Councillor Brown Working With MVCA On Truck Traffic

Village Voice, By Irene Staron, MVCA President

Presidents Message

The fall season has arrived bringing long awaited milder days and cooler nights to enjoy Village life. Be it taking in the Taste of Manotick, the seasonal harvest at Manotick’s Farmers Market, or burst of colour emerging in our parks and river shorelines, this is a season to reflect and give thanks. 

Our congratulations to the Manotick BIA for hosting another successful Taste of Manotick on September 23, attracting large crowds to experience the Village vibe provided by local businesses. The MVCA was there offering complimentary popcorn to the many visitors who stopped by our booth to meet your Board members. Our thanks to Theresa Roberts, Leeanne Van der Burgt, Peggy St.John and Karen MCRae for keeping that popcorn coming! It was a great opportunity to speak with many of you and hear your personal stories about the benefits of MVCA membership.

Your outreach makes a difference. Read on to learn more about how the 175 ft pathway on Century Road has been resolved thanks to your efforts. On the larger issue of removing heavy trucks off Bridge Street, the MVCA made a positive step forward in our presentation to the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee and received encouraging news on the results of the City inquiry requested by Councillor Brown. Between August 8-23, 2023, MVCA volunteers collected a total 100 hours of data on heavy traffic in Manotick and Vimy Bridge. The preliminary results of this work are currently available on the MVCA website.https://www.manotickvca.org/truck-traffic-and-speeding

Your membership makes a difference. For an annual $10 for individual or $15 for family, you increase the strength of our voice when dealing with the City, help keep our newsletter and website live and offset costs such as printing posters and flyers to promote the community events you’ve come to enjoy. As an amendment to the previous newsletter, the chairman for planning the Soap Box Derby is Theresa Roberts. Theresa spends countless volunteer hours organizing events sponsored by the MVCA.

We wish you, our members and your families quality time together in this season of reflection and thanksgiving.

Truck Traffic Update – Inquiry Results are In

On September 15th City Council received a response from City Staff to an inquiry requested earlier in the year by Councillor Brown regarding the issue of trucks in Manotick. One of the questions specifically asked by the Councillor was what measures would be necessary to remove Manotick Main between Bankfield and Century, and Bridge Street between Manotick Main Street and River Road from the City’s Truck Route Network. 

In the past, staff argued that a truck route review just in the City’s south end was not possible. As a result of this inquiry, terms and costs for a local truck route review have been clarified, including what additional infrastructure might help create the necessary connections to divert trucks from Manotick. This will include the opportunity for our members and community to express their views. To continue making progress, Councillor Brown has asked the Mayor and City staff to include a south end truck route review as part of the 2024 budget. The review is estimated to be completed within 12 to 18 months of being funded. 

In the interim, to relieve pressure on the Village core, the Councillor will continue working with the Mayor, the MVCA and City staff toward interim measures such as adding Century Road permanently to the truck route network so that Manotick Main can be fully removed between Bridge and Century. The MVCA presented a number of recommendations to make Manotick safer for all road users in our August 25th meeting with the Mayor and Councillor Brown. The Councillor has committed to the MVCA that he will work to secure these improvements and continue fighting on our behalf until heavy trucks are finally removed from Manotick.

City Budget Update – Have Your Say!

In the coming weeks, residents will have the opportunity to inform the City’s draft budget for 2024 to be tabled November 8. Your feedback is integral to the development of the City’s budget and can be provided through social media, 3-1-1, and contacting your local Councillor. Visit https://engage.ottawa.ca/city-budget-2024 today to complete a survey of your budget priorities, view important dates and deadlines.The survey will close at the end of October. Results will be posted on Engage Ottawa. https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/city-news/newsroom/get-involved-draft-budget-2024

ARAC Presentation 

On September 7, the MVCA presented its 2023 Truck Traffic findings to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. Standing in for Irene Staron, President, (who was out of the country at the time) was Grace Thrasher, Past President. Attending with Grace was Bruce Fanjoy, Director of Transportation and Community Well-Being. Our thanks to both of you for speaking on the MVCA’s behalf. To view this presentation, go to Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commitee — 2023/09/07 and fast forward approximately 32 minutes. 

Century Road Pathway – Update

With the assistance of Councillor David Brown, the MVCA and concerned residents made a significant improvement to pedestrian safety on a 175 foot stretch of Century Road where an adjacent multi-use path veered onto the shoulder of the road in order to cross a wetland area. This section of road exposed community members using the path to undue risk. Thanks to the ‘call to action’ by the MVCA and these residents, the city has added hi-visibility flex posts to define and separate the space for users of the path, increasing pedestrian safety.

Uniform Subdivision – Update 

Following the August 29th public consultation regarding the proposed Uniform development at the south west corner of Rideau Valley Dr. and Bankfield Rd., the MVCA has posted a transcript of Qs & As provided by Councillor Brown’s office. Visit https://www.manotickvca.org/planning-development.

In the meantime, a group of concerned residents met privately with Councillor Brown to discuss further issues related to this development. Our Councillors Brown and Darouze encourage our members and residents to meet with them one-on-one to discuss your concerns. Thank you one and all for keeping us in the loop!