Transportation Master Plan Update

Moving in the right direction
Ottawa has grown into a city of one million residents. Over the next 25 years, that number is expected to grow to more than 1.4 million. With that kind of growth, we need to revisit how people, vehicles and goods move through our city.
As we set the vision for our updated Transportation Master Plan, we have important decisions to make as individuals and as a city. While some might be easy, others will require more thought. We need to have thoughtful and meaningful discussions to ensure Ottawa becomes the most liveable mid-sized city in North America.
Transportation decisions affect all of Ottawa’s residents and businesses. No matter if you walk, drive, cycle, bus, take the light rail transit or scoot, whether you ship products or have them delivered, or whether you own or share a car, how people and goods move through the city affects you. All the choices we make moving forward will require some give and take. Tell us what’s important to you and how our transportation system can move us in the right direction for decades to come.
Stay involved!
Sign up for updates on the many upcoming opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement at each phase of the master plan update.
Moving in the right direction
Ottawa has grown into a city of one million residents. Over the next 25 years, that number is expected to grow to more than 1.4 million. With that kind of growth, we need to revisit how people, vehicles and goods move through our city.
As we set the vision for our updated Transportation Master Plan, we have important decisions to make as individuals and as a city. While some might be easy, others will require more thought. We need to have thoughtful and meaningful discussions to ensure Ottawa becomes the most liveable mid-sized city in North America.
Transportation decisions affect all of Ottawa’s residents and businesses. No matter if you walk, drive, cycle, bus, take the light rail transit or scoot, whether you ship products or have them delivered, or whether you own or share a car, how people and goods move through the city affects you. All the choices we make moving forward will require some give and take. Tell us what’s important to you and how our transportation system can move us in the right direction for decades to come.
Stay involved!
Sign up for updates on the many upcoming opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement at each phase of the master plan update.
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Fill Out The New Online Questionnaire Until October 23, 2020!
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link21 Sep 2020Until October 23, click on the Engage tab to fill out our online questionnaire on what a fair and equitable transportation system looks like, and on the new technologies that are changing the way we move around the city.
The questionnaire also includes questions on the focus areas and network principles that will shape Ottawa’s new Active Transportation Plan, an updated plan that will combine the Ottawa Cycling Plan and the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan into one, and guide the policies and actions for the development of the city’s pedestrian and cycling network.
View this video and look at our digital display boards to learn more about the topics discussed in the questionnaire.
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Active Transportation Plan - Missing Pedestrian and Cycling Links
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link21 Sep 2020Ottawa’s updated Active Transportation (AT) Plan will combine the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan and the Ottawa Cycling Plan into one.
Until October 23, use the online mapping activity to help shape the AT Plan by sharing your thoughts on:
The missing links in the walking and cycling network - to help identify possible cycling and pedestrian projects;
The criteria that will be used to rank possible projects for short- or long-term implementation; and,
Proposed design principles - how to create the right level of separation between cyclists, pedestrians and motorized vehicles based on where the networks are located and the roads around them.
View this video and look at our digital display boards to learn more about these topics.
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New Mobility - New Technologies Are Changing How We Move Around Our City
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link21 Sep 2020New mobility is any technology or business model that has the potential to complement and/or disrupt the way we currently move around the city. These new mobility options include automation, connectivity, electrification, and sharing. While these new technologies offer a number of potential benefits (e.g., greater number of travel choices, more equity, improved safety, reduced environmental impact), they also include some potential risks that are worth considering.
View this video, look at our digital display boards, and read our discussion paper to find out more, and fill out the online questionnaire before October 23 to share your thoughts!
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The TMP Update - Policy Connections
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link21 Sep 2020The Transportation Master Plan is very closely connected with the City of Ottawa’s New Official Plan, and the Climate Change Master Plan. Together, all of these plans will form the basis for how our city moves forward in a sustainable way.
We invite you to review these plans, and to view this video, look at our digital display boards, and review our Vision and Guiding Principles to learn more about the connections between the plans.
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Fall 2020 Consultations
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link11 Sep 2020The approved scope of work for the TMP Update (which includes updates to the Active Transportation Plan, formerly the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan and Ottawa Cycling Plan) identifies completion of the TMP Update in April 2022. As detailed in the August 18th memo to the Mayor and Council, the completion date for the TMP Update and new Active Transportation Plan has been revised to be the fall of 2023. The memo can be found in the TMP Document Library on this website.
The second phase of consultation on the TMP Update started in February 2020 and was planned to be completed in May. This phase will be expanded to include online consultations and extended into the fall to ensure sufficient time for proper consultation with the public.
Watch this project website and subscribe to the newsletter for further updates and details on how to participate in the consultations.
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COVID-19 and the TMP Update
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the City’s transportation system. It has affected how, when, and where people travel. Transit ridership, auto traffic, pedestrian volumes, and cycling trips have all fluctuated over the course of the pandemic, and things are still in a state of flux.
In terms of planning for the future of transportation in Ottawa we face many uncertainties, but some things are certain:
The pandemic has changed the way many people travel in our city. Some of those changes are short-term and will revert to the way they were before the pandemic; other changes will be with us for some time, but will eventually recede; and still other changes are permanent, representing a “new normal” for transportation in Ottawa.
We have witnessed major shifts in transportation behaviour. For instance, the uptake of working from home (in many cases, compulsory) has been well beyond even the most optimistic historical projections.
Travel patterns and traffic volumes have not yet settled into a “new normal”. Many emergency restrictions and temporary conditions are still in place, and will be for some time.
There will be a continued need for travel in the future, including the need for a safe, reliable public transit system to serve the travel needs of Ottawa’s growing population.
The City and other authorities across Canada and around the world are monitoring the evolving impacts of the pandemic on transportation and considering both short-term and long-term implications. The update of Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan will need to take these into account. As travel patterns continue to fluctuate, the City is actively monitoring traffic volumes, transit ridership, and other transportation metrics to help track the impacts of the pandemic. The City will be collecting additional data in the future to use for the TMP Update.
There continues to be uncertainty about the future, so we cannot predict exactly what will happen. However, we can use “scenario planning” to develop a set of possible futures and then develop plans based on those different futures. Over time, as conditions stabilize and uncertainties about the future diminish, we can refine our scenario planning and more confidently plan for the future.
In the meantime, we are moving forward with planning for Ottawa’s transportation future based on the information available to us, and in consultation with stakeholders, other levels of government, elected officials, and residents.
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Phase 1 Engagement Summary Report and Draft Vision & Guiding Principles now posted
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link26 May 2020A summary of the results of the first phase of public engagement on the TMP Update is now posted. You can also view the draft Vision & Guiding Principles that were developed based on the input we received. Both documents are available for viewing in the Document library section of the website.
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How are we updating the Transportation Master Plan?
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link02 Dec 2019The Transportation Master Plan, together with the accompanying Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan, is the City’s blueprint for transportation growth management policies, and the planning, funding and implementation of its walking, cycling, transit and road networks over the next several decades.The update is being undertaken now for two primary reasons:
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The Transportation Master Plan is critical to support the review of the new Official
Plan, which is currently underway and has a goal to make Ottawa the most
liveable mid-sized city in North America.
- An update is needed given changes to travel trends in Ottawa since 2013. A new Origin-Destination Survey will capture any changes in travel behaviour following significant investments in active transportation, the opening of O-Train Line 1 and the arrival of new travel options (e.g., car sharing).
The process to update the Transportation Master Plan, which will include many opportunities for in-person and online public input, will occur in four phases over the next two-and-a-half years, with the full Transportation Master Plan update planned for Council approval by April 2022.
This timeline is necessary to coordinate with the Official Plan review, and to conduct a new regional travel survey (also known as the Origin-Destination survey) that will be used to identify trends, develop forecasts, and set targets and priorities to serve Ottawa’s future population and employment for the next 20 years. The plan will aim to recognize and address specific groups of people who are typically at risk of exclusion in transportation planning.
In addition, emerging issues for the future of transportation in Ottawa will be considered, such as new technologies (e.g., autonomous vehicles), shared mobility (e.g., bicycles, cars and scooters), and potential regional bus and rail service.
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The Transportation Master Plan is critical to support the review of the new Official
Plan, which is currently underway and has a goal to make Ottawa the most
liveable mid-sized city in North America.
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The Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan are also being updated!
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link02 Dec 2019The Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan are long-term strategy documents that accompany the Transportation Master Plan. They set the direction for policies, programs and infrastructure to encourage more people to walk and cycle more often, in support of the objectives of the Transportation Master Plan. Updates to these Plans are a separate project that is closely coordinated with the Transportation Master Plan update.
The updates will build on and strengthen the existing strategic directions in the 2013 Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan. Work will address pedestrian and cycling facility design guidance, winter maintenance priorities, and implementation policies to create no new deficiencies when streets are built or reconstructed. The update process will also include reviewing and updating the priority cycling and pedestrian infrastructure projects considering new links, connections to rapid transit stations, crossings of barriers such as highways and waterways, and improvements in rural areas.
Public engagement on the updates to the Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan will occur alongside Transportation Master Plan public engagement activities.
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Notice of Commencement
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link02 Dec 2019Transportation Master Plan Update Environmental Assessment Process
The City of Ottawa is undertaking a review and update of the Transportation Master Plan, Ottawa Pedestrian Plan, and Ottawa Cycling Plan. The update is being conducted in accordance with the requirements of Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment, which is an approved process under Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act.
The TMP is the roadmap for the planning and operation of the City’s walking, cycling, transit and road networks over the next several decades. This Transportation Master Plan Update is an opportunity to create an inclusive, affordable, and well-organized transportation network that supports the new Official Plan’s goal of making Ottawa the most liveable mid-sized city in North America.
For the first round of engagement, until January 24, 2020 the City of Ottawa invites residents to fill out an online questionnaire to share what is important to them and how our transportation system can move us in the right direction for decades to come! Residents will also have an opportunity to provide input through additional engagement activities over the course of the two-and-a-half-year project.
Public engagement is a key component of the Transportation Master Plan Update with opportunities for public and stakeholder involvement at each phase of the study. Times and locations for engagement opportunities will be announced over the course of the project. Comments are welcome at all times through the project website or by contacting the City of Ottawa’s Project Manager.
Visit www.Ottawa.ca/TMPUpdate today for more information on the project and to fill out the questionnaire.
If you have any comments or questions or wish to be added to the TMP Update mailing list, please contact:
Robert Grimwood, P.Eng.
Senior Project Manager, Sustainable Transportation
Transportation Services Department, City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Ave. West, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 1J1
(613) 580-2424 x28757
robert.grimwood@ottawa.ca
TMPUpdate@ottawa.ca
Who's listening
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Email TMPUpdate@ottawa.ca -
Senior Project Manager, Transportation Policy & Networks Branch
Phases of engagement
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June 2019
Transportation Master Plan Update has finished this stageTransportation Master Plan and the associated Ottawa Cycling Plan and Ottawa Pedestrian Plan Scopes of Work approved by Transportation Committee and Council.
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Phase One - Transportation Master Plan Directions - December 2019 to January 2020
Transportation Master Plan Update has finished this stagePublic engagement on existing conditions, vision and guiding principles.
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Phase Two - Policy connections - February to October 2020
Transportation Master Plan Update is currently at this stagePublic engagement on TMP priority issues identified in Phase 1, new mobility, pedestrian and cycling policies and priorities, and equity considerations. An online tool will also allow residents to identify missing links in the pedestrian and cycling networks.
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Phase Three - The path forward - Spring 2021
this is an upcoming stage for Transportation Master Plan UpdatePublic engagement with emphasis on future policies, the Active Transportation Plan, and project prioritization criteria for roads and transit projects.
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Phase Four - On the Horizon - Spring 2022
this is an upcoming stage for Transportation Master Plan UpdatePublic engagement on Origin-Destination Survey results and future travel demand.
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Phase Five - Mapping the course - Spring 2023
this is an upcoming stage for Transportation Master Plan UpdatePublic engagement on project priorities, and proposed roads and transit networks.
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Ottawa: Moving in the right direction - Fall 2023
this is an upcoming stage for Transportation Master Plan UpdateFull Transportation Master Plan and Active Transportation Plan approval by Transportation Committee and Council.
Videos
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Document library
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Phase 2 - Display Boards (8.58 MB) (pdf)
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New Mobility Discussion Paper (16.9 MB) (pdf)
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Phase 1 Engagement Summary Report (1.86 MB) (pdf)
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Draft Vision & Guiding Principles (378 KB) (pdf)
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Transportation Master Plan Update Overview (1.33 MB) (pdf)
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Notice of Commencement (476 KB) (pdf)
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Transportation Master Plan Update - Scope of Work approval (June 2019)
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2013 Transportation Master Plan
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Transportation Master Plan Schedule Update Memo (91 KB) (pdf)