Active Commuting to Star Top
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Defence Research and Recherche et de´veloppement Development Canada pour la de´fense Canada CAN UNCLASSIFIED Active commuting to Star Top Some suggestions from scientist-cyclists Matthew R. MacLeod Talia J. Beech Terms of Release: This document is approved for release to Public Release. Further distribution of this document or information contained herein is prohibited without the written approval of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC). Defence Research and Development Canada Reference Document DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 July 2019 CAN UNCLASSIFIED CAN UNCLASSIFIED IMPORTANT INFORMATIVE STATEMENTS This document was reviewed for Controlled Goods by DRDC using the Schedule to the Defence Production Act. Disclaimer: This publication was prepared by Defence Research and Development Canada an agency of the Department of National Defence. The information contained in this publication has been derived and determined through best practice and adherence to the highest standards of responsible conduct of scientific research. This information is intended for the use ofthe Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces (“Canada") and Public Safety partners and, as permitted, may be shared with academia, industry, Canada’s allies, and the public (“Third Parties"). Any use by, or any reliance on or decisions made based on this publication by Third Parties, are done at their own risk and responsibility. Canada does not assume any liability for any damages or losses which may arise from any use of, or reliance on, the publication. Endorsement statement: This publication has been published by the Editorial Office of Defence Research and Development Canada, an agency of the Department of National Defence of Canada. Inquiries can be sent to: [email protected]. ⃝c Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of National Defence, 2019 ⃝c Sa Majesté la Reine en droit du Canada, Ministère de la Défense nationale, 2019 CAN UNCLASSIFIED Abstract Several Defence Scientists who work at Star Top Road regularly commute by bike or other active transportation. As scientists are rotated through these positions—as are our military colleagues—they decided to document and share their experiences, to better enable people who are working in the building for the first time to understand their options. Résumé De nombreux scientifiques de la Défense travaillant sur le chemin Star Top se déplacent régulièrement en vélo ou en transport actif. Les scientifiques affectés à cet endroit, tout comme nos collègues militaires, ont décidé de consigner et de partager leurs expériences afin que les personnes qui y travaillent pour la première fois comprennent les options qui s’offrent à eux. DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 i This page intentionally left blank. ii DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 Table of contents Abstract . i Résumé . i Table of contents . iii List of figures . iv Acknowledgements . v 1 Introduction . 1 1.1 A note on Coventry Road . 1 1.2 References and nomenclature . 1 1.3 Notes on the facilities . 2 2 Western approaches . 3 2.1 Connecting to the bike network . 3 2.2 Tunney’s to the Canal . 4 2.2.1 Northern route—Rideau River . 4 2.2.2 Central route—Laurier protected lane . 4 2.2.3 Southern route—Trillium Pathway . 5 2.3 Crossing the Rideau Canal . 6 2.3.1 Corktown Footbridge (Somerset St) . 6 2.3.2 Pretoria Bridge . 7 2.3.3 Flora Footbridge . 7 2.4 Rideau Canal to Rideau River . 7 2.4.1 Somerset option . 8 2.4.2 Lees option . 8 2.4.3 Hurdman Bridge variant . 9 DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 iii 2.5 Rideau River to Star Top . 10 2.6 Tremblay Road option . 10 2.7 Industrial—Innes variant . 11 2.8 St. Laurent—Cyrville variant . 11 3 Southern approaches . 13 3.1 Connecting to the bike network . 13 3.2 Rideau River Route . 13 3.2.1 South Keys Station to Rideau River . 13 3.2.1.1 Western route—Hog’s Back Park . 14 3.2.1.2 Eastern route—Airport Parkway Continuation . 14 3.2.2 Rideau River to Star Top . 14 3.3 Greenboro Pathway route . 14 3.4 Conroy—St. Laurent variant . 15 3.5 Hawthorne—St. Laurent variant . 15 3.6 St. Laurent Rd—Innes Rd–Startop Rd . 16 4 Central—North Approaches . 17 4.1 Aviation Parkway option . 17 4.2 Rideau River option . 17 4.3 Alternatives to consider . 18 5 Concluding thoughts . 19 References . 21 List of symbols, abbreviations, and initialisms . 21 List of figures Figure 1: Map of the Greenboro Pathway system. Map data: Google. 15 iv DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Ramzi Mirshak for advice on his routes. DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 v This page intentionally left blank. vi DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 1 Introduction The authors decided to put this document together as the 2018 posting season approached, and they found they were being asked to give advice on their cycling and other active transportation options to get to Star Top. This was particularly pressing as the number of occupants in the building continued to increase, parking remained a challenging topic, and the public transit options remain limited. While many Defence Scientists (DSs) have cycled to the Star Top building over the years, the best routes are not completely obvious. As the 2019 posting season approached, many of the same challenges remained, and Ottawa’s light rail system remain delayed. This guide has therefore been produced to help both DSs and other military and civilian occupants of the building. 1.1 A note on Coventry Road The authors have not worked at 285 Coventry Road, and targeted this guide at all residents of 1600 Star Top rather than to Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) generally. That said, many of the routes pass by the Coventry Road facility, so this guide can provide some context. Specifically, the Max Keeping pedestrian bridge connects Tremblay Rd (see Section 2.6 for the approach from the West) near the Via Rail station to the vicinity of the baseball stadium across the street from 285 Coventry Rd. An approach to this area from the South is also possible (see Section 3.2.2). Approaching from North of Coventry Rd the approach is less well known to the authors. The intersection of the Vanier Parkway and Coventry Rd is fairly hostile to pedestrians and cyclists, and is best avoided. If approaching from the Rideau River Eastern pathway, one could simply continue up to connect to the Tremblay Rd option, although this involves crossing the 417 only to cross back over. It appears from Google Maps that a cycling cross- ride exists at Presland Rd and Vanier Parkway, one intersection North of Coventry Road, which is likely a safe crossing option (there is a back way to reach this intersection from the pathway, involving Prindville St, N River Rd, and W Presland Rd). It is not obvious from the map the best way to then get to 285 Coventry Rd, but it could involve going as far as Lola St and then coming back down Coventry Rd. 1.2 References and nomenclature There are several overlapping jurisdictions in the National Capital Region (NCR). For consistency, National Capital Commission (NCC) maintained pathways will be referred to by the names used on its website [1]. References will also be made to City of Ottawa infrastructure. Frequent mention will be made of Multi-use Paths (MUPs), which are shared pathways for the use of cyclists, pedestrians, and other low speed traffic (generally they are posted with a speed limit of 20 km/h). DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 1 Another valuable resource for those searching for routes not listed here is Bike Ottawa’s interactive biking maps [2], which can be used to plot level of ‘traffic stress’ (i.e., how bike friendly a given route is), amongst other features. 1.3 Notes on the facilities Star Top has bicycle racks near both the front and back entrances of the building. Those using the back racks will have to be prepared to show their building pass to the Commis- sionaires to access the back parking lot. Both sets of racks are exposed to the elements. Showers and change rooms are available in the Star Top gym. Notably, they are closed for cleaning from 0900–1000, so those whose work hours tend to start later in the morning must plan to arrive in time to shower and change prior to their closure. The lockers in the changerooms are only for temporary use, so one must be prepared to store their cycling clothes, helmet, etc., in their workspace. 2 DRDC-RDDC-2019-D077 2 Western approaches Mr. MacLeod commutes from the West side of downtown (in the vicinity of Tunney’s Pasture). Those commuting from further West can join this route along the Ottawa River Pathway near Parkdale Rd/Tunney’s Pasture, or from the South-West near Dow’s Lake. His intent is to ride on dedicated bike infrastructure where possible, even if creates a slightly longer route. That said, coming from the West there are a few unavoidable choke points in crossing the Rideau Canal and Rideau River, that force some difficult choices—although improvements to bike infrastructure are underway to mitigate these. Notably this route is basically from Tunney’s Pasture to Cyrville, which is nearly the full length of Phase 1 of the Confederation Line of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. As it is currently government policy to include active transportation routes along all new transit corridors, there are several new connections and changes going in along this route that are likely to improve cycling along this axis (as well as providing a rapid transit alternative for days where biking is less appealing).