Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is criticizing the decision by security officials to limit access to the O-Train Pimisi Station on Canada Day, insisting the decision is “about traffic flow” to the events at LeBreton Flats and not capacity issues at the station.
With tens of thousands of people expected to celebrate Canada’s 157th birthday in Ottawa on July 1, Canadian Heritage released the list of road closures and tips for revellers to travel to LeBreton Flats.
The list of road closures shows there will be “no pedestrian access” on Booth Street between Albert Street and the Kichi Zibi Mikan. People using the O-Train are being told to get off the LRT at Lyon Street for access to LeBreton Flats, with access to Pimisi Station limited to persons with reduced mobility and local residents only.
Federal officials say visitors will only be able to access LeBreton Flats on Canada on Wellington Street to “ensure a safe pedestrian flow.”
Booth Street will be closed to pedestrians between Albert Street and the Kichi Zibi Mikan on Canada Day. Transit riders are being told to get off the O-Train at Lyon Station to access LeBreton Flats Park. (Canadian Heritage/website)
In a statement on social media, Sutcliffe said the plan to limit access to Pimisi Station to persons with reduced mobility only is not “an issue of the capacity” of the station.
“I’m disappointed with the federal government’s plans for traffic flow around the Canada Day celebrations at LeBreton Flats,” Sutcliffe said.
“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. 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 says city officials proposed alternative solutions to allow transit riders to use Pimisi Station, including a direct pathway from the station to 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,” Sutcliffe said.
“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.”
Pimisi Station in Ottawa. It is built on a bridge that Ottawa police say does not give it many exit points in the event of emergencies. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)
This is the second straight Canada Day that the access has been restricted to the O-Train station closest to LeBreton Flats. Last year, people heading to LeBreton Flats for the evening show and fireworks were told that they could not get off the train at Pimisi Station between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Pimisi Station has a single platform to serve both eastbound and eastbound trains.
The Ottawa Police Service told CTV News Ottawa last year that the decision to close the station on July 1 was made in collaboration with Canadian Heritage, OC Transpo and a crowd management consultant. The service added the reason access was restricted was because of the station’s design and its inability to handle crowds.
“The current design of Pimisi Station does not facilitate the efficient handling of substantial crowds. Pimisi Station, which is situated on a lengthy bridge, is lacking with alternative escape routes for emergencies,” the statement said.
Pimisi Station was open for the 2023 edition of Ottawa Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats, including when approximately 30,000 people packed the grounds to see Shania Twain. The transit service said Pimisi Station handled more than 13,000 people after the concert.