Bank Street Bikeway: Blossom Park to South Keys

Bank Street Bikeway: Blossom Park to South Keys

Blossom Park is a mature neighbourhood in the near south end of the City of Ottawa. Thehe  main artery through Blossom Park is Bank Street. However, because this section of Bank Street was constructed as a provincial highway, pedestrian facilities are substandard (with big connectivity gaps) and cycling facilities are non-existent.

The Bank Street Bikeway is a proposal to improve cycling and pedestrian facilities along Bank Street through Blossom Park, with the goal of connecting the community to the South Keys transit station. This station features rapid bus Transitway service, and will be expanded to feature a new O-Train station within the next couple of years.

The map below shows the full length of the proposal: 2.7 km from Bank Street at Queensdale to South Keys station.

Details of each section are provided below, from south to north.

Section 1: Queensdale to south of St. Bernard:

·         Here, I'm proposing to convert the existing paved boulevards to raised cycle tracks. This 

·         requires some minor curb modifications and moving signal poles at Bank/St Bernard.

Section 2: South of St Bernard to Athans

·         

      North of St Bernard St, the sidewalk would be replaced by a 2-way multi use pathway (MUP) on east side of Bank Street by resurfacing existing paved boulevard and sidewalk. A cross-ride would be provided at the St. Bernard St intersection.

Section 3: North of Athans/Cemetery

The MUP would continue along the east side of Bank Street. New curbing would be installed in areas where there is currently no sidewalk so that the MUP is continuous.

Section 4: Hank Rivers Dr to north of Sieveright

·       This section is one of the largest gaps in the pedestrian network in Blossom Park today. To avoid the limited space along Bank at the top of the slope, the pathway will descend down to Hank Rivers Dr. The MUP would run parallel to Hank Rivers and then connect to the existing pathway connection between Hank Rivers and Sieveright. At Sieveright, intersection improvements are required to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety. 

Section 5: Sieveright to Hunt Club

·       The MUP continues along the north/east side of Bank Street.

·         

      This section is more challenging in terms of space constraints. To achieve the required space, the northbound right-turn lanes at Albion Rd and the Southgate Plaza entrance are eliminated. The right-turn lane from Bank to Hunt Club is also shortened.  Cross-rides would be provided through the intersection. Beyond Hunt Club, the acceleration lane would be eliminated to create additional space.

Section 6: Hunt Club to Dazé and South Keys Station

·         The MUP continues on the east side of Bank Street to Cahill/Daze.

·         A 2-way pathway leads west, parallel to Daze Street to the South Keys transit station and Sawmill Creek Pathway

·         a 2-way pathway least east along Cahill to the Cahill/Southgate intersection.

·         A single-direction cycle track would be provided to continue north on Bank Street.