Sutcliffe: Closing the Queen Elizabeth Driveway should be a cost/benefit move

Transportation decisions ought to be based on their risks and rewards, benefits and drawbacks. Closing The Driveway at certain times inconveniences more residents than it benefits.

Published Jul 17, 2023 • 3 minute read

People of different ages and modes of transportation enjoy the pond between the Rideau Canal and the Queen Elizabeth Driveway in this 2021 file photo. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

The debate over closing a specific stretch of Queen Elizabeth Driveway is not about whether or not the city supports active transportation. It’s about where and when are the best opportunities for it.

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Everyone agrees that walking, running and biking are healthy. As a runner and cyclist, I don’t just believe in active transportation; I practise it. And I support closing certain roads to vehicular traffic at opportune times to provide more space for recreation.

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For example, I agree with the National Capital Commission’s decision to close the Kichi Sibi Mikan (formerly the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway) and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway for active transportation on summer weekends. And I have no objection to closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway north of the Pretoria Bridge, where the impact on the community is minimal.

So this is not, as some people have framed it, a binary, simplistic ideological discussion about cars versus bicycles. It’s a practical consideration about one section of road that serves a busy neighbourhood and is home to a major event centre, and about making wise traffic planning decisions that support all forms of transportation and take into account the needs of all residents who live in and are moving around the area.

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Transportation decisions should be evaluated based on their risks and rewards, benefits and drawbacks. Closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Pretoria Bridge to Fifth Avenue, or further to Bank Street, or even as far as Preston Street, and in particular closing it on weekdays and major event days, inconveniences more residents than it benefits.

By the way, this is not just the random personal view of a politician; it’s the highly informed, evidence-based opinion of the professional staff at the City of Ottawa, the experts who manage Ottawa’s transportation network.

Because of the geography of the Glebe, and the location of one of the city’s biggest attractions, Lansdowne Park, closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway at certain times creates significant, sometimes overwhelming pressure on neighbourhood streets. That pressure creates a troublesome logistical challenge for emergency responders travelling into the area, increasing their response times and the risks for the people they serve. It poses safety concerns for pedestrians and children playing on what would otherwise be quiet residential roads.

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And it means that both commuter and tourist vehicles, including private cars and tour buses that would normally travel along the Rideau Canal for its breathtaking views, have to take detours through the Glebe, adding time to their trips and increasing emissions.

This year in particular, the challenges of closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway have increased because of construction on nearby Colonel By Drive and Bronson Avenue.

City staff have frequently warned the NCC of the traffic pressures created by closing the QED, have provided comprehensive traffic data and studies, and have asked for the stretch south of Pretoria to be kept open to vehicles during peak times. The NCC has chosen to disregard city data and proceed with the road closures in spite of it.

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Closing the QED might be justifiable if all of the problems and risks were outweighed by a game-changing benefit for cyclists and walkers. But the upside of closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway is not significant, since there are already well maintained, attractive pathways along the Rideau Canal. When Queen Elizabeth Driveway is closed, many people continue to choose the pathways over the road, because they are more suitable, more intimate, and closer to the canal. Like many, I prefer to walk, run and cycle on the pathways because they were designed for that purpose and the view is better.

Closing the road between Pretoria and Fifth Avenue, therefore, creates only a small enhancement for active transportation. But it creates significant problems for emergency vehicles, drivers and residents of surrounding neighbourhood streets. Those risks aren’t worth the reward of additional space for walking and cycling in an area already well served by excellent pathways.

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Closing the road on Saturday and Sunday mornings would be fine. Closing other streets for active transportation is also worth considering if it generates a greater benefit for the community and the impacts can be mitigated. But closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway during rush hour on weekdays or when major events are taking place at Lansdowne Park creates many more problems, for more people, than benefits. It’s simply more trouble than it’s worth.

Mark Sutcliffe is the mayor of Ottawa.