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1.
SAFETY
IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIDEAU STREET/COLONEL BY DRIVE PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS AMÉLIORATIONS
SÉCURITAIRES AU PASSAGE SOUTERRAIN DE LA RUE RIDEAU/PROMENADE COLONEL BY |
Committee recommendation
Que le Conseil municipal demande au personnel
d’entreprendre les prochaines étapes afin d’améliorer la sûreté et la sécurité
sur la rue Rideau en installant une clôture de fer et de l’éclairage dans le
passage souterrain de la rue Rideau/promenade Colonel By.
Documentation
1. Councillor Georges Bédard’s report dated 29 October 2007 (ACS2007-CCS-TRC-0020).
2. Extract
of Draft Transportation Committee Minutes, 7 November 2007.
Report to / Rapport au:
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by / Soumis par: Councillor / Conseiller Georges Bédard
Contact/Personne-ressource: Councillor / Conseiller Georges
Bédard
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Rideau-Vanier (12) |
Ref. N°: ACS2007-CCS-TRC-0020 |
SUBJECT: SAFETY
IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIDEAU STREET/COLONEL BY DRIVE PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS
OBJET: AMÉLIORATIONS SÉCURITAIRES AU
PASSAGE SOUTERRAIN DE LA RUE RIDEAU/PROMENADE COLONEL BY
That Transportation Committee recommends Council
direct staff to take the next step to improve the safety and security of Rideau
Street by installing an open wrought iron style architectural fencing and lighting within the
Rideau Street/Colonel By Drive Pedestrian Underpass.
Que le
Comité des transports recommande au Conseil municipal de demander au personnel
d’entreprendre les prochaines étapes afin d’améliorer la sûreté et la sécurité
sur la rue Rideau en installant une clôture de fer et de l’éclairage dans le
passage souterrain de la rue Rideau/promenade Colonel By.
The next step to improve the safety and security of the Rideau Street corridor is to undertake some physical measures within the Rideau Street/Colonel By Drive Underpass. I am thus requesting Committee approve the following motion:
WHEREAS
multiple options were considered by City and Police staff to improve the
safety, security and cleanliness of the Rideau Street pedestrian underpass;
WHEREAS it
was determined that the
installation of a wrought iron architectural fence with additional lighting
provided the best value for money and would have the greatest impact in
addressing safety and security concerns in the Rideau Street pedestrian
underpass;
WHEREAS the Rideau Street Business
Improvement Area wishes to animate the pedestrian underpass by working with
artistic partners and other community stakeholders and require a storage area
when programming the location;
WHEREAS the necessary funds to
undertake these measures are available within the Public Works & Services
Department’ existing operating budget; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that
Transportation Committee recommends Council direct staff to take the next step
to improve the safety and security of Rideau Street by installing an open
wrought iron style architectural fencing and lighting within the Rideau
Street /Colonel By Drive pedestrian underpass.
CONSULTATION
This item has been developed in consultation and with the full support of the Downtown Rideau BIA and Police Services staff.
Comments from
the Public Works & Services Department
In
response to the need to undertake further measures to improve the safety and
security, staff undertook to examine the feasibility of additional physical
measures to make it easier and more efficient to maintain and to improve safety
for pedestrians. Multiple
options were considered and as a result of this analysis it was determined that the installation of fencing with
additional lighting provided the best value for money and would have the
greatest safety and security outcomes.
As a result of this review of the ongoing maintenance cost staff are in agreement with the actions recommended by Councillor Bedard in this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The estimated cost to install the fence
and additional lighting is $25,000.
Sufficient funds are available in the Public Works & Services
Department’s 2007 Operating Budget.
Public Works and Services Staff will undertake to install the additional fence and lighting.
SAFETY
IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIDEAU STREET/COLONEL BY DRIVE PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS
AMÉLIORATIONS
SÉCURITAIRES AU PASSAGE SOUTERRAIN DE LA RUE RIDEAU/PROMENADE COLONEL BY
ACS2007-CCS-TRC-0020 RIDEAU-VANIER (12)
Following an introduction of the aforementioned report by Councillor Bédard, the
Committee heard from the following delegations:
Jane Scharf spoke against the installation of
fencing within the Rideau Street/Colonel By Drive Pedestrian Underpass. She feels that it is the wrong approach and
as an alternative suggested that the Committee look for more productive
long-term permanent solutions to problems, particularly homelessness occurring
in that area.
