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White Paper
Addressing Ottawa’s Transportation Challenges

Overview This discussion paper will review five key issues

that need to be address as part of the update to
By any reasonable standard, Ottawa has a very the TMP:
successful transportation system. Our public
transit ridership is higher than any North A. Making Sustainable Travel Modes More
American city of a similar size and fewer Competitive – What alternatives should be
residents drive to work in Ottawa-Gatineau than pursued to promote sustainable travel in
in any other metropolitan area in Canada. our City?
However, demands on the transportation B. Managing Congestion – Where should
system continue to grow and public concern the City allocate resources to better
about transportation is significant. Media manage traffic congestion at peak times?
commentaries often reflect perceptions ranging
from overcrowded buses in rush hour, road D. Creating Supportive Land Use – How
congestion, to the lack of winter maintenance, can the City encourage development that
and to the need for new crossings of the Ottawa does not increase the transportation
and Rideau Rivers. burden?
The City needs a plan that ensures a maximum E. Paying for the Transportation System –
return on its investment in roads, transit, and What should the City do to fund the
other travel modes. Because of insufficient increasing costs of a growing
funding over the last four years, the City has not transportation infrastructure?
lived up to the Transportation Master Plan
(TMP) approved in 2003, our plan must start Readers should note that the White Paper
with a frank assessment of where we are now, “Moving Forward with Rapid Transit” also deals
and where we are headed. with a series of issues related to this paper.

At a Glance

Ottawa’s population is likely to grow about 30% between 2006 and 2031, which will likely cause a
substantial increase in daily passenger travel.

A 2007 survey of Ottawa residents by Decima Research found that 56% of respondents said
transportation or transit is the most important issue facing the City.

Road users in Ottawa experience only moderate rush hour congestion, and the average commute time
has grown less than the Canadian average since 1992.
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White Paper – Addressing Ottawa’s Transportation Challenges

Background Percentage of employed people

Success and challenge. One key success who drive to work
(source: 2001 Census)
measure relates to the growth in average 77.7%
71.8% 72.2%
commute time. Road users experience only 65.2% 65.6%
62.7%
moderate rush hour congestion, and the
average commute time has grown less than the
Canadian average since 1992.

Implementation of the current

Transportation Master Plan. The 2003 TMP
set ambitious transportation objectives and
recommended a wide range of actions, but the

Ottawa

Calgary

Edmonton
Toronto

Montreal

Vancouver
City has lacked the financial resources to
implement the majority of those service and
facility initiatives.
Other good sources of information on
Insufficient funding has led to a growing backlog transportation in Ottawa:
of deferred programs and projects. As a result, - “Commuting Patterns”, Ottawa Counts website
we are not much closer to achieving many of - TRANS National Capital Region Travel Survey (2005)
the TMP’s long-range goals for quality of life, - Statistics Canada, “Where Canadians Work and How
environmental health, economic development They Get There” and “The Time It Takes to Get to Work
and cost effectiveness. and Back”

Implementation Status of 2003 Transportation Master Plan Phase 1

Infrastructure Projects (Required by 2008)
Partial/complete Deferred after
Type Number Cancelled
by 2008 2008
Walking & cycling 7 2 5 -
Transit priority 7 3 4 -
Light rail transit 1 - - 1
Bus rapid transit 6 4 2 -
Roads 25 10 13 2
All 46 19 24 3

Growth pressures. Ottawa’s population is likely to grow by 30% between 2006 and 20311 which will
likely cause a substantial increase in daily passenger travel. The average length of trips may also
increase, because most new jobs and housing are likely to be outside the Greenbelt. These changes will
place additional pressure on the transportation system, and highlight several issues that must be
considered during the TMP review process:

