1. RIDEAU STREET – SUSSEX DRIVE TO NICHOLAS STREET

RUE RIDEAU – DE LA PROMENADE SUSSEX À LA RUE NICHOLAS

Committee recommendation

That City Council receive this report for information.

Recommandation du Comité

Que le Conseil municipal prenne connaissance du présent rapport à titre d’information.

For the Information of Council

The Transit Committee, at its meeting held on 21 March 2007 also approved the following directive to staff:

That staff be directed to review the report tabled by the Rideau BIA dated 6 March 2007, and report back to Transit Committee by June 2007 after consultation with the BIA.

POUR L’INFORMATION DU CONSEIL

Le Comité du transport en commun, à sa réunion du 21 mars 2007, a aussi approuvé la directive suivante au personnel :

Que l’on enjoigne le personnel d’examiner le rapport déposé par la Zone d’amélioration commerciale (ZAC) Rideau, en date du 6 mars 2007, et de faire rapport au Comité du transport en commun d’ici juin 2007 après avoir consulté la ZAC.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager, Planning, Transit and the Environment, report dated
6 March 2007 (ACS2007-PTE-DCM-0001).

2. Extract of Draft Minutes 5, Transit Committee meeting of March 21, 2007.

Report to/Rapport au:

Transit Committee

Comité du transport en commun

and Council/et au Conseil

6 March 2007 / 6 mars 2007

Submitted by/Soumis par: Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,

Planning, Transit and the Environment / Urbanisme, Transport en commun et Envionnement

Contact/Personne-ressource: Alain Mercier, Director, Transit Services / Directeur, Service du transport en commun

613-842-3636 ext. 2271, Alain.Mercier@ottawa.ca

Dennis Jacobs, Director, Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Policy/

Directeur, Politiques d’urbanisme, d’environnement et d’infrastructure

613-580-2424 ext.25521, Dennis.Jacobs@ottawa.ca

Rideau-Vanier (12)

Ref N°: ACS2007-PTE-DCM-0001

SUBJECT:	RIDEAU STREET – SUSSEX DRIVE TO NICHOLAS STREET
OBJET :	rUE RIDEAU – DE LA PROMENADE SUSSEX À LA RUE NICHOLAS

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That the Transit Committee receive this report for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le comité du transport en commun prenne connaissance du présent rapport à titre d’information

BACKGROUND

At the Council meeting of June 14, 2006 the following motion was approved:

1. That staff be directed to take such appropriate interim actions to improve safety and security on the sidewalks at 50 and 73 Rideau Street, including the removal of planters by August 1, 2006;

2. That OC Transpo be directed to examine appropriate security measures for this area and to report to the Transportation Committee by October 2006, and;

3. That staff work with the local councillor, local stakeholders, the Ottawa Police Service and the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee on an urban design concept for this area of Rideau Street that accommodates transit users in a safe, secure environment, with an interim report on progress to the Transportation Committee by October 2006.

4. That the recommendations of the Ottawa Police Service Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) be referred to staff and appropriate advisory committees for report back on solutions to the issues raised in the CPTED by October 2006.

This report provides an update on the status of the actions taken by Planning, Transit and the Environment and Public Works and Services staff in accordance with this direction. It is a companion report to the Rideau Street Design Study - Draft Terms of Reference report scheduled for the March 27, 2007 meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee.

DISCUSSION

Recommendation #1

More than 30,000 transit customers get on and off buses at the Rideau Centre on Rideau Street each day making transit an important function of the area’s economy.

Following Council’s direction in Summer 2006, staff consulted with the Rideau Street BIA and Ottawa Police Services to discuss cooperative measures and potential interim actions. These discussions and further analysis resulted in actions that have removed obstacles that disrupt the flow of pedestrians and encourage loitering, and will in general clean up the appearance of the street itself. These actions are listed in Document 1 attached.

Recommendation #2

Transit Services in association with Ottawa Police Services have initiated a review of appropriate security measures for this area.

Since the summer months, the Transit Law Enforcement Unit has increased its mobile and foot patrols of Rideau Street and is working together with Ottawa Police Service to undertake joint force blitzes of the area. The Unit is also collaborating with the "Youth on the Move" initiative, which involves a Transit Law Enforcement Officer and a social worker attending different areas on Rideau Street where youth congregate. In addition, the Unit is also active in the Rideau Street Zero Tolerance Committee established through the office of the Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services.

