Hard Work, Cooperation Led to Taking Trucks off Manotick Main St.

A major breakthrough has been made in one of the most contentious issues in Manotick as the City of Ottawa has removed Manotick Main Street from Bridge Street to Century Road from the city’s truck route network.

The City of Ottawa will also be conducting a truck route review in the south end of the city to identify options to remove Bridge Street from the network.

Rideau-Jock Councillor David Brown made the announcement last week with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Brown credited the persistent activism of concerned residents, engagement of community groups, support of businesses, and cooperation from the Mayor.

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our residents,” Sutcliffe said. “After many concerns have been raised by the people of Manotick, I’m pleased to see that we’re making significant progress on reducing truck traffic in the village.” said Mayor Sutcliffe. “As I promised during the last election, and in meetings with community leaders and residents, I will continue to work with Councillor Brown to find solutions that improve the safety and quality of life for Manotick residents.”

During the 2022 municipal election, Brown campaigned on making getting trucks out of village core in Manotick a priority. The Manotick Village Community Association conducted a study last year and confirmed that 800 heavy trucks per day roll through the village.

Brown called getting trucks off Manotick Main Street and the study being conducted to get them off Bridge Street two victories for Manotick.

“I have been proud to be your Councillor and continue to work hard for the residents of Manotick,” Brown said. “Although I have been in this role for less than two years, we have made many incremental gains in reducing truck traffic in the village. These two changes announced are the most significant so far, and they will help enable much more substantial changes into the long term.”

Brown began working behind the scenes on the issue after he was elected, having numerous meetings with city staff.

“If this challenge were simple to solve, one of my predecessors would have surely solved it,” Brown said. “The fact is, there had been no progress on this file in decades. Much like a car would be difficult to start if you left it sitting in the driveway for 20 years, so too has it been difficult to secure the willingness of the City to move quickly on this matter.

While Brown said the truck issue in Manotick has been a top priority since being elected, he also credited Mayor Sutcliffe and his staff for being very supportive of finding solutions.

“ I could be in the media all the time railing against the unfairness that Manotick faces with respect to the burden of heavy trucks,” Brown said. “I could be organizing rallies and protests in the community, holding public meetings, or otherwise channeling the community’s well-justified frustration into the problem. The issue with that approach though is that it has been tried and it did not succeed in bringing about change.

Working with the Mayor and fostering a positive relationship rooted in trust, respect, and shared goals was the key to getting something down, according to Brown.

“Working collaboratively with City staff has helped move the needle internally,” Brown said. “Where City staff were initially my biggest obstacle, they are now working actively with me toward solutions. And I have been focused on achievable interim measures that get us closer and closer to our ultimate goal of the full removal of trucks from Manotick.”

Brown added that as the meetings progressed behind the scenes, it was often difficult to share information and progress on the meetings with the public.

“This kind of work is often hard to share with the community,” he said. “It isn’t easy to sell the idea that while the community continues to wait, I am still fighting for them behind the scenes. The sausage   government isn’t sexy. But with persistence and dedication, we can get things done.”

The removal of the trucks from Manotick Main Street will be seasonal to accommodate the freeze-thaw cycles that occur during the spring. Trucks will only be permitted to operate on Manotick Main Street between March 1st and May 15th annually, Signage will be added at the intersection of Bridge and Main and Century and Main/Rideau Valley Drive prohibiting truck traffic from going north or south on Manotick Main between Bridge and Century.

“Permitting trucks on Manotick Main during about 10 weeks of the year was a compromise that had to be made to get them off of main during the other 42 weeks,” Brown said. “Once Century Road can be brought into the full-load portion of the truck route network, I believe I will be in a position to work with City staff make the restriction on Manotick Main into a year-round prohibition.”

Although the trucks will be prohibited on Manotick Main Street, there will be occasional truck traffic and it will be very limited compared to the kinds of traffic volumes that we have observed in recent years through the village core. An example of permitted traffic would be trucks that are making local deliveries, such as to the grocery store, and to other businesses and restaurants in the Manotick Mews and on Manotick Main Street.

“The community has been patient for decades waiting for progress on this file,” said Brown. “Finally, after so many years, we are seeing some movement. While there is still much more to do, we have a winning formula. I will continue fighting until heavy trucks are finally removed from the village.

Brown added that trucking companies have been informed of the impending change and should be prepared to abide by the new route changes.

If residents do see trucks on Manotick Main during the times of the year when this kind of traffic is prohibited, they are encouraged to call 3-1-1 and provide as many details about the truck as possible so that City staff can investigate If the truck was there improperly and notify the trucking companies. Enforcement of the rules of the road generally falls to the police, so if there are persistent issues, the OPS can be informed via a non-emergency report.