City of Ottawa exploring bus lanes during peak times on Bank St. in the Glebe

A local community group and a city councillor are hoping to bring a bus lanes to Bank St., a plan that would reduce street parking space. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy

The City of Ottawa is conducting a study on the future of active transportation in the downtown core and is looking at ways to improve transit service on Bank Street.

The option of bus-only lanes on Bank Street are off the table, but the city is looking at the possibility of implementing bus lanes during peak times in the Glebe, possibly altering the stretch of Bank Street from Highway 417 to the Rideau Canal.

There are also calls for a similar option in Centretown.

At Capital Barber Shop in the Glebe neighbourhood, there’s a steady stream of customers who come in on foot and by transit.

“We have a lot of clients who either bus or they’re students coming from Carleton University,” said George Kaw, a barber at Capital Barber Shop.

“They always are having that issue of being delayed or not showing up because of the bus issue.”

Many in the Glebe say congestion has been an issue, especially during special events at TD Place.

“I think it’s really smart, where it gets really congested here, especially when there’s events going on at Lansdowne,” said Brendan Boucher, who lives in Ottawa.

“Definitely would probably hurt the stores and the restaurants just to lose all that parking, so I think it would probably have to come with some sort of plan to do with parking as well.”

For small businesses along the busy stretch, there are concerns around parking.

“Where would everybody park? Are they going to make more parking lots for us to park in?” said April Woodley, a staff member at Goody Mart Ottawa.

The city is holding a public open house in May where residents will be able to weigh in, though an official date has not been set. The Centretown Community Association says they want the idea to expand to their neighbourhood.

“We think it would make traffic move much quicker. We think it would get people to work faster. It would get people home to their families sooner in the evening,” said Derrick Simpson of the Centretown Community Association.

The association notes the city needs to maximize the travel on bus routes 6 and 7 to ensure traffic flows smoothly and reliably.

After the open house in May, recommendations will go to the city’s Public Works and the Infrastructure Committee.