As part of the trillium seed grant, we aimed to create teams in low income neighbourhoods in Ottawa who would identify priorities for transportation system improvements in their area, strategize possible actions to take, and ultimately take action to ensure that those improvements were made, with the support of the Healthy Transportation Coalition. In Bay Ward, so far, we have: 

• Generated a list of transportation issues; 
• Voted on our top priorities, including ensuring that buses don’t drive away too quickly, before vulnerable passengers are able to get to their seats, reducing bus fares because they are too expensive, and ensuring that sidewalks are better maintained, especially at Poulin Avenue and Don Street;
• Planned and held a letter writing party, where team members wrote letters to Councillor Kavanagh outlining their top priorities and actions that need to be taken, and presented these to the Councillor. 

Before our next meeting, we will be taking pictures of sidewalks that require immediate repairs. At our next meeting we will:

• Compile our photos and share them with Councillor Kavanagh;
• Develop a list of considerations to take into account when buses drive away too quickly to share with OC Transpo;
• Continue the fight for a crosswalk installation at Woodridge Crescent to Bayshore Station.

Do you live in Hunt Club Park/Greenboro? Do you want to get involved to improve the transportation system in your neighbourhood and across the city?

Come out to the meeting!

The team plans to work collaboratively on a letter to Councillor Diane Deans at this meeting, so that we can communicate our priorities, show that there is support for these issues, and begin working to address them. Come out to add your voice, and help plan our next actions to build community support and push for positive change. 

You can also sign our petition for more equitable mobility! 

As part of the trillium seed grant, we aimed to create teams in low income neighbourhoods in Ottawa who would identify priorities for transportation system improvements in their area, strategies possible actions to take, and ultimately take action to ensure that those improvements were made, with the support of the Healthy Transportation Coalition. In Vanier, so far, we have: 

• Generated a list of transportation issues; 
• Voted on our top priorities, which were eliminating beg buttons on Montreal Road, and eliminating double decker buses from the #12 route;
• Brainstormed action ideas; 
• Voted on our favourite action ideas, including writing a letter to Councillor Fleury explaining the group and our top priorities, hosting an e-mail your representative tool about beg buttons on the HTC Website, and compiling an Organizational chart of key decision makers at OC Transpo;
• And team members have volunteered to take on leadership roles and responsibilities related to those actions, including drafting the campaign emails and group letter, meeting with Councillor Fleury personally, and researching the organizational structure of OC Transpo. 

Please support our team by emailing Councillor