In 2010, the City of Ottawa initiated a planning and feasibility study for a segregated bike lane pilot project in the downtown core. Although segregated bicycle lanes have been widely used in Europe and have only recently been introduced in some Canadian cities, they are a new feature in Ottawa. The City of Ottawa retained McCormick Rankin Corporation, a member of MMM Group, to identify the most appropriate corridor for the pilot project and prepare detailed designs and a tender package for construction. Following numerous public meetings, an international best practice review, and third party input from cycling experts at Vélo Québec, a final corridor was selected in November 2010. The final detailed designs were prepared based on a best practice review of other cities, as well as a review of the Vélo Québec Planning and Design for Pedestrians and Cyclists and draft TAC Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada. The 1.4 km pilot bicycle facility will be implemented from summer 2011 until fall 2012 along Laurier Ave., an urban street running through Ottawa’s downtown core. The following paper details the design features that were included in the pilot project, and tracks the challenges that were overcome through the design process. Key technical challenges included issues relating to a constrained right-of-way in the downtown core and addressing safety considerations at intersections and access points along the busy corridor. The pilot project will help shed light on design options, potential challenges, and active transportation benefits associated with introducing segregated bicycle lanes in Ottawa, and the lessons learned can be extended to other Canadian urban centres.