• The City encourages intensification of those developments occur, rather than

developed areas inside the Greenbelt, in after. This is particularly desirable for transit
part to minimize transportation facilities in order to build ridership quickly in
infrastructure needs.2 This practice can growth areas.
make best use of existing services and • The current TMP determined future road
facilities, but it can increase traffic in needs by projecting traffic volumes during
established communities. To minimize the single busiest hour on weekdays. The
undesirable effects, the City should ensure City could reduce future road needs by
that the travel needs of infill development planning its road network to serve a more
can be met primarily through public transit, evenly distributed peak period traffic
walking and cycling. demand spread over a few hours, rather
• Transportation infrastructure required by than a more concentrated peak hour traffic
new developments should be in place as demand.
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A. Making Sustainable Travel Modes that recognizes this delicate balance between
more Competitive. supply and demand. Maximizing the efficiency
of the existing transportation system could
The TMP will likely continue to pursue reduce congestion on today’s roads, which
ambitious objectives for transit, walking, cycling could defer the need for new road construction.
and ridesharing, and the City needs to A deliberate strategy to maximize the road
accelerate progress in this area. We need to network’s effectiveness—that is, its ability to
make alternatives to automobile use more move people —is needed.
competitive in terms of time, cost, safety and
convenience, so that rising travel demands from The City could plan new or widened roads to
city-wide growth do not create unacceptable serve peak weekday travel demands spread
congestion. In doing so, we also need to make over a period of up to three hours, rather than a
the best use of our limited resources. single peak hour. This would encourage
demand to shift to less busy “shoulder” times,
The City could give preference to transit, and could defer the need for some road
pedestrians, cyclists and carpools when new infrastructure; however, it would reduce spare
roads are built—for example, by dedicating new capacity outside peak hours and could increase
lanes to buses or high-occupancy vehicles. The recurring (i.e., daily) and non-recurring (i.e.,
City could also emphasize approaches that do from weather events, collisions or construction)
not require new infrastructure such as: congestion. The possibility of negative impacts
could be partially offset through a transportation
• giving greater priority to transit vehicles and system management (TSM) program to
carpools within existing rights-of-way; maximize the road network’s ability to move
• pursuing operational improvements that people, and through transportation demand
favour pedestrians and cyclists at management (TDM) measures to eliminate
intersections; some peak hour trips and encourage individuals
• emphasizing transportation demand to travel outside peak hours.
management (TDM) measures that change
behaviour through information, education Questions for Discussion
and user incentives; and, 1. Should the City allocate resources to
• considering price initiatives that increase support transportation system management
the proportion of road or parking costs and transportation demand management
borne by users. programs? Why?
2. Should the City plan for infrastructure
These strategies all require significantly needs based on peak hour demand or peak
increased resources to be truly effective, and period demand? Why?
some of them could create delay,
inconvenience or financial costs for automobile
users.
C. Reducing Environmental Impacts
Environmental and health concerns. The
Question for Discussion impact of Ottawa’s transportation system on the
1. Should the City consider pursuing some or environment and public health is emerging as a
major public issue. Notably, mounting
all of these directions (carpools, favouring
pedestrians and cyclists, user incentives, awareness of climate change is leading to
price initiatives)? If so, to what extent? public policy shifts and new government
leadership in the effort to slow or reverse the
growth of emissions. While the role of
B. Managing Congestion municipalities in achieving national and
Rising congestion can discourage some provincial climate change objectives has not
automobile trips and make alternatives more been defined by senior governments, the City’s
attractive, but it can also increase delay and own Air Quality and Climate Change
emissions, reduce safety, and slow down Management Plan (2004) included corporate
buses. We need to plan a future road network and community-wide objectives for a 20%
reduction in GHG emissions by 2012, compared
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White Paper – Addressing Ottawa’s Transportation Challenges

to a 1990 baseline. Given that transportation have been made of the costs in terms of public
accounts for about 35% of Ottawa’s community- health care and lost productivity. Traffic noise
wide GHG emissions, considerable progress in can affect stress levels, mental health and
the sector will be required to enable children’s learning ability. Storm water runoff
achievement of the overall goal. from streets carries road salt, heavy metals, oil
and grease. Dependence on cars can lead to
In Ottawa, air pollution in 2005 was estimated to physical inactivity, obesity and chronic illness.
cause 290 premature deaths, 750 hospital The growing number of seniors will depend
admissions, 3,000 emergency room visits, 1.43 increasingly on public transit and walkable
million minor illness days, over $25 million in streets to preserve their physical activity levels,
health care costs and over $18 million in lost access to healthcare, and overall quality of life.
productivity costs. Transit also provides vital access to medical
and other services for residents in the 13% of
“Illness Costs of Air Pollution” Ottawa households that do not own a car.
(Ontario Medical Association, 2005)
Questions for Discussion
Transportation’s environmental impacts
need to be limited. We need to reduce 1. Should the City set a strict target to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other GHG emissions for its own activities such
pollutants from transportation, while remaining as transit or alternatively should the City
aware of the City’s limited influence in some pursue broader emission reduction
areas (e.g., motor vehicle emission standards). practices (encouraging transit, walking,
The City has adopted short-term community- cycling) that would balance with other City
wide targets for reduced GHG emissions, but objectives (social, economic, financial
the steps required to achieve those targets in goals)? Why?
the transportation sector have not been 2. What are the other approaches that could
addressed and long-term targets do not exist. be considered to determine community-
Reducing emissions from the City’s own wide targets for reduction of transportation
operations will require upgrades to transit GHG emissions and pollution?
vehicles and fuels, which will likely require
significant funding. D. Creating Supportive Land Use
Land use can both support and undermine
The City could set a target for reducing
transportation goals. Low-density, single-use
greenhouse gas emissions from transportation,
suburban developments tend to be more auto-
then work backwards to identify an acceptable
dependent than other higher density land uses.
level of future travel activity and ways to bring
Continuing this trend could pose an enduring
that about. Depending on the target chosen,
challenge to the City’s sustainable
this approach may not yield a plan that
transportation objectives. On the other hand,
effectively balances environmental concerns
developing areas can promote sustainable
with social, economic or financial goals.
travel behaviours through supportive land use
Alternatively, the TMP review could pursue
location, mix, density and design. Within
emission reductions in balance with other
existing communities, intensification brings both
objectives and constraints, without
opportunities and challenges.
predetermining a target. This approach would
likely pursue GHG reductions by maximizing
The City could adopt effective land use
practical efforts to encourage transit, walking
strategies that are fundamental to creating more
and cycling, and quantifying the emission
sustainable transportation. These strategies
benefits of doing so.
could include:
Motor vehicle emissions of particulate matter,
carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile • Restricting employment growth in areas
organic compounds directly harm the health of where it is not possible to provide efficient,
humans, animals and plants. The impacts of high-quality transit service; directing new
smog on respiratory and cardiac health have employment to those areas where it is
been extensively documented, and estimates possible; and, requiring developers and
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commercial tenants to provide on-site The repercussions of these financial limitations

