Latest news with #TimTierney
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Gay: The last thing OC Transpo needs is new electric buses
Article content Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and council continue the push to phase out Ottawa's diesel buses and replace them with electric ones. While this may sound like an environmental and fiscal win, it's not the solution Ottawans need. Article content If the city wants to lower emissions, the priority shouldn't be replacing buses; it should be getting more people to ride them. Public transit becomes attractive when it is three things: fast, reliable and affordable. People choose it when it's more affordable than ordering an Uber or paying for parking, and when it's faster than sitting in traffic. The real question OC Transpo needs to ask is: What will convince more people to leave their cars and choose the bus instead? That should be the first goal. Article content Article content Gas-powered buses emit far fewer emissions per passenger than individual gas-powered cars. Shifting more people onto buses will have a much greater environmental impact than shifting from diesel to electric buses — especially if ridership rates remain the same. Article content Federal and provincial subsidies should focus on boosting ridership. Expanding routes, increasing service frequency, lowering fares and offering competitive wages for drivers are all ways to incentivize a fast, reliable and affordable transportation system. Article content The need is clear. An active petition signed by more than 1,000 frustrated Kanata residents highlights the quality-of-life impact of poor OC Transpo service. 'Buses are less reliable'; 'The buses are never on time'; 'It takes us more than 2 hrs to get to downtown'; are just a sampling of the comments on this petition. Electrification won't fix any of that. Article content Article content Over half of Ottawa's buses are between 14 and 22 years old and should be replaced. But are electric buses the right choice? According to a recent article, the fleet still seems to be operating well for its age: just 0.4 per cent of trips were cancelled in May due to mechanical issues, and only 0.2 per cent due to unavailable buses. Replacing the older half of Ottawa's fleet should be a priority, but replacing them with electric buses — a $1.3-million dollar price tag compared to diesel buses at $650,000 — would double the upfront costs. Article content Article content Unlike many transit systems, OC Transpo must also take into account the extreme cold that Ottawans and their vehicles face. In extreme cold, the range of electric buses can be reduced by 40 per cent. Diesel buses are much more able to put up with Canada's winters. Article content Even the rollout of electric buses seems tumultuous. Coun. Tim Tierney recently voiced his frustration: 'Electric buses sound like a great idea, it's all rainbows and unicorns, but unless they actually get delivered, we have a problem and they're already years behind schedule.' At this point, he said, 'I'm not confident we'll see them.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
LRT construction causes nearly 1,200 road closures in Ottawa's east end
It's a living nightmare for many commuters in Ottawa's east end, who have been frustrated from road closures and disruptions for the last three years. Construction on the LRT's eastern extension has gridlocked Beacon-Hill Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney's community, who says lane reductions, ramp closures and detours have been put in place without warning or purpose. 'We've been living this nightmare for three years, and there's a tipping point,' Tierney told CTV News Ottawa on Saturday. 'The tipping point is when they just decided not to inform the public.' A memo provided by Tierney from the city says there were 1,192 full or partial closures in 2023 and 2024 due to the east end LRT construction. In 2023, there were 488 closures. In 2024, there were 704 closures. Tierney says he expects that number to continue climbing in 2025 and will be requesting more data from the city. Along Montreal Road, commuters say closures happen sporadically and are often unable to access Highway 174. 'It's random opens, random closures and the information is usually too late,' said driver Melissa Linkletter. 'It makes people's lives really, really uncomfortable. I've been almost late for work. You sit in traffic and the other thing that happens is that people get road rage because they can only sit for so long.' OC Transpo says between July 4 and 6, electronic signage was not put in place by the contractor, Kiewit Eurovia-Vinci (KEV), for ramp closures at Montreal Road and Highway 174. In a statement, the transit service wrote, 'We are reviewing our processes and will be increasing oversight to ensure compliance with traffic control plans in the future.' Tierney says he isn't impressed with how KEV has been managing the closures. 'The constructor unfortunately, they're treating this like the Wild West,' said Tierney. 'Frankly, they've just been running this city, and that's not how it is. We're the clients. They're the ones building it for us and they have to learn to bundle things and make it less of an impact on the community.' Tierney says KEV has put closures in place at its convenience, neglecting the impact it would have on the community. 'They've closed roadways willy-nilly because they don't want to go out and do the required steps through the MTO (Ministry of Transportation) and the province to get paid duty police officers, to restrict traffic, to just simply close the lane.' Tierney says without proper notification, the city cannot update online GPS services such as Google Maps or Waze, which requires at least 24 hours for changes to be seen by drivers. Standing on the shoulder of Montreal Road at the 174 Saturday morning, Tierney pointed to a full lane closed off by traffic cones, as well as an on-ramp to the highway. 'This ramp is listed as open today,' he said referring to Google Maps. 'But clearly, this ramp is closed.' 'No construction has happened the entire week. So why are we blocking lanes unnecessarily and creating more havoc and chaos?' In a nearby strip mall, a new Greek restaurant says they opened about a month ago, but regret doing so because of the construction. 'If I had known it is like that, to be honest with you, I wouldn't open a place in this area,' said Rahim Mohsemi, manager at Royal Greek and Shawarma. 'We are not making that much money.' As for when commuters can expect the road work to clear up, Tierney says that may come as a surprise too one day. 'This train that they keep saying will be ready in September, it won't be. It just won't,' he said. 'We need to be able to have some peace and enjoyment of our community, especially over the summer. At least be informed, tell us when things are going to be closed.'
