Posted by: Joanne Steventon
As fall came to an end in Old Ottawa South, so did a 15-month infrastructure project on Grove Avenue. Underground, century-old watermains and aging sewage pipes were replaced. Above ground, a new design for the one-way street was opened to traffic and quickly put to the test as the snowy season started to roll in.
Once one of widest streets in OOS, Grove Avenue is now among the many narrow fairways that are so characteristic of this neighbourhood. Whether you love or hate the new slender street and extra wide sidewalks, the new Grove Avenue has presented some challenges for traffic this winter – especially OC Transpo’s Route 7 eastbound buses.
One image on the Neighbours of Old Ottawa South Facebook group shows a bus with its wheels perched on the sidewalk because there isn’t enough room for it on the street, due snow build-up and parked cars.
“A regular occurrence,” says Heather Howes who posted the photo. “Pedestrians have to duck up a driveway to let the bus pass on the sidewalk.”
Other residents share similar concerns. Kate Charland said “We are in the middle block of Grove and the bus almost always comes to a complete stop in front of our house to go up on the curb – to get around legally parked cars. The bus driving on the sidewalk is a huge safety issue.”
She says that the issue only seems to occur after snowfall when snowbanks accumulate. This pushes parked cars further into the already narrow street, leaving buses little room to maneuver.
Design changes and OC Transpo Route 7 eastbound
The city’s Road Safety Action Plan states that all new and reconstructed residential streets must be designed for a 30 km/h speed limit. To comply, Grove Avenue’s roadway was narrowed from 9.3 m to 6.5 m, and the sidewalks widened from 1.5 m to 2 m. There are several “curb extensions” that narrow the roadway further to 5 m in some sections. With these changes, the speed limit has been reduced from 50 km/h to the mandated 30 km/h.
However, the design’s compatibility with the traffic demands of the street, including OC Transpo buses, has raised questions. During pre-construction consultations, some community members expressed concerns about snow clearing and whether the narrow street could accommodate bus traffic. Despite this, the final design was approved, with the city noting that winter maintenance might require “additional effort.”
When asked whether any of the community feedback was incorporated into the final plans, the city did not provide a response.
One of Grove Avenue’s heaviest users, the Route 7 eastbound bus, travels Grove Avenue nearly 60 times per day.
Just a few months before construction began in August 2023, OC Transpo shared a survey with the community about a proposal to re-route the Route 7 from Grove Avenue to Sunnyside Avenue. The survey had 1405 respondents, and 81 per cent of them were in favour of moving the bus route to Sunnyside Avenue.
“Based on the public feedback received for this project and internal analysis, OC Transpo recommends implementing the following bus stop and routing adjustments: Permanently reroute Route 7 St-Laurent to operate on Sunnyside in both directions instead of on Seneca and Grove,” said a report based on the survey results.
However, in an email from OC Transpo this week, it confirmed that the Route 7 eastbound bus will remain on Grove Avenue indefinitely.
“This route offers improved service coverage for residents of Old Ottawa South and reduces walking distances for some customers,” said OC Transpo.
They say the decision was made “based on a number of factors, including service coverage for the Old Ottawa South community, the intent to decrease walking distances for some customers, and extensive dialogue with the ward Councillor’s office.”
This is a relief for residents of Sunnyside Avenue, which already accommodates the Route 7 westbound. Diverting the Route 7 eastbound to Sunnyside would double bus traffic on that roadway, which is undeniably one of the most heavily trafficked streets in the neighbourhood.
“I’m one of the residents on Sunnyside who has very strong feelings about Route 7 returning to its original route on Grove,” said Jeanelle Dundas. “There is an elementary school on our street. It makes no sense, and is irresponsible, to use Sunnyside as a dumping ground for additional bus routes (or any additional traffic) that will speed by Hopewell (including the playground and primary school entrance).”
Both the city and OC Transpo confirm that Grove Avenue meets requirements to sufficiently host bus traffic, providing a travel lane that complies with OC Transpo’s minimum lane width requirements (OC Transpo’s minimum lane width requirement is 3.5 m. The travel lane on Grove Avenue, excluding the parking lane, is 4 m). But OC Transpo acknowledges that winter conditions have caused issues.
“During winter weather events when snow accumulates along the curb edge, parked vehicles have been stopped further away from the curb, resulting in these vehicles encroaching further into the travel lane for buses,” OC Transpo said. This has led to temporary detours via Sunnyside Avenue.
What’s next?
The city and OC Transpo say they are monitoring the situation closely and snow removal on Grove Avenue has been elevated to “high priority” status. For anyone out there dabbling in wishful thinking – changes to Grove Avenue’s design are unlikely in the short term.
“Currently, there are no planned changes to the street design. Staff are actively monitoring, and any operational solutions would require further review,” said Bruce Kenny, Manager of Design and Construction-Municipal, for the City of Ottawa.
Joanne Steventon is a resident of Old Ottawa South. Individuals quoted from Facebook provided permission for their comments to be included in this article.
Featured in the February 2025 OSCAR.