The conversation around safe cycling infrastructure on Orleans Boulevard is not new, but it has reached a critical point. With the impending opening of the East LRT extension within the next year, the need for safe, accessible connections for cyclists is more urgent than ever.
Orleans Boulevard Today
As one resident and community association board member, Bruce Kelly, recently put it, there is a palpable “fear of crossing the highway to get from one part of our community to the other”. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a serious safety issue. Tragically, people have lost their lives trying to cross the highway in places where it wasn’t safe. For cyclists, the current situation is untenable. Kelly described his own experience trying to cross the boulevard with his two daughters on a cargo bike: “I freaked out… and I ended up on the sidewalk”.
This sentiment is widely shared among residents who have at one time, or another thought about using Orleans Boulevard on bike. This is especially true with more vulnerable riders like students (kids) or anybody who is willing to ride but only where they are protected from car traffic. The current infrastructure, or lack thereof, forces cyclists into unsafe situations, such as riding on the sidewalk or sharing lanes with traffic accelerating up a hill over the highway. This will become even more dangerous with the increased pedestrian traffic from the new LRT station.
Background
The Convent Glen Orléans Wood Community Association (CGOWCA) has been actively advocating for a solution. They recently sent a formal letter to Councillor Laura Dudas and the city’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) consulting team, outlining the community’s desire for safe cycling facilities on Orleans Boulevard. You can read the full letter here: https://cgow.ca/letter-to-the-city-of-ottawa-about-orleans-blvd.
The letter emphasizes the need for a connected and safe cycling network, something that is currently severed by the highway. While consultants are working on plans with the city to study and evaluate the issue, the community is still waiting for the results of their work. This project as described would create safe cycling facilities all the way from the Ottawa River up the hill to Boyer Road, and there is a possibility to extend these facilities all the way to Innes Road, which would bring an even greater benefit to the community. Even though this project is listed as a priority in the Transportation Master Plan (April 2025 – Orleans Cycling Newsletter), there is currently no budget set aside for this work.
To go back a few years and dig into the history of this project, back in 2021 Bike Ottawa advocated for the outer lanes of Orleans Boulevard to be set aside for active transportation facilities, going so far as to apply for a grant to get the money to help the project go ahead. A handful of surveys were done at the time by local community associations and councillors, and they all showed a majority of respondents strongly supported the project. The grant funding at the time ultimately didn’t come through, but this work showed there is a strong appetite for this infrastructure if the city is willing to fund it.
This is where you come in.
Taking Action
It’s time to make our voices heard. We need to share our feedback with city officials and let them know that the current situation is not tenable and that we need action now. We encourage you to reach out to east-end councillors, including Councillors Laura Dudas and Matt Luloff, and let them know that safe cycling infrastructure on Orleans Boulevard is a priority for you and for our community.
Orleans Boulevard can be the north-south trunk of an active transportation route that can help connect the whole western half of Orleans better to the Heart of Orleans and the LRT, not to mention getting to and from school or running errands in the community.
Tell the city about the importance of:
- Safety: The current design of Orleans Boulevard, from the river all the way past Innes Road, is dangerous for cyclists and unpleasant for pedestrians.
- Connectivity: Our community is divided by the highway, and we need safe ways to cross it.
- Urgency: With the LRT station opening soon, the need for a solution is more pressing than ever.
Laura Dudas has asked the Convent Glen Orleans Wood (CGOW) Community Association to encourage residents who do not feel safe cycling on Orleans Boulevard (especially across the 174 overpass) to let her know. Your voice is needed to help move this project forward. I would encourage you to include mail@cgow.ca (email address for the Community Association) and rob.attrell@bikeottawa.ca if you do lend your voice to this cause via email, as we’d like to keep track of support as well.
If you live in an adjacent ward, or visit from another part of the city and would benefit from these facilities, I encourage you to include your own councillors on the message as well.
The time for waiting is over. Let’s speak in one voice to make Orleans Boulevard safe for everyone.