Bronson Avenue will not be widened

Posted Feb 9, 2012 By Eddie Rwema

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EMC News - The city has abandoned plans to widen Bronson Avenue when reconstruction work begins on the central thoroughfare to replace century-old sewers and water mains this spring.

The decision is the result of the cost to move hydro infrastructure as well as growing opposition from area residents.

"This is a welcome news that will allow residents to keep their front yards and will require pedestrians to spend less time exposed to traffic while crossing Bronson Avenue," wrote Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes in a message to residents on Jan 25.

When the reconstruction plans were unveiled in November of last year, some people living in the community were concerned about losing part of their properties to the widening and expressed hopes the project would provide the opportunity to calm traffic, noise and improve safety, not add to congestion.

Residents, including a group called Rescue Bronson Avenue, were particularly vocal that they want the upgrades to help make Bronson a more pedestrian-friendly street.

In an email to Holmes sent on Jan. 25, deputy city manager Nancy Schepers wrote that during the design of Bronson Avenue, it was realized there would be an impact on an existing hydro plant if the city elected to move to a pavement width of 14 metres.

The extent of this impact was not known until very recently, according to Schepers.

"Relocation of the plant is challenging and costly for certain portions of the roadway," she wrote.

Even with these new developments, residents still consider Bronson dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

"My position is that the street is still badly designed with too many lanes," said Eric Darwin, president of Dalhousie Community Association.

He called the result a minor victory on the part of residents and the councillor.

Darwin said he liked to think it had a lot to do with people objecting: Rescue Bronson encouraged many people to have their say

"It is a victory for residents," he said. "We are still going to end up with a street that doesn't work very well, but it is not going to be as bad a blight as the previous version was."

Lana Stewart is the founder of Ottawa Walking Problems, a group that advocates for the improvement of walking conditions in Ottawa. She said that though there may be a superficial improvement to the pedestrian environment, overall the safety concerns for the residents haven't been addressed.

"There has been no improvement to slow down the traffic, which is a huge problem for the community," said Stewart.

She said it was the project budget and not the residents concerns that forced the city to change its plans.

"It is really the cost of burying the wires that stopped the widening from happening," said Stewart.

Traffic signal

RESCUE

Meanwhile community activists have successfully lobbied city council to put a traffic signal at the corner of Bronson and Arlington avenues.

Right now, there is no signal that allows pedestrians to cross the busy four-lane road in the four blocks between Catherine Street and Gladstone Avenue.

But a report endorsed by the city's transportation committee on Feb. 1 instructs the project to include a fully signalized intersection for vehicles and pedestrians at Arlington.

During the consultations, the public advisory group for the Bronson Avenue reconstruction project "expressed a strong and unanimous desire" for a traffic signal at the Arlington intersection, according to the city report.

"As more residents are attracted to Centretown, Bronson Avenue needs to become a pedestrian connection for the neighbourhood," the report states.

Arlington is a well-used route for walkers and cyclists travelling east/west between Booth and Bank streets. Arlington is already a two-way signed cycling route between Lyon and Percy streets.

The street is also a good connection for Glashan Public School students to reach restaurants on the other side of Bronson, according to the report.

The traffic signal and related improvements to southbound traffic signals in the area will cost $160,000. That cost can be covered by the money set aside for the Bronson Avenue rehabilitation.

The annual operating cost for the traffic signal is estimated at $9,850.

Eddie.rwema@metroland.com




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