facilities and TDM programs that encourage are growing. Required projects are not being
the use of transit and other sustainable implemented when they are needed, and the
travel modes. City faces a growing backlog of projects (as
• Proactively encouraging intensification in discussed in the previous section on
areas where transit, walking and cycling implementation of the current TMP). Expansion
can be made most attractive; upgrading of Ottawa’s rapid transit system has slowed
local facilities and services for those travel substantially since 1996, when the provincial
modes; and ensure implementation of TDM government ended its 75% contribution to
and area traffic management measures to transit infrastructure projects. The pace of
minimize incremental traffic growth and its infrastructure rehabilitation and renewal (which
community impacts. are funded from property taxes) has been
slower than required in recent years, leading to
Question for Discussion a backlog. Some routine maintenance has also
been deferred in order to achieve short-term
1. Are Ottawa residents willing to support land savings even though this may lead to long-term
use strategies, which either restrict increases in rehabilitation or replacement costs
employment growth in specific areas or (this practice has been targeted for correction
proactively encourage intensification? by the City’s Long-Range Financial Plan and
Why? 2007-2010 City Strategic Directions.

E. Paying for the Transportation While the City could loosen its financial
System constraints by tapping new revenue sources,
this would require provincial consent and will
From the perspective of municipal finances, it is
likely take time. Over the foreseeable future, the
very costly to build and operate a transportation
TMP should offer guidance to help Council
system that maximizes the net benefits to the
choose among competing initiatives when funds
community. Building costs for roads, transit
are limited. Decision-making principles should
facilities and other infrastructure are increasing
seek to maximize return on investment,
faster than inflation (up by 5.9% in 2006)3,
accounting for all social costs and benefits.
transit operating costs are rising faster than
fares (e.g., bus parts and fuel up by 5%
The City could pursue new revenue sources
annually), and emission-reducing technologies
consistent with a “user pay” approach to
are more expensive than the ones they replace
transportation services. Such sources could
(e.g., hybrid buses cost about $200,000 more
enhance transportation funding and reduce the
than regular diesel buses). The City has few
burden on property taxes, but would require
sources of transportation funding, and lacks the
amendments to provincial legislation. Some
legal authority to generate revenues through
sources (e.g., tolls or congestion charges) could
road tolls, parking levies or vehicle registration
place a direct financial cost on private motor
fees. Development charges collected by the
vehicle use, thereby eliminating economically
City do not fully cover the costs of growth-
inefficient trips, reducing congestion and
related infrastructure, and the City receives
maximizing productivity—although they would
almost none of the tax revenues generated by
likely be contentious and could impact on
economic growth. Many transportation
economic activity. Other revenue sources (e.g.,
infrastructure projects rely on funds transferred
municipal fuel tax) would have less potential to
from provincial and federal governments—
shape travel demand, but would also be less
amounts that have increased in the last few
likely to have unexpected negative impacts.
years but remain largely inadequate and
unpredictable. The significance of all these
Questions for Discussion
factors is greatly compounded by Council’s
objective of keeping future property tax 1. Should the City be pursuing the creation of
increases as close as possible to the rate of new revenue sources, and if so, of what
inflation. sort?
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White Paper – Addressing Ottawa’s Transportation Challenges

2. What other steps can be taken to fund transportation infrastructure?

maintenance and growth of the

How to Provide Input

Send comments by phone, regular mail, e-mail or by visiting the City’s Web site before
December 9, 2007.

Contact the author by phone, in writing or by e-mail:

Mona Abouhenidy
Planning, Transit and the Environment Department
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
613-580-2424 ext. 26936
[email protected]

Go to: ottawa.ca/beyondottawa2020 and register your comments using the on-line discussion tool
Ottawa Talks. Register your e-mail address at the same time to receive notification of upcoming public
consultation events.

Send your comments to: [email protected]

1
City of Ottawa staff report “New Growth Projections for 2006-2031: Draft Report for Public
Consultation, Planning and Environment Committee, September 11, 2007.
2
For more information on this subject, see the White Paper entitled “Residential Intensification: Building
More Vibrant Communities”.
3
Statistics Canada, Infrastructure Construction Price Index cited in “Capital Expenditure Price
Statistics”, 2007.