Charlebois Calls For Ottawa Bank Street O-Train Subway
Ottawa-Gatineau grew from 1,371,576 people in 2016 to 1,488,307 in 2021 and Ian Charlebois, Ottawa’s well known realtor and mortgage specialist believes “now is the time for the Ottawa Bank Street O-Train Subway before Ottawa Gatineau is gridlocked because in 5 years we will exceed 1.6 million people” says Charlebois.
Charlebois believes “the Bank Street O-Train Subway from Parliament Station to Billings Bridge would set the stage for real organic growth in the core and would naturally accelerate the city with increased densification into legitimate 15 minute communities within the city.” He goes on to say “the residents deserve more of everything and that comes from densification ” according to Charlebois.
“A full fledged subway is needed on Bank Street without a doubt. We have winter here, and heavy snow. When its raining in NYC for example, I still take the subway, it keeps you dry and it eliminates the long term problems of traffic and parking in the core. It would be a life changing concept for the businesses, sports teams, and people who live downtown in the core of Ottawa and change the suburbs.”
Charlebois goes on to say “I know for certain 40% of the residents who live in the suburbs would take the O-Train into the city from the east & west if they had a subway line running north/south in the core. It would actually improve ridership on Confederation Line 1. The residents who live in the suburbs would spend more time in the city and it would clear up parking problems and allow more development. Livable cities start from the middle and expand out. Bank Street O-Train would set the stage for creating a more desirable city.”
“If we had subway trains running every 7 minutes from Parliament Station to Billings Bridge we could get people in and out of the core easily and they could be moved comfortably. I would want us to be like London for our longer term vision in regards to our rail transit network, the issue is always money though. If we can get people out of their cars to O-Train stations it would be better, we need to move people around using the LRT system.”
“Bank Street O-Train has to go there, it can’t take 20 years, it will be too late because our population is really growing at a very fast rate and our businesses and lifestyle come from the core of cities across Canada. Our city originates from Centrertown to the Glebe through Old Ottawa South. A lot of people want us to to get it right, this time. It shows the passion in the city. Inaction will lead to more frustration and difficulty in knowing where we are going as a community. It’s an essential part of infrastructure that should have been planned 20 years ago. Now we can plan for the longevity of the city and get it right this time. The way that people move, not everyone has a car. It’s good for everyone in the city having a Bank Street O-Train subway.”
“As far as the Senators hockey and Redblacks football both in the core, they are and will be drivers to make the city even more vibrant. People are now returning to the core and more people want to be in the core. Lansdowne 2.0 has to be functional for it to survive and a Bank Street O-Train subway means it will prosper.”
Charlebois ends the interview by saying “Bank Street O-Train subway means more growth, and more options for housing in the core, and more affordable options because of the increased densification which makes the city more affordable for everyone. It will ensure a generation of young kids grow into adults who will use public rail transit as a regular part of their daily lives and we will be a better city because of it, we need the city to act now.”
For more stories on Bank Street O-Train see links below: