Ottawa commuters slowed by 'secured area' checkpoints, highway off-ramp closures

It's a slow commute into the downtown core today, as Ottawa police set up a "secured area" in a bid to limit traffic flow to the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration.

Approximately 100 checkpoints have been set up on roads in an area from the Queensway to Wellington Street and Bronson Avenue to the Rideau Canal.  Police are asking all motorists entering the area if they live, work or have a reason to enter the "secured area" not related to the protests.

Off-ramps along the Queensway through the core area have also been closed to vehicle traffic. Long line-ups were also reported on interprovincial bridges heading into Ottawa.

Motorists complained of extended commutes into the downtown core due to the police checkpoints and highway off-ramp closures.

On Twitter, @CatzBitz said it took them 90 minutes to travel less than six kilometres from Gatineau into downtown Ottawa.

On Parkdale Avenue, one person said pedestrian traffic was "moving faster" than vehicular traffic.

The checkpoints to enter the secured area frustrated motorists all day.

"I am going to my next job and it is taking forever, and to be honest with you I am getting tired with it," Hanni Al Housseini said on the Pretoria Bridge.

"I have been roughly about 45 minutes, and typically if I am going point A to point B it should be less than ten minutes."

Stephen St. Jean called his commute from Aylmer to Elgin Street, "Horrible!"

"I got stuck on the bridge for about an hour. Then I made it to a parking spot and now I have to walk the rest, but I think that will be the easier part today!"

Cameron Graham was extremely frustrated to be stuck in traffic again all day.

"I would love it if the trucks could just get out of the city and it doesn’t take me an hour to get home," Graham said. "I work down at the hospital, and I tried to come home last night from the hospital and all the highway exists are blocked off with police vehicles and I am driving around in a blizzard and taking extra time to get home."

Many decided not to drive and just walk to where they needed to go. Emma Hogeterp lives near the Canada Museum of Nature.

“it is frustrating that it has had to come to this," Hogeterp says.

"It is crazy – it feels like we are in an alternate dimension! But I am glad, I think (the checkpoints) is something that should have happened a few weeks ago and if this is what it takes to have a safe neighbourhood to live in again and be able to take my dog out and not be afraid- I am happy."

In addition to police checkpoints and road closures, the O-Train is not running between Hurdman and Pimisi stations due to the ongoing police operation downtown.

A look at the secured area set up by Ottawa police.

HIGHWAY OFF-RAMP CLOSURES

Ontario Provincial Police say multiple exits are closed along Hwy. 417 through the centre of Ottawa.

The eastbound exits on the Queensway are closed at Rochester, Kent, Metcalfe and Nicholas.

The westbound exits on Hwy. 417 are closed at Bronson, Metcalfe, Nicholas and Vanier Parkway.