Memo

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To: David Wise From: Robert Vastag, RPP

City of Ottawa 110 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1A1

Stantec Consulting Ltd. 1331 Clyde Avenue, Suite 400 Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3G4

File: 163600870 – Fairwinds West Date: March 10, 2016

Reference: Johnwoods Street Repurposing

PLANNING CONTEXT

The Johnwoods Street corridor has been the subject of community concern over the past 10 to 15 years. Historic community complaints were largely centered on a perception of high traffic volumes as well as perceived speeding issues on Johnwoods Street.

These issues were symptomatic of larger transportation network issues primarily attributed to an underdeveloped arterial road network between Stittsville and Kanata. As population growth outpaced the development of the arterial road network, Johnwoods Street became a very attractive route for cut-through traffic.

The construction of the Huntmar Drive extension and the Hazeldean Road widening introduced much needed additional capacity to the transportation system. These alternative travel corridors significantly reduced the dependence and attractiveness for Johnwoods Street to function as an infiltration route.

The future extension of the Stittsville Main Street collector as well as the future North-South Arterial road east of Huntmar Drive will introduce additional capacity to the transportation network which will accommodate future growth and is expected to further reduce the attractiveness of Johnwoods Street as an infiltration route.

Attachment 1 illustrates the evolution of the boundary road network.

JOHNWOODS STREET REPURPOSING

Through the development of the Fairwinds West subdivision the Rosehill Avenue collector will be extended through Poole Creek Village. The extension of Rosehill Avenue, from west of Huntmar Drive to Johnwoods Street, and its designation as a collector road, have been contemplated in past planning for the Kanata West development area. In addition, the future Mattamy and Tamarack subdivisions will include at least two new north-south roads connecting Maple Grove Road to Rosehill Avenue.

Given the above, and through the plan of subdivision process for Mattamy’s Fairwinds West development, the section of Johnwoods Street between the Rosehill Avenue extension and Maple Grove Road was determined to be redundant in terms of its function as a collector road in the Kanata-Stittsville transportation network.

March 10, 2016 David Wise Page 2 of 3

Reference: Johnwoods Street Repurposing

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As a condition of the subdivision agreement for their Fairwinds West community, Mattamy is required to repurpose the portion of Johnwoods Street between Rosehill Avenue and Maple Grove Road into a multi-use pathway.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

We are aware of three primary community concerns associated with the closure of Johnwoods Street. These issues were brought forward at a recent February 26th, 2016 meeting and are summarized as follows:

1. The Rosehill Avenue extension to Johnwoods Street will increase traffic on existing portions of Rosehill Avenue.

It is important to note that the extension and designation of Rosehill Drive as a collector road are independent of, and unrelated to, the closure of Johnwoods Street.

Rosehill Avenue, from Huntmar Drive to Johnwoods Street, has been planned since the beginning of the Fairwinds Community. It is designated as a collector road and this designation suggests that it could accommodate upwards of 1200 to 1600 vehicles (two-way) per hour. Based on the traffic forecasts for the Fairwinds West and Poole Creek communities, Rosehill Avenue is projected to carry approximately 450 vehicles (two-way) per hour once both communities are fully built and occupied. These traffic forecasts are well within the carrying capacity and intended role of Rosehill Avenue as a collector road.

Figure 1 illustrates the projected traffic volumes along Rosehill Avenue with the Fairwinds / Poole Creek communities fully built and occupied.

The Johnwoods Street closure is anticipated to contribute roughly 50 additional vehicles per hour (two-way) to Rosehill Avenue, which represents roughly a 15% increase. As the volumes along Rosehill Avenue are projected to remain below the carrying capacity of 1200 to 1600 vehicles per hour (two-way), Rosehill Avenue is expected to operate as intended.

Figure 2 illustrates the projected traffic volumes along Rosehill Avenue with the Fairwinds / Poole Creek communities fully built and occupied and with the Johnwoods Street closure.

2. The closure of Johnwoods Street will create cut-through traffic in the Bryanston Gate community.

This is a highly unlikely situation as motorists tend to take the path of least resistance, which would be to infiltrate through the Fairwinds community to travel between Maple Grove Road and Hazeldean Road. The shortest travel path between Maple Grove Road and Hazeldean Road will be via Huntmar Drive or through the Fairwinds / Poole Creek communities. Furthermore, given that Rosehill Avenue will function as a collector street

March 10, 2016 David Wise Page 3 of 3

Reference: Johnwoods Street Repurposing

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between Johnwoods Street and Huntmar Drive, this will be the most attractive route for motorists to use if they intend to cut-through the Fairwinds / Poole Creek communities.

3. If Maple Grove Road is ever extended west to Stittsville Main Street, the closure of Johnwoods Street will create cut-through traffic in the Bryanston Gate community.

The extension of Maple Grove Road to Stittsville Main Street is not currently planned as part of the City of Ottawa’s 2013 Transportation Master Plan. The extension of Maple Grove Road should not be considered as part of the Johnwoods Street closure. The transportation implications of this hypothetical road extension should be addressed during the Stittsville Main Street Extension Environmental Assessment or any planning application which calls for the extension of Maple Grove Road. The extension of Maple Grove Road, therefore, is unrelated to the Johnwoods Street closure.

IMPLICATIONS TO TRANSIT SERVICE

Public transit is currently provided along Johnwoods Street via route 162, which connects the Stittsville community to Terry Fox Station. When Johnwoods Street is closed between Rosehill Avenue and Maple Grove Road, route 162 will need to be rerouted.

As part of Mattamy’s subdivision agreement for their Fairwinds West community, Santolina Street and Rosehill Avenue have been identified as potential transit service routes. A logical rerouting of route 162 would follow Rosehill Avenue to Santolina Street and connect to its existing route at Maple Grove Road. See attached Figure 2 which illustrates the potential rerouting of OC-Transpo route 162.

STANTEC CONSULTING LTD.

Robert Vastag, RPP Senior Transportation Planner Phone: (613) 724-4354 Robert.Vastag@stantec.com

Attachments: Attachment 1 – Evolution of the Boundary Road Network Figure 1 – Future (Build-Out) Traffic Volumes – Johnwoods Open Figure 2 – Future (Build-Out) Traffic Volumes – Johnwoods Closed

Attachment 1 – Evolution of the Boundary Road Network 

 

   

Figure 1 - Future (Build-Out) Traffic Volumes – Johnwoods Open

23 (98)

4 (10)

121 (80)

71 (57)

7 (7)

71 (119)

41 (115)

364 (394)

23 (33)

43 (150)

276 (480)

9 (10)

4 (2)

Neg. (10)

23 (81)

186 (109)

2 (Neg.)

96 (67)

0 (0)

Neg.

11 (13)

159 (101)

39 (26)

109 (135)

Format: AM (PM)Neg: Negligible

Figure 2 - Future (Build-Out) Traffic Volumes – Johnwoods Closed

23 (57)

84 (64)

23 (98)

71 (57)

41 (115)

364 (394)

23 (33)

54 (178)

299 (537)

9 (10)

4 (2)

Neg. (10)

23 (81)

208 (128)

2 (Neg.)

96 (67)

Format: AM (PM)Neg: Negligible

Neg.

84 (275) 284 (176)

95 (303) 306 (195)