To increase Transit Services uniform visibility, Transit Fare Enforcement Officers are periodically paired with Transit Law Enforcement Officers and are assigned to conduct fare checks and pre-boarding checks on Rideau Street.

In the Conventional Transit Unit, the mobile “Centretown” Supervisor has increased the number of drive-by patrols along Rideau Street to more closely monitor pedestrian activity in the area of the bus shelters. Bulletins are periodically posted reminding Bus Operators that more vigilance be applied to viewing activity along Rideau Street.

The Safety Audit undertaken by Police Services recommended that Metal Halide fixtures be utilized for street lighting. In response to concerns about lighting levels and working with the Rideau Street BIA, staff upgraded all the street lighting on Rideau Street from Sussex Drive to King Edward Avenue in June of 2006. The upgrade consisted of changing all the existing 250‑watt Metal Halide fixtures to modern 400-watt Metal Halide high performance units. This upgrade significantly increased the lighting levels on Rideau Street.

Also, in cooperation with Corporate Security and RPAM, Transit Services staff are reviewing the area for the possible installation of Closed Circuit Television cameras near the bus shelters on the north side of Rideau Street near the McDonald’s restaurant.

Once sworn-in this Spring, Transit Special Constables will have the ability to enforce the Safe Streets Act along Rideau Street, allowing Transit Services to complement existing by-law enforcement efforts to deal with aggressive panhandlers, squeegee people and trespassers in this area.

Recommendation #3

Staff have been in consultation with the Ward Councillor, the local stakeholders including the Rideau Street BIA, By Ward Market BIA, Société de transport de l’Outaouais, National Capital Commission, Public Works and Government Services, and the Rideau Centre; the appropriate advisory committees, including the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee and the Accessibility Advisory Committee to discuss an urban design concept for this area of Rideau Street that accommodates transit users in a safe, secure environment. Comments are summarized in Document 2.

In reviewing the results of the consultation it is apparent that there are a number of competing interests in the area, as has been previously identified in the Downtown Urban Design Strategy where it was stated: “Rideau Street has a fine collection of heritage retail frontages but struggles to maintain a walkable Main Street and retail atmosphere while operating as a major bus marshalling area and truck route.” With this in mind a functional program for the street needs to be resolved before any further design or modifications to the street is undertaken.

Using the comments gathered from the Advisory Committees and stakeholders, staff have developed a terms of reference for an urban design plan for Rideau Street and will be presenting it to Planning and Environment Committee on March 27, 2007.

Recommendation #4

Staff have been in consultation with the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee and the Accessibility Advisory Committee and their comments with respect to recommendations of the Ottawa Police Services Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) exercise are summarized in Document 3. Staff will consider these comments and will continue to consult with both advisory committees throughout the urban design plan exercise.

CONSULTATION

The Ward Councillor was consulted and is aware of the information provided in this report.

This information report was subject to significant public consultation, including City Advisory Committees, BIAs, and government agencies as noted.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no financial implications at this time.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 Actions Taken by City staff

Document 2 Comments/Suggestions from Local Stakeholders

Document 3 Comments/Suggestions from Advisory Committees

DISPOSITION

City staff will continue to work with all stakeholders on the ongoing activities outlined in this information report to make Rideau Street a safer environment for pedestrians and transit customers.

ACTIONS TAKEN BY CITY STAFF DOCUMENT 1

· Two planters on Rideau Street in front of the Bay entrance and two in front of the Rideau Centre food court entrance have been removed. Two planters were previously removed from in front of the east entrance to the Rideau Centre by its management. All six planters have been replaced with concrete sidewalk.

· The removal of vending boxes that were identified as abandoned was completed by July 2006. Staff contacted representatives of the distribution firms that own the remaining boxes to discuss the numbers and locations of these boxes. Those boxes have since been relocated to other locations following consultation and concurrence of the Downtown Rideau BIA.

