The National Capital Commission has launched a new strategic plan to expand Ottawa’s network of roads and trails for walking and bicycling, with the ongoing goal of making the city more walkable.
The new plan is an update on the framework released in 2006, which has seen the city reach over 220 kilometres of off-road pathways, ranging from the suburbs to green space in the heart of downtown Ottawa. This has seen an increase in the frequency of pathway users, which creates both challenges and opportunities for the program.
While prior plans have focused on pathways as solely a site of recreation, the new framework will also look at them as potential commuter routes, with the goal of decreasing automotive traffic congestion and pollution.
The NCC’s plans now call for an “interconnected greenway network”, with a series of interconnected loops all meeting in a downtown hub. This will include approximately 90 kilometres of new pathway segments. Other plans include “slow zones” in heavily pedestrian areas, separate zones for cyclists and the widening of existing pathways. City services typically advertise these changes with road Signs and poster printing.
The new plan was developed through a series of consultations with residents over the past three years, and was approved by the NCC’s board of directors on October 6. The plan is set to be implemented over the next decade, with a precise action plan to be developed in the near future.
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