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Glebe Report - October 2025

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October 17, 2025

www.glebereport.ca

ISSN 0702-7796 Vol. 53 No. 8 Issue no. 578

Whither Bank Street?

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What’s Inside

By Liz McKeen

Bank Street is a key transit corridor in this city, connecting north and south, serving Carleton University and Lansdowne, travelled by two of the city’s busiest bus routes and passing through major commercial districts like the Glebe. As many of us know from experience, it is one of the most crowded streets, bursting at the seams with cars, buses, delivery trucks, cyclists, scooters and pedestrians, some with wheelchairs or strollers. The City of Ottawa recently undertook a study – the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Study – to try to improve travel along Bank Street in the Glebe from the Sunnyside Library to the Queensway. The study completed, the City held an open house on September 24 at Blessed Sacrament Church to present its proposals for improvements. Lise Guevremont, the project manager, presented the findings and the proposed changes to improve Bank Street, which she described as one of the most important transit corridors in the city, with some 6,000 passengers a day travelling on that stretch of it. Lansdowne, with its major events and well-known transportation flaws, further complicates travel. Bank Street is also a major commercial destination, and businesses want parking on the street for their customers. The Glebe is also a designated tourist area with stores allowed to open on holidays. Finally, Bank Street is an important flow-through artery connecting many communities in the south to Centretown. However, Guevremont pointed out that Bank Street is relatively narrow and cannot be widened. The study team needed to look for an acceptable balance among these competing uses and needs. What they came up with was a combination of bus lanes (some full-time and others one-way during rush hour), relatively minor bike improvements with a promise of a future cycling study on other north-south Glebe streets and the removal of a relatively small number of Bank Street parking spaces (16). For pedestrians, some added visible crosswalks. Rush-hour-only bus lanes are proposed: • from Pretoria to Holmwood one way in the peak direction • in both directions during major Lansdowne events New full-time bus lanes are proposed:

Remembering Doug McKeen�������������������Page 2

The City held an open house September 24 at Blessed Sacrament Church to present its recommendations for improvements to the design of Bank Street in the Glebe. The study, billed as the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Study, proposed among other things a number of temporary and full-time bus lanes on Bank Street while keeping most of the street parking. PHOTOS: LIZ MCKEEN

• in both directions near the Bank and Fifth intersection • northbound at the Bank and Aylmer intersection just south of the bridge • southbound at Exhibition Way outside Lansdowne While the study is billed as being about “active transportation and transit,” the proposals focus on bus travel, with relatively few improvements for cyclists and pedestrians. The open house was well attended, about 150 to 200 people with a large contingent of transit riders as well as cyclists and pedestrians. After the presentation, a question period provided an opportunity for comment. The mood of the crowd was clearly antagonistic, and several reminders to be respectful were felt necessary. Many speakers disagreed with the City’s balancing of competing interests and advocated giving greater priority to the needs of transit users over the needs of businesses – buses over parking. Several questioned why only 16 parking spaces were proposed for elimination and urged more full-time bus lanes even if it means less parking. Someone commented that while business owners think parking is important for customers, transit riders could well be a more important customer base. Glebe BIA executive director Darrell Cox spoke in defense of the interests of Glebe businesses in keeping on-street parking, pointing out that some Glebe businesses are long-time members of the community and support the

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neighbourhood in many ways, including providing jobs for local young people. One questioner urged overall bolder action, such as 24/7 bus lanes, and termed the City’s proposals “a first step.” Others commented that the assortment of short bus lanes, some full-time and others during peak hours only, was overly complicated and would not be readily understood by drivers. The City’s proposals included some minor cycling improvements, but the study essentially concluded that there is no room for bike lanes on Bank Street. A future study is proposed of cycling on other Glebe north-south streets: Percy, Craig, Lyon and O’Connor. For pedestrians, given the lack of space, no major improvements are proposed, but the City will look at relocating scooter parking. Guevremont thanked those present for their comments and interest, and she reiterated that the City’s consultation process includes a range of groups and individuals with a variety of interests and priorities, among which a balance must be sought. The study findings are published on the City’s website at engage.ottawa. ca/bank-street-active-transportation-and-transit-priority-feasibility-study. The next step is for the study proposals to go to the City’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, followed by City Council sometime in the fall. Glebe resident Liz McKeen is a cyclist and editor of the Glebe Report. GMSBannerAdGRFinal.pdf

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Improving Lionel Britton Park ����������������Page 8

Mark Your Calendars GLEBE HALLOWEEN VILLAGE..................................................... OCT. 18 11 A.M.-2:30 P.M., GLEBE AVE, BETWEEN BANK AND LYON GNAG AGM.......................................................................................OCT. 22 7 P.M., GCC RAPHAEL WEINROTH-BROWNE ALBUM RELEASE...............OCT. 24 8 P.M., DOMINION-CHALMERS FALL FIBRE FLING ART SHOW.............................................OCT. 24, 25 10 A.M.-4 P.M., KITCHISSIPPI UNITED CHURCH GNAG HALLOWEEN PARTY..........................................................OCT. 26 3:30-5:30 P.M., GCC GACA HALLOWEEN EVENT.......................................................... OCT. 31 7 P.M., DALHOUSIE PARK SOUTH THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME............................OCT. 31, NOV. 1 7:30 P.M., ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH GCA BOARD MEETING..................................................................OCT. 28 7 P.M., GCC CLIMATE AND YOUR CASH WORKSHOP....................................NOV. 9 9-11:30 A.M., GCC BOOK LAUNCH, STANDING WITH UNDERDOGS BY DAVID CHERNUSHENKO.........................................................................NOV. 10. 7-8:30., ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE GNAG CRAFT & ARTISAN FAIR............................................ NOV. 15, 16 SAT. 10 A.M-5 P.M., SUN. 11 A.M.-4 P.M., GCC

Index ARCHIITECTURE ����������������������������������������������������������12 ART ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24-26 BOOKS.............................................................. 20, 21, 22 CROSSWORD ���������������������������������������������������������������28 EDITORIAL ���������������������������������������������������������������������4 ENVIRONMENT ������������������������������������������������������������16 FAITH ����������������������������������������������������������������������������33 FILM �����������������������������������������������������������������������������16 FOOD ����������������������������������������������������������������������������15 GARDENS �����������������������������������������������������������������������3 GLEBOUS & COMICUS ������������������������������������������������15 HALLOWEEN ������������������������������������������������������������������7 HEALTH ������������������������������������������������������������������������28 LETTERS�������������������������������������������������������������������������5 MEMOIR �����������������������������������������������������������������������31 MUSIC ������������������������������������������������������������������� 23, 29 OP ED ���������������������������������������������������������������������������32 PARKS ����������������������������������������������������������������������������8 PROFILE ���������������������������������������������������������������� 13, 22 REMEMBERING��������������������������������������������������������������2 REPS & ORGS ������������������������������������������������ 6, 9-11, 27 SCHOOLS ���������������������������������������������������������������������30 SENIORS ����������������������������������������������������������������������30 STORIES �����������������������������������������������������������������������14

NEXT ISSUE: Friday, November 14, 2025

EDITORIAL DEADLINE: Monday, October 27, 2025 ADVERTISING ARTWORK DEADLINE*: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 8:43 PM

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