· Of the six bike racks located on this section of Rideau Street, none are adjacent to the bus stops or pedestrian waiting areas while one is near the pedestrian crosswalk. As these racks are all heavily used and none are situated in the areas of heavy pedestrian demand, there is no need to remove or relocate them. Staff worked with Velocity Media, the firm that provides the bike racks free of charge under a public-private partnership, to ensure the pedestrian environment is not adversely impacted by the bike racks.

· The sidewalks are now receiving a twice weekly scrubbing with detergent using a Sidewalk Scrubber machine. Ongoing regular maintenance is completed twice a week.

· A pressure washing of all pedestrian areas was completed in July 2006. Those areas that require this special treatment (pedestrian underpass, other areas of congregation) on a more regular basis will receive pressure washing twice monthly. Further, at the pedestrian underpass planters have been cleared of debris and weeds, and mulch has been installed. Maintenance responsibilities have also been clarified with the National Capital Commission. The pressure washing has continued on a twice-monthly schedule.

· Daily maintenance activities will continue: waste receptacle servicing, nightly sidewalk sweeping, “Bucket Beat” and poster removals. These maintenance activities have continued on a daily basis.

· Graffiti patrols and removal have been increased to twice per week. This includes removal of graffiti on all City assets, including bus shelters. Ongoing regular maintenance done twice a week.

COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS FROM LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS DOCUMENT 2

• Removal of the clutter of elements, including the planters, vending boxes, bicycle racks, on Rideau Street;
• Expansion and branding of the Arts and Theatre District with Rideau Street as the core;
• Introduce a façade program, including overhead signage on buildings, streetscape elements, oversized murals on buildings, building lighting and banners;
• Eliminate temporary surface parking on south side of Rideau Street;
• Reconsider the volume of buses on the street;
• Reduce the conflict of cars, taxis and buses with improved traffic control;
• Improve the appearance of the pedestrian bridges;
• Improve the remaining planters along the street;
• Need a widened sidewalk on the north side of street;
• Benches can be maintained but design to discourage vagrancy (arm rests);
• Introduce “wayfinding” signage to assist tourists find their way on the street
• Encourage outdoor patios where space allows;
• Improve the garbage bins so they are more secure;
• Introduce public art into the street environment;
• Emphasize the crosswalks at William Mall, Freiman Mall and the corners of intersecting streets;
• Consider the reintroduction of on-street parking in off-peak hours;
• Transit shelters are not adequate to accommodate the volume of transit riders;
• Potentially enlarge the awnings along the frontage of the Bay Store to provide shade and weather protection for transit riders waiting for bus;
• Provide new transit information displays with improved technology;
• Infrared heating of shelters would increase comfort on cold days;
• Increase the lighting level in the pedestrian underpass area at Col. By Drive;
• Improve the lighting level and distribution on Rideau Street;
• The NCC is interested to maintain the pedestrian underpass at Col. By Drive as a major node in Confederation Boulevard and to partner with the City on any improvements to this area;
• There is a need to program activities into the space in the pedestrian underpass on an interim basis;
• The use of the Conference Centre will change and the area of the pedestrian underpass needs to respond to whatever new use is made of the building;
• The Rideau Centre and Bay Store frontage needs to be more transparent on the street with more store-front design treatment;

COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS FROM ADVISORY COMMITTEES DOCUMENT 3

• Removing the walls of the transit shelters may cause hardship for those with disabilities to deal with the weather.
• It is suggested to increase security (surveillance in the form of foot patrols and/or monitored cameras) instead of removing the shelters.
• Staff should review what other cities are doing.
• It is not clear why the planters cause a security issue (other than that they are poorly maintained), as they are open and visible. If this can be demonstrated the trees should be retained but planted at grade.
• The Committee members do not agree that the transit shelters cause the safety and security problems. To some extent the shelters may provide weather protection for homeless people and perhaps cover for drug dealing, however, the recesses of adjacent buildings and utility doorways are more likely to attract such activity. Perhaps some transit maps and phones can be removed from the shelters to improve visibility but these are minor changes that would not have an impact on the problem.
• The forced convergence of crowds of people in an inadequate space can cause safety and security problems. This may make it easier for criminal elements to hide, making people feel vulnerable to theft. The crowds also make it hard for a disabled person to move through the area to access the shops and to get on and off a bus.
• Creating another major transit stop downtown should be avoided. We should try to make better use of the existing station on Albert and Slater and at the U of Ottawa. Consideration should be given to routing buses off of Rideau Street through these other areas.
• The lighting level and coverage needs to be upgraded to increase visibility and reduce shadows in secluded dark spaces. The colour of lighting also affects the visibility of objects. Full spectrum white light (metal halide bulb) is the best to maximize visibility. Currently the tall streetlights provide the best intensity and coverage while the ornamental pedestrian lights add architectural scale and character to the area.
• Pedestrians need a temporary place to sit and rest while they are waiting for the bus. These should be placed near the transit stops and designed to prevent someone from lying down.
• The long-term solution falls at one end of the spectrum between a complete rerouting of the bus traffic from Rideau Street making it into a pedestrian-oriented retail mall, or create a fully functional bus station and taxi stand when redesigning the streetscape. The solution involves changing the function and related design of the street rather than simply altering bus shelters on an ad hoc basis.