Ottawa Citizen
11-07-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Dreessen: Can the city spend smarter on its 'social' infrastructure?
Recently, news broke about the City of Ottawa's $10.8-billion infrastructure gap. This gap is not a surprise. Nor is it a complete picture of the gaps in our funding. Article content The dollar figures presented are eye-watering, to be sure. But they also only reflect things we rarely see until they break. Pipes for water, sewers and stormwater are critical services our city needs. They are concealed, out of sight, beneath roads and rarely do we get a glimpse of their existence unless there is some catastrophic failure, opening up a sinkhole in the middle of our commute. Article content Article content Article content But that is only part of the picture. Article content Ottawa also has $3.8 billion worth of community centres, parks, arenas and cultural facilities; most are 40 years old or more and half of them are in fair to very poor condition. These facilities are essential parts of our city, just like pipes and paving, and are critical to creating a vibrant social community. Article content Then there are library facilities worth some $213 million, more than half of which are in fair to poor condition. Article content Together, this social infrastructure is worth billions and needs critical investment. If we don't invest, we'll have thrown away the value of past generational investment and deprived current and future generations of the places that make a city livable. Article content Prudent planning, the responsibility of every property owner, is to know the age and lifespan of the assets you own and budget accordingly. While Asset Management Plans have been prepared, our city council hasn't made the necessary difficult decisions. Article content Article content These are the direct legacy of decades of underfunding essential maintenance and repairs. They are also impossible to meet when politicians target tax increases of no more than 2 to 2.5 per cent annually and continue to waste money on inefficiencies. Article content Article content The cost of this infrastructure renewal is not covered by development charges. Meanwhile, user fees should be discouraged as they can create an inequitable barrier to the public, which has paid for these facilities and services through their taxes. To meet the funding gap, we need to raise tax revenue or take on additional debt. Article content The City of Ottawa is an ardent supporter of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Coun. Tim Tierney is the current first vice-president and Coun. Laura Dudas is on the board of directors. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe spoke at the FCM conference here in Ottawa in May. There is a strong connection between the FCM and senior leaders in the city.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
More than $5 million in repairs needed on Mackenzie King Bridge after new damage found
The city says more work is needed after engineers discovered deterioration on a section that wasn't part of the original plan. CTV's Dave Charbonneau reports. The city says more work is needed after engineers discovered deterioration on a section that wasn't part of the original plan. CTV's Dave Charbonneau reports. Construction on the Mackenzie King Bridge in downtown Ottawa will continue for another two years after engineers discovered additional deterioration on a section of the busy roadway. Work began in 2022 to rehabilitate portions of the bridge that connects Elgin Street and Nicholas Street. The original budget was $24.6 million with work scheduled to be completed next year. Now, the city is budgeting an extra $5.4 million for the additional repairs after a condition assessment of the aging structure. 'They did extensive surveys of the bridge while it was under construction, and they found this salt contamination in the bridge deck that maybe they weren't fully aware of before,' said Ted Sherwood, an associate professor of structural engineering at Carleton University. The city says completing the repairs now will save time and money. 'Making the investment now is cheaper to do it upfront, get it all out of the way now than waiting until later when there is a problem where it would be much more costly, much more construction woes and cost taxpayers a lot more money,' said Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney. The City of Ottawa says the bridge remains safe and is open to the public. Mackenzie King Bridge The Mackenzie King Bridge over Nicholas Street in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) 'A condition assessment and renewal options analysis report was completed on the Nicholas Street Overpass by the City's design consultant in early 2025. It recommended a bridge rehabilitation be undertaken in the near future to extend the service life of the bridge,' said the city's acting branch manager of municipal design and construction Josée Vallée in a statement. 'This new and separate $5.4 million project is scheduled for design completion in early 2026 and includes the eastern portion of the Steel Viaduct Structure and the Nicholas Street Overpass. The design has been staged to permit both contracts to occur simultaneously.' Drivers have mixed feelings about the disruption. For Susan Hum-Hartley, the construction isn't just an occasional inconvenience, it's part of daily life. 'I live down here, so I'm not just cycling it, I'm living it,' said Hum-Hartley. Living it comes with caution, especially when she's on the move. 'I'm a senior and I'm not very good at biking. I often will walk past some of the stuff rather than chance it, because it's a little iffy if you're down to a single lane,' she said. The construction is also slowing down cyclists who rely on the route for work. 'It's very hard to drive on this construction, especially for the blocks of these roads. And it takes time to deliver the orders,' said Rohith Palakkat Anil, a cyclist for Uber Eats. Despite the delays and added costs, Hum-Hartley said she understands the complexity. 'Complex projects, there are always little surprises and there's funding issues and there's supply issues and there's labour issues. So, I'm sympathetic.' The additional work bridge is now expected to be completed by August 2027.
