A letter has been sent to the Mayor of the City of Ottawa, the Councillor George Bédard and STO Board of Directors, expressing our concern with buses parking illegally alongside our building. With the support from the Quebec Ministry of Transportation, we are requesting that the City of Ottawa and STO remove the bus wait zones from the vicinity of our condominium/By-Ward Precinct on an immediate basis. Will keep owners informed accordingly.
We have received the following letter from the STO Board of Directors Chairwoman:
Dear Sirs,
This letter is further to your correspondence of February 28, 2007, regarding the operations of the Société de trnasport de l'Outaouais near the condominium located at 180 York Street.
As you know, the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) has been using the area near King Edward Avenue as a terminus for bus departures for many years. To ensure that schedules are met, buses must wait in this area. A similar arrangement exists in Gatineau for OC Transpo buses.
Over the years, growth in the STO's activities has resulted in an increase in the number of departures from this waiting area, and consequently a greater need for parking need for parking spaces for waiting buses. Construction work in the area has aggravated the situation.
We have taken numerous steps to reduce the number of waiting areas for buses in your neighbourhood.
In the very short term, buses that park on York Street will be transferred to four new waiting areas that have been identified along George Street. This transfer will make it possible to limit the waiting along York Street to four reserved spaces, which are not located in front of 180 York Street.
In the near future, we should also be able to use five new waiting areas in Gatineau. These areas are currently being used by OC Transpo and steps have been taken to relocate the OC Transpo buses.
Sites in Gatineau that could be turned into waiting areas have been identified. The work to create these waiting areas implies major investments and the related project authorization and funding applications will be submitted to the Quebec government soon.
Some solutions in Ottawa have also been explored by our respective teams and will be examined in joint analyses.
Rest assured that every possible effort will be made to limit the impact of STO operations on Ottawa residents. It is also important to keep in mind that many STO riders commute to Ottawa for work, business and cultural reasons. It is therefore important that the STO and the City of Ottawa continue to promote and facilitate the smooth running of their respective operations in order to offer reliable, efficient public transit services for commuters in the region on both sides of the river.
I hope that this letter addresses your concerns.
Sincerely,
Louise Poirier
Chairwoman
c.c. Georges Bédard, Councillor, Ward 12
Marc Bureau, Mayor, City of Gatineau
Marie-Josée Bédard, General Director