RIDEAU STREET – SUSSEX DRIVE TO NICHOLAS STREET

RUE RIDEAU – PROMENADE SUSSEX À LA RUE NICHOLAS

ACS2007-PTE-DCM-0001

Agreeing that there was no need for a staff presentation, the Committee heard from the following delegation:

Peggy DuCharme, Executive Director, Downtown Rideau BIA (DRBIA) - Ottawa's Arts & Theatre District, using a PowerPoint Presentation, which is on file with the City Clerk, showed photographs and provided the following comments:

· The DRBIA is support of the recommendations and appreciates the commitment the City has made to Rideau Street with respect to the zero tolerance.

· In response to Recommendation 1, she stated that not all obstruction and loitering elements have been removed and relocated in this area. She suggested relocation of bicycle rack, vending boxes, and securing of waste receptacles. She noted that adjacent businesses are still reporting poor maintenance levels of the shelters, and that OC Transpo buses still disembark riders in areas outside of the actual transit stop. She also noted that the DRBIA removes posters from lampposts 3 times a week, and 5 days a week in the summer.

· In response to Recommendation 2, she noted that the cooperation between security services (OC Transpo, Ottawa Police Service and the DRBIA) has been greatly improved and the DRBIA encourages further cooperation in this area. She requested the DRBIA’s participation on the Rideau Street Zero Tolerance Committee, which they did not know existed.

· In response to Recommendation 3, the DRBIA has identified that a key stakeholder, The Bay has been missed in the consultation process. The DRBIA requests that the City’s Business Advisory Committee be consulted. The DRBIA has concerns with providing transit benches. The DRBIA supports the introduction of on street parking in off-peak transit hours. The DRBIA does not support heating the shelters.

· In response to Recommendation 4, the DRBIA disagrees with the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) regarding redesign and removal of the transit shelters.

Ms. DuCharme then showed photographs to demonstrate how the recommendations to date have not had the desired impact on Rideau Street.

A copy of Ms DuCharme’s detailed presentation and written comments are held on file with the City Clerk.

Councillor McRae then posed questions to the delegation and staff, and the following points were raised:

· The Bay is a stand-alone entity from Rideau Centre and is a key stakeholder that undertakes its own security measures that could be shared in this process.

· As requested by the Councillor, staff agreed to undertake to invite the Bay to be part of the follow-up process.

· In the next step dealing with the Rideau Street Urban Design issues, staff has identified the Bay as a stakeholder to invite to the table.

· Staff will go through the DRBIA’s Report to consider the recommendations and comments contained in it before the March Planning and Environment Committee Meeting dealing with the Urban Design.

Councillor Bédard questioned the March timing of the report back from staff because there is still a great deal of meetings to be held, and felt that June would be a more appropriate time. He then proposed the following motion:

That staff be directed to review the report tabled by the Rideau BIA dated 6 March 2007, and report back to Transit Committee by June 2007 after consultation with the BIA.

In response to Councillor Legendre’s questions to the delegation, the following points were raised:

· The DRBIA does not support the proposal for heating the current transit shelters because of what had existed in the Rideau Mall days, and that proved to be extremely detrimental to the safety of the adjacent community. The DRBIA feels that the same situation will repeat, and it has to be determined whether Rideau Street is a transit priority or a transit way location because of the different criteria.