CBC
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Councillor pushes Ottawa ring road instead of 6th bridge
A city councillor says Ottawa needs a southern ring road to relieve congestion on the Queensway — instead of a controversial bridge over Kettle Island. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney floated the idea at Thursday's public works and infrastructure committee meeting as councillors debated updates to the transportation master plan, a guiding document setting out infrastructure priorities for the coming decades. Tierney noted that Highway 417 is currently the only major east-west route for interprovincial and regional traffic, including trucks, which should be rerouted south of the urban core. He made a motion, which passed by a vote of 9-2, urging all levels of government to pursue a "full and fair evaluation" of a southern ring road. The motion will now go to council for a final vote. Tierney said it sends a clear message. "We're saying this is really important to us," he said. "If the province is looking for some guidance for where they would like to provide some money to the city ... we've just indicated, it's this — it's not an interprovincial bridge." Feds promised 6th bridge The federal government pledged in January to build a sixth bridge spanning the Ottawa River over Kettle Island. That plan would direct truck traffic onto the Aviation Parkway, which runs through Tierney's ward. "Three billion dollars for an interprovincial bridge, we have no interest in that," Tierney said. "We have a bigger issue where all of our traffic is going through downtown and we see highway closures that really affect people's lives right now. He said the time is right to push for the ring road, which the provincial government committed to exploring in a 2022 transportation plan for eastern Ontario. "We have to start looking at this as an option," Tierney said. "I've spoken to the minister provincially, as well as our mayor, and I think we have an opportunity here to at least get this on the vision board about what we want to do in the future." Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas supported Tierney's motion. She said another bridge won't solve Ottawa's traffic woes, since it would still dump trucks onto the 417 or the 174. "I fully support the idea of looking at this. It would cost, probably, a lot, and I don't think it would be a burden that our municipal taxpayers would have to bear. It would have to be a provincial or federal burden," she said. "But I do think it's a viable option to consider." But Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster questioned the idea. She worried that either option — a bridge or a ring road — would simply sink money into promoting auto use instead of transit. "I just think the goal should be getting people out of cars," she said. Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower warned that Tierney's motion could send a confusing message to higher levels of government and distract from the city's other funding requests, especially for transit. "I just feel like this ring road has come out of nowhere today," he said. Committee tweaks list of projects favoured for funding Despite the vote, the motion won't add the ring road to the city's transportation master plan, which the committee voted for on Thursday. The plan lays out $4.5 billion in transit infrastructure and $2.8 billion for roads that the city needs to keep up with population and employment growth to 2046. But city staff admit that number isn't affordable, so the plan includes a list of priority projects that are more likely to get built. That includes $2.3 billion in transit projects and $1.6 billion for roads, including widening and new links to growing communities. The expansion of the light rail system to Barrhaven and Kanata is also in the plan, with an estimated price tag of $8.3 billion, though the city is counting on upper levels of government to pay for it. The top-priority projects on the list include transitways on Baseline Road and through southern Orléans. Major road expansions in Orléans and Stittsville are also on the priority list, as well as a realignment of Greenbank Road in Barrhaven. Tweaks to the plan Councillors mostly kept that list intact and sent it to council for a final vote, though there were a few tweaks. Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo successfully moved to redraw plans to widen Prince of Wales Drive, removing a section near Merivale Road from the priority list and adding a section north of Fallowfield. Lo also made a more controversial motion for a study that could change the alignment of the proposed LRT to Barrhaven. The tracks were originally set to run west of Woodroffe Avenue. But that would have required expropriating and demolishing low-income homes in Manor Village and Cheryl Gardens. In 2022, council changed the route to avoid that, running the tracks over Woodroffe Avenue at an added cost of $50 million. Lo's motion asked staff to evaluate going back to the original route. He said the new route is more complex, and noted that most of the low-income residents have already been forced out through renovictions. "The reason that pushed for the realignment is no longer there," he said. But Gower countered that even if the original residents are gone, returning to the original route would still cost homes. "Whether they're low income or moderate income, we're still going to be displacing people," Gower said. Lo's LRT motion failed 4-7.