Peggy DuCharme, Executive Director,
Downtown Rideau BIA
spoke in support of the report recommendation for improvements to the Rideau
Street/Colonel By Drive Pedestrian Underpass and submitted additional support
from Holz Spa, located on the corner of Rideau & Sussex, and the ByWard
Market BIA. A copy of Ms. DuCharme’s
complete presentation is on file with the City Clerk.
Catherine Gardner asked for clarifications as to
where the proposed fence would be installed.
She wanted to make sure that access for persons with disabilities using
the ramp to cross over would not be removed.
She agrees with the idea of people working towards improving the area
and asked that access for persons with disabilities be taken into consideration
even if and when programs would be conducted in that area.
Appearing before Committee to answer questions were the following staff members:
· Richard Hewitt, Deputy City Manager, Public Works and Services (PWS)
· John Manconi, Director, Surface Operations Branch, PWS
· Inspector Alain Bernard, Ottawa Police Services (OPS)
· Staff Sergeant Paul Johnston, OPS.
At the request of Chair McRae, Mr.
Hewitt reassured the delegation that there is no intent to limit in any way the
access from the intersections. He
advised that the fencing would follow the existing curbing underneath and would
delineate only the sloped area where access would be prohibited. In terms of any programming that might
occur, the issue would be to certainly keep in mind and discuss with the
Downtown Rideau BIA, or anybody else that wishes to provide program. Part of the criteria that staff would
certainly and always look at would be to ensure adequate access to all users of
that area.
In response to Councillor Wilkinson’s questions, Mr. Hewitt
confirmed that the fence would be designed in order to provide access to clean
the fenced-off area. He advised that
the $25,000 cost would come from the Surface Operations Branch surplus and
would offset the current maintenance costs of that area. He noted the OPS costs and believes that
this is money well spent.
In response to Councillor Doucet’s questions, Mr. Manconi advised that fencing is only the beginning of many immediate/interim steps to improve the ambience of that area. He noted Committee’s clear direction over a year ago to start looking at improvement measures. Councillor Doucet disagreed with staff’s ‘pedestrian first’ perspective and believes that the purpose of the underpass was to allow cars to drive fast at the street level. Mr. Manconi agreed with the Councillor’s perception and noted that ‘cars versus pedestrians’ is a bigger issue to be addressed during the Rideau Master Plan Urban Redesign Study. The planning issue of reverting to a very simple surface crossing for pedestrians and let the cars wait would also be addressed during that Study. Mr. Manconi reiterated that the fencing is an interim measure. Councillor Bédard, the Ward Councillor then spoke of a movement afoot to build the Congress Centre and advised that one of the provisions being recommended by the Congress Centre is to reduce the 4 lanes at that intersection to 2 lanes and at that time the viaduct would be looked at to see if there is any requirement for it.
In response to questions from Councillor Bédard, Inspector Bernard advised that OPS, as part of their crime prevention environment design conducted an assessment of that area, and support the proposed fence. He noted that the proposed fence is defined as ambiguous space with lack of ownership and of use and that the fence would provide elimination of inappropriate behaviour that would take place at that location. He also noted that the fence would be designed to provide a perception of safety going through the underpass both during the day and in the evening. He stated that the problems seen were not just evening issues but were daylight issues as well with individuals choosing that location as their own and using it for use of alcohol and drug.
In closing, Councillor Bédard urged Committee to vote for the proposed improvement measures.
Chair McRae thanked staff, delegations, Inspector Alain Bernard and Staff Sergeant Paul Johnston for their attendance and their input in this matter.
The Committee then approved the following report recommendation:
That
Transportation Committee recommends Council direct staff to take the next step
to improve the safety and security of Rideau Street by installing an open
wrought iron style architectural fencing and lighting within the Rideau
Street/Colonel By Drive Pedestrian Underpass.
CARRIED
Chair noted that due to the urgency
of this item, it would be forwarded to City Council for its consideration at its meeting of 14 November 2007.