard, for Councillors to the broader city by a limited number of of its inception, but its limitations have become to have informed discussion with municipal staff, to bus routes and bus rapid transit (BRT). Poor evident in recent years as Ottawa’s population ultimately address transit difficulties in Barrhaven. performance on several of these routes has had approaches 1 million residents. Significant a negative impact on the travel experience of population growth is taking place in communities The report may inform OC Transpo during their transit users living in Barrhaven. outside the Greenbelt and - in particular - in quarterly review of transit service and routes Barrhaven. and form the basis of discussions for priority projects and approaches in the City’s upcoming Work is underway to bring Light Rail Transit (LRT) Transportation Master Plan (TMP). service to Ottawa, but significant portions of the city, including Barrhaven, will continue to rely on bus service and the Transitway for the foreseeable future. In light of this it is important to ensure that existing transit service meet the needs of these communities. As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 2.0 2 CONSULTATION SUMMARY The Barrhaven Transit Forum was held in response to consistent public dissatisfaction with transit service in Barrhaven. The intent of the meeting was to provide an opportunity to have an uninterrupted discussion about local transit needs. On February 27, 2018, Barrhaven residents were invited to join Councillors Jan Harder, Scott Moffatt and Michael Qaqish to discuss the state of transit service in Barrhaven. The workshop took place at Pierre Savard Catholic Secondary School. The over 50 attendees were invited to share their experience and concerns with transit service in Barrhaven. The meeting was facilitated by professionals from Fotenn and Parsons, with presentation boards showing a high-level overview of transit in the area. Participants were encouraged to provide verbal and written feedback on handouts or on the boards themselves. This report has compiled highlights of the public feedback and organized them into three (3) major themes that appeared during the meeting: Major Routes, Stations, and the Service and Rider Experience of OC Transpo users. This report includes images of the notes taken live during the meeting as well as comments written on the presentation boards by members of the public. Handwritten notes submitted by participants are included in an appendix. As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 3.0 3 MAJOR ROUTES HIGHLIGHTS: / Route 95 always overcrowded / 270-series routes can’t be relied upon to run on time, and often overcrowded / Local riders board for short trips downtown, crowding out riders who can only take the 95/270 buses to get to Barrhaven / Getting home from downtown is harder than riding to work in the morning / Poor coordination of buses for connecting riders / Infrequent connecting buses cause riders to take sub-optimal routes “just to get anywhere” / System oriented to moving people into and out of downtown: coverage & frequency of local buses in the suburbs is not good / Poor east-west service within Barrhaven / Riders have to connect to other routes, causing bottlenecks / Bring back express buses - the connection system is not working / Not enough service to Half Moon Bay As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 4 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 5 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 4.0 6 STATIONS HIGHLIGHTS: / Fallowfield and Baseline Stations are bottlenecks: large crowds of riders waiting for limited numbers of connecting buses / Marketplace Station has safety and accessibility problems, and weather-protected areas are hard to reach / Poor service at St. Joseph High School / Crowded stations are a problem system-wide for people with disabilities / Transfers at Tunney’s Pasture are difficult, and there is concern they will be worse once the LRT is in service / Inner-city riders (e.g. Westboro residents and students) over- crowd buses at early stops, limiting access for Barrhaven riders As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 7 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 5.0 8 SERVICE & RIDER EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS: / Inquiries to OC Transpo receive dismissive boilerplate responses / GPS tracker is unreliable / Continuous complaints about service but no apparent change / Feeling that the transit system is built around the needs of downtown riders and residents / Difficulty seeing route numbers and finding buses at crowded stations / Unexpected and/or poorly communicated route changes / Service so unreliable people choose to drive instead As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 9 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 10 As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum 6.0 11 NEXT STEPS Fotenn and Parsons will compile this report with highlights from the public meeting and submit it for review by the Councillors. 1. The report will be posted on Councillors’ websites and circulated strategically to Barrhaven residents. 2. Councillors will use the report to initiate strategic working meetings with OC Transpo Staff in the context of the Quarterly Review to review community concerns and request improvements. One possible solution is renewed use of more direct express buses. 3. The report will be shared with Planning and Growth Management Staff for input in the City’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP). The TMP provides direction for the financing and timing of transportation infrastructure. Further updates on the project will be provided to the public through the Councillors. As We Heard It Report Barrhaven Transit Forum APPENDIX A WRITTEN COMMENTS .