Here is where Ottawa's newest roundabout is planned and why OC Transpo says it's needed
Love them or hate them, roundabouts are found all-around the city, but a plan to a replace an Orléans intersection with one has some residents upset.
As Marsha Dowd crosses Jeanne D'Arc Boulevard with her young granddaughter at a traffic light, she's concerned about what it will be like if there's a roundabout there instead.
"It just sounds like a horror show."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
A plan to build a roundabout at the intersection of Jeanne d'Arc and Fortune Drive/Vineyard Drive, just north of Highway 174 has neighbours saying no way. When Dowd posted on social media about it, others were quick to respond.
"After about two days I checked back and I had 184 comments from the community, and most of them were against the roundabout," she tells CTV News Ottawa.
"It's ridiculous. Everybody wants to move now," says Dave McCarthy, another nearby resident.
It would also come at a price tag of over $8 million dollars.
The city says the roundabout is needed so that OC Transpo buses can use it to turn around.
"We've gone through a number of options to find out what's the best way of arranging the bus operations in that area and how can we do things in a way that meets our functional needs and also meets the traffic needs and needs of the community," said OC Transpo customer systems director Pat Scrimgeour.
The new Jeanne d'Arc LRT Station, part of the Stage 2 O-Train east extension is nearby. According to the city, the roundabout is designed to provide safe bus connections with the station.
"If we just use the roads that are there now, then these buses are going to have to make quite a long trip along residential streets, where they'll be causing more intrusion into the neighborhood and where they'll be taking more time," says Scrimgeour.
One of the concerns raised by residents is the school at the intersection.
"The moment I heard that they were going to look at any changes to this intersection, I instantly thought about the kids. And, you know, I'm thinking about all users of this intersection, but they are they're most vulnerable," says Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas.
Dudas says looking at the initial plans for the roundabout, it's different than the older design at Jeanne d'Arc and St. Joseph.
"It takes four lanes into a single lane roundabout. It creates these beautiful islands for the kids to cross on. And it's going to continue to have safety features such as a pedestrian crossover that will be lit."
There is a public information session planned for Monday, April 29 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.