Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Re: Stop the madness of building roads, May 16.

A big "hear, hear" to columnist Ken Gray whose column is right on the mark. He suggests that "perhaps Ottawa has begun to realize the folly of roads." I'm not so confident.

He cites Councillor Peter Hume's standing up to federal and provincial governments as they tried to extend the freeway section of Highway 174 to Rockland. But Mr. Hume supported plans to approve the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor.

Arguments for and against this road were ongoing for many years. Citizens' groups made a strong challenge against the road, citing environmental, road capacity, social and economic concerns similar to those identified by Mr. Gray. All of these issues were negated by the consulting firm that performed the environmental assessment. Council accepted this view.

Design work has now commenced on a section of the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor, known as the Ottawa Hospital-Riverside Drive link, and construction is slated to start in 2010. This is also the year that council is slated to consider the future need for the rest of this road -- connections to Nicholas and the Queensway via a new bridge across the Rideau River as well as a link to Conroy at Walkley. This new road will compete with proposed north-south transit options currently being considered. It will turn Nicholas and the Queensway into even larger rush-hour parking lots than they are now.

Why is work proceeding on the hospital link in advance of a decision for completion of the transportation corridor? The link alone serves no practical purpose. Instead of a link to Riverside, the hospital would be better served by improved bus transit services and at much lower costs. The estimated cost for the link at $65 million and growing for a 1.8-kilometre, two-lane road, is ridiculous. Money set aside for this venture could be better spent on more pressing infrastructure priorities in the city. Land that the road might use could then be set aside for community-oriented urban intensification purposes.

Colin Hine