· Ms. DuCharme will forward the electronic version of her presentation to the Committee, and in future, will endeavour to forward such presentation in advance as opposed to providing copies at the meeting in order to give Members of the Committee an opportunity to consider and review the presentation before the meeting.

The Committee then proceeded with questions to staff, and the following clarifications were provided in response to Councillor Bédard’s questions:

· The report, being presented to the Planning and Environment Committee on March 27, 2007, deals with the terms of reference for an urban design plan for Rideau Street. This would kick off a process, which could incorporate some of the elements of the DRBIA’s recommendations in the final urban design plan.

· Specific transit issues raised in the DRBIA’s Report will be dealt with separately, and could come forward in June following staff review of this Report.

· The DRBIA needs to be involved in the urban design plan exercise.

· The key focus for monitoring has been a systematic contact on the street in collaboration with the Ottawa Police Services, and is a staged plan of schedule review, identifying issues, getting local community stakeholder feedback, and coordinating security forces.

· Security camera is also an element for monitoring.

· Transit Services Staff is currently building the statistics and would share the conclusion of the monitoring with those interested.

· Transit Law Enforcement Unit has increased slightly in terms of head count. More importantly, Staff has instituted a new structure within the transit security forces using a zone system, which would focus resources more intensively in certain areas.

· Staff’s goal is to increase the actual security resources on Rideau Street as part of its implementation of assigning monitoring hours on a community basis.

· There are three levels of security resources – (1) Law Enforcement Officers, who will soon be Special Constables and are the frontline security service. (2) Transit Supervisors, who have a mobile mandate and are assigned at peak periods; they are also assigned at times to specific station for an extended period depending on the traffic flows and incidences that may arise. (3) Fare Enforcement Officers, who are being increased, are also assigned to specific areas. Therefore, using a combination of those three elements, Staff is addressing Rideau Street and/or any other area that require specific attention. No one is specifically dedicated to a specific area during peak hours on a daily basis.

· Drive-bys are not used; a supervisor or an officer would be assigned on a full shift basis to a specific area if deemed necessary.

· Staff has set an objective to increase the video surveillance on the system. There are approximately 100 cameras that would be installed over the year.

· Staff is aware that the Bay at Rideau has added video surveillance behind the bus shelters.

· Video surveillance is a scope item and is part of the Transit Security Program, which staff just signed with the Federal Government.

· No complaints were received because of the whole week removal of the walls of the transit shelters at Rideau for maintenance, which appears to be of some benefits in terms of clarity of view as demonstrated in the DRBIA’S photographs. However, there is the issue of the heating standards for those shelters, which staff would have to look into and report back to Committee.

Councillor Legendre questioned the tardiness of staff response to the June 14^th 2006 Council Resolution that specifically directed staff to report on progress to the Committee by October 2006. He expressed disappointment not only on this report but this happening repeatedly. He feels this situation needs to be addressed, and asked for staff comments.

In response, Deputy City Manager Schepers stated that she appreciates Councillor Legendre’s comments, and noted her priority and commitment to get back to Committee and Council as directed; however, from time to time, Staff is not able to do so. Since she was not with the City of Ottawa at that time, she undertook to investigate the situation and discuss the outcome with the Councillor personally.

Councillor Legendre encouraged Ms. Schepers to raise this matter with Mr. Kirkpatrick, the City Manager at the weekly meeting of the Senior Management, and he will do so too in a generic sense because the problem is endemic throughout the Corporation.

Not being able to provide Councillor Legendre with a response at the meeting, Mr. Mercier, the Director of Transit Services agreed to look into the scheduling aspect of the involvement of the BIA and the Bay in this process, and inform the Councillor in due time whether the Bay were invited at the table.

In response to Councillor Legendre’s question, Mr. Jacobs, the Director of Planning, Environment & Infrastructure Policy advised that the urban design concept plan only started this year as it was only identified in the 2007 Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure Policy Branch Work Program, and was not part of the 2006 Work Program due to lack of staff.

The Committee then considered the following motion:

Moved by Councillor G. Bédard:

That staff be directed to review the report tabled by the Rideau BIA dated 6 March 2007, and report back to Transit Committee by June 2007 after consultation with the BIA.

CARRIED

That the Transit Committee receive this report for information.

RECEIVED with the aforementioned directive to staff.