Historic transit agreement signed by Gatineau and Ottawa

Today, after several months of discussion, Mayors Jim Watson and Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin announced an agreement between Ottawa and Gatineau that will better integrate the regional transit network. The Mayors were joined by Councillors Gilles Carpentier, Chair of the STO, and Stephen Blais, Chair of the Transit Commission.

This agreement, a first in the history of the two cities, will help ensure efficient connections between the two transit systems when the O-Train's Confederation Line begins service. It will also help achieve the two cities' transit objectives and meet the needs of users on both sides of the Ottawa River. In addition to addressing the City of Ottawa's long-standing concern over the volume of bus traffic on certain downtown arteries, the new service will help reduce travel times for a significant portion of Gatineau transit users who commute to Ottawa each morning.

Allowing STO buses to access Albert and Slater streets will bring many transit users closer to their workplace. Moreover, direct connections to the O-Train network at Lyon and Parliament stations will help improve access for users whose destinations are located further west or east in downtown.

The agreement also provides an ongoing commitment to optimizing interprovincial trips more generally, such as by revisiting OC Transpo operations in Gatineau and by studying how to optimize OC Transpo and STO services on both sides of the River.

Commitment to joint planning of interprovincial travel

In addition to new downtown Ottawa service, O-Train integration and optimized interprovincial travel, the bi-lateral agreement creates of a joint planning and coordination group, which will facilitate collaboration and dialogue on future studies and large-scale transportation projects. The two cities have committed to establishing this group within the next 60 days. An announcement regarding its composition and mandate will be made in due course. The group's main objective will be to ensure better integration of development plans related to transportation, especially plans that impact both sides of the Ottawa River.

Integration of STO services with the O-Train Confederation Line

With the O-Train Confederation Line's underground tunnel servicing the downtown core, Albert and Slater streets will no longer be major transit corridors and there will be a significant reduction in bus traffic.

Thanks to collaborative efforts between both transit agencies, the following changes to STO service in Ottawa's downtown will be implemented once O-Train service begins:

• STO routes will be relocated away from Wellington and Rideau streets between Bank and Waller streets.
• All STO routes into downtown Ottawa will connect with the O-Train Confederation Line at Lyon Station.
• STO's all-day routes and a limited number of peak-only routes will continue via Slater and Albert streets to the Mackenzie King Bridge and Laurier Avenue and Waller Street.
• The majority of STO's peak-only routes will loop via Bank Street to increase connectivity between the STO and OC Transpo bus route networks, in addition to allowing for a second connection with the O-Train at Parliament Station.
• STO buses will use either the Portage, Alexandra or Macdonald-Cartier bridges to enter or exit Ottawa's downtown core, based on what is most appropriate for each trip.

Quotes

“We are proud to sign this historic agreement, an agreement that is the concrete result of the collaborative efforts pursued by Mayor Watson and myself since I entered office in 2013. Many Gatineau residents have long called for closer collaboration between our two cities, and today we fulfil their wish.”

Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Mayor of Gatineau

“We want to thank all STO and OC Transpo staff involved in planning the way residents of Ottawa and Gatineau will seamlessly commute between the two networks once the O-Train Confederation Line launches. We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate on interprovincial transit planning with our Gatineau partners.”

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa

“We welcomed the collaboration of both transit agencies during the entire process, which has resulted in mutually beneficial agreement. In servicing the Ottawa downtown core in the future, the STO aims to attract the greater metropolitan area of Ottawa-Gatineau to transit services and ensure seamless service delivery.”

Councillor Gilles Carpentier, Chair of the STO

“We're pleased that STO and OC Transpo have reached this significant milestone in the O-Train Confederation Line project. The long-term goal of both transit agencies is to provide excellent, efficient and cost-effective transit service to customers, and this agreement will ensure smooth service in Ottawa's downtown core for years to come.”

Councillor Stephen Blais, Chair of the Transit Commission

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

-30-

Future desserte de la STO au centre-ville d'Ottawa

En 2018, l'arrivée de la nouvelle Ligne de la Confédération de l'O-Train apporte des opportunités de remaniement favorable de la desserte de la STO au cœur du centre-ville d'Ottawa. La mise en service prochaine du train léger sous le centre-ville permet à OC Transpo de revoir son offre de service de transport en commun et ainsi, de libérer de l'espace sur le corridor du Transitway le long des rues Albert et Slater au bénéfice de la STO. La nouvelle desserte de la STO permettra d'amener la clientèle plus près des pôles de travail et d'étude au centre-ville d'Ottawa.

L'objectif premier de la future desserte est de rendre toujours plus attrayant les services de transport collectif en s'assurant de maintenir une offre de qualité pour les clientèles des deux réseaux de transport et de permettre la fluidité des déplacements au sein de la grande région métropolitaine d'Ottawa-Gatineau

Faits saillants pour la clientèle de la STO

• La grande majorité de la clientèle, soit 73 %, bénéficiera d'une diminution de temps de déplacement à destination du centre-ville d'Ottawa.
• La nouvelle offre de service  facilitera les correspondances avec le train léger et  les autobus d'OC Transpo avec plus de points de contacts entre les deux réseaux.
• La mise en place du nouveau cheminement de nos services à Ottawa selon trois trajets permettra d'assurer une desserte efficiente du centre-ville et une expérience rehaussée à notre clientèle. Le réseau de la STO sera désormais moins vulnérable aux déviations de parcours occasionnés par les événements ponctuels qui ont lieu sur la Colline du Parlement.
• Les étudiants du Québec qui se destinent vers le secteur de l'Université d'Ottawa verront aussi leur desserte bonifiée  en  période de pointe et  hors-pointe.
• La  clientèle bénéficiera  de conditions d'attente améliorées ainsi que des outils d'information à la clientèle avec l'installation d'abribus et de panneaux à messages variables aux arrêts principaux.
• Le réseau seras plus fiable et ponctuel grâce à des quais spécialement aménagés ainsi que des mesures préférentielles pour le transport en commun.

La date d'entrée officielle des nouveaux services de la STO au centre-ville d'Ottawa sera confirmée d'ici la fin de l'année 2017. Entretemps, la population est invitée à en connaître davantage en consultant le sto.ca