I successfully included the expansion of Prince of Wales Drive on the road projects list in the 2025 Transportation Master Plan update. Though a two-year delay in that process meant there was less progress than I had hoped, its inclusion is an important first step towards its long-overdue expansion.
Next term of Council, I will continue to lead the process towards realisation, including advocating for higher priority. Prince of Wales is an important transportation corridor with immense traffic pressures, and communities outside the ward like Quinn’s Pointe and Manotick are only continuing to grow. Despite the project’s importance, public funds must still be used responsibly. I will ensure all project components are either safety critical or absolutely necessary during design phase consultations.
The project will also include a parallel multi-use pathway, sound barriers for Rideau Glen, intersection improvements at Fallowfield and Merivale-Holborn, and active transportation improvements over the Jock River.
Recognising that flex stakes, road markings, and signage are ineffective traffic calming measures, I created a plan with City staff to install speed humps/cushions to improve safety on residential collectors and streets across the ward. The first speed humps and cushions were installed on Springbeauty and Deerfox last year, and Earl Mulligan this summer, with Cresthaven (by the schools) and Grovehurst set for installation in the autumn.
The available funding limits speed hump/cushion installation to two or three streets per year, but I will continue working through the queue throughout the next term.
When the provincial government ended the use of automated speed enforcement cameras in Ontario last year, they created a fund to help municipalities install speed humps/cushions, road markings, and signage (including the massive new signs required in school zones). The first release of that funding is limited to former speed camera sites, but a future release may help accelerate more traffic calming projects across the city, including in Barrhaven East.
Over the last few years, I began exploring options to improve capacity, flow, and safety at the intersections listed below, all at various stages of discussion. I will continue that work next term.
In addition, several minor intersections are also in various stages of discussion for improvements.
The process that ranks resurfacing among different road types needs re-evaluating, especially as suburban communities like Barrhaven East continue aging. Our collector and residential streets are currently prioritised lower for resurfacing, even if they are in a similar or worse condition than an arterial road. Though arterial roads should be prioritised, it shouldn’t be at the expense of equally necessary work on collector and residential streets.
Asphalt is used as a quick fix on damaged sidewalks to address tripping hazards and uneven surfaces. It’s an interim measure, and sidewalk sections with asphalt are supposed to be eventually replaced. However, many sidewalks in our community have asphalt that has remained for years, including some locations where new asphalt has replaced old asphalt. From how sections with asphalt are queued for concrete work, to what follow-up occurs, and how sections of sidewalk across the city are prioritised, that process should be reviewed, improved, and made more transparent.
Priorities are listed above and throughout the website, but it doesn’t mean I’ll ignore everything else. Let’s chat about what’s important to you!