The cycling ramp toward the tunnel from the uOttawa campus. Source: CBC
Copenhagenize often focuses on best practice design and infrastructure from Europe (it’s kind of in our name), but lately, we have been noticing some great projects and designs popping up on the other side of the Atlantic. We wanted to showcase them to illustrate that good design and infrastructure can be implemented anywhere. In the upcoming weeks, we will spotlight one city at a time – this week we are looking at Ottawa, Canada.
On September 14, 2019, Canada’s capital city Ottawa opened the much anticipated second light rail transit (LRT) line, named the Confederation line. The line runs from east to west through the centre of the city connecting to the adjacent suburbs. Having collaborated on the European Commission project BiTiBi (Bike-Train-Bike) that aimed at improving the efficiency of transport by combining bicycle and train journeys, we at Copenhagenize were curious how the City and the transit authority would integrate the transit corridor with bicycle facilities at the stations.
A look inside the new tunnel. Source: Twitter
At one point of the network in particular – three bicycle paths intersect below the University of Ottawa station. There is a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel that runs under the station, linking paths to the university and the Rideau Canal as well as bike paths towards the west and east. The tunnel has separated space for both bicycles and pedestrians along with an integrated entrance to the station to access the trains. There is a curved ramp that brings bicycle users from the ground level on the University of Ottawa side into the tunnel. At ground level, there are three bicycle parking areas which are a few meters from ground level entrances.
The current bicycle parking around the uOttawa station. Source: CBC
This pedestrian and bicycle tunnel acts as a great infrastructure to entice train users to bike to the station instead of driving and parking their cars. To further improve the efficiency of the LRT system, the transit authority is allowing users to bring their bicycles on board with them.
This tunnel has high potential to become a major node for the city as it offers numerous safe connections including to a bridge over the Rideau Canal and access to the LRT. We think in order to take advantage of this good infrastructure, additional bicycle parking would only serve to increase bicycle use. Good infrastructure like this can improve the city’s connectivity and encourage the usage of the LRT giving residents proper facilities that are intuitive and safe.