McGuinty to O'Brien: 'Think big' on transit

Mayor told to look decades ahead as $200M offer just the beginning

(Friday, September 28, 2007by Kate Jaimet, The Ottawa Citizen) -- Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said his government's $200-million commitment to a new transit system in Ottawa is just the beginning. And he's urging Mayor Larry O'Brien to "think big" about public transportation in the city.

"I see the $200 million as the first phase. I think we're going to have to talk beyond that because Ottawa will continue to grow," Mr. McGuinty said in a meeting with the Citizen's editorial board yesterday. "I've told Mayor O'Brien I want him to think big. I want him to get the hell off the deck of the ship and get into the crow's nest and look out 15, 20, 25 years, and tell us what do we need to do sooner rather than later to make sure we can accommodate that growth."

However, Mr. McGuinty said he can't make any further commitment of funds to transit in Ottawa until he sees a solid plan.

"I've seen a vision document. Well, give me something that's nailed down to a bedrock of reality. Give me some specific, concrete plan that moves people and that's good for the environment," he said. "It's up to the city, now, to pull something together."

Ottawa's plans to improve its transit system have been in limbo ever since Mr. O'Brien led city council in killing the north-south light-rail plan from Barr-haven to the University of Ottawa supported by former mayor Bob Chiarelli.

Several proposals to solve the city's mass transit problems have been put forward, including:

? A $1.1-billion proposal by the development company Urbandale Corp, which would include a pair of downtown tunnels, starting at Bronson Avenue, going under the Rideau Canal and ending just south of the University of Ottawa. The tunnels would join up with the existing east-west transitway, where, in addition to buses, a light-rail system would also be built.

? A $724-million proposal by Friends of the O-Train that would see electric trains running above ground through the downtown core, and linking up with the bus transitway and the existing O-Train. Train service, using many existing tracks, would also be extended south to Barrhaven, west to Kanata, east to the Ottawa hospital's general campus on Smyth Road, and over the Ottawa River to Gatineau.

A proposal by the mayor's task force on transit that includes a downtown tunnel and a 30-year plan to expand commuter rail throughout Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, mainly on existing rail lines. The estimated cost of the tunnel, with two tracks and station platforms in the middle, is $143 million per kilometre, and three kilometres of tunnel would be needed to link LeBreton Flats to the University of Ottawa.

Mr. McGuinty said he's not sure that a downtown tunnel is the best solution for Ottawa's transit system.

"It could be, but those things are so darn expensive, and somebody would have to show me that, bang for the buck, it would move a lot of people really well," Mr. McGuinty said.

But Mr. McGuinty's opponent in his riding of Ottawa South, Conservative Richard Raymond, said Mr. McGuinty is short-changing his hometown. "If they can do miles and miles of tunnels in Toronto, I think we should be able to get one little tunnel in ... Ottawa."

If re-elected, Mr. McGuinty has promised to invest $11.5 billion in transit projects in the GTA over the next 13 years. The Liberal plan would reach from the core of Toronto north to Barrie and southwest to Hamilton. It would include extending Toronto's subway, improving GO Transit service to the suburbs and linking Union Station with Pearson International Airport by rail.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

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