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Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is seeing red about how the federal government is choosing to control pedestrian and train traffic for the Canada Day celebrations at LeBreton Flats on July 1.
On Wednesday, Heritage Canada officials detailed plans that include no pedestrian access to Booth Street, which connects Pimisi Station on OC Transpo’s O-Line to LeBreton Flats. It’s typically a three-to-five-minute walk, but access on Canada Day is restricted to local residents and those with reduced mobility only.
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Instead, Heritage Canada officials are asking O-Line users to continue eastward to the Lyon Station stop. The walk from Lyon Station to LeBreton Flats is 15-20 minutes.
“I’m disappointed with the federal government’s plans for traffic flow,” Sutcliffe wrote on X late Wednesday night.
The Mayor said the city had proposed other solutions, given that the closure of Pimisi Station for Canada Day celebrations in 2023 created numerous headaches for citizens attending the fireworks celebrations and represented an embarrassment for the city.
“Despite the efforts of city officials to propose alternatives, the government’s security officials have decided once again this year to discourage public transit users from exiting at Pimisi Station on July 1,” Sutcliffe wrote.
“I want to be abundantly clear: this is not an issue of the capacity of the station, but the result of passengers not being allowed to use the entire Booth Street Bridge when they exit.”
Sutcliffe said the city suggested creating a direct pathway from Pimisi Station to the LeBreton Flats.
“So the organizers of the event will be asking public transit users to exit at Lyon Station, despite Pimisi being available and able to handle the traffic.”
The Mayor says OC Transpo should not take the blame for the Canada Day traffic snafu.
“As everyone knows, our light rail system is not perfect. But these decisions about traffic flow have nothing to do with OC Tranpso or Pimisi Station. I hope the federal government will work with the City of Ottawa on a different approach for next year.
Heritage Canada officials have not yet replied for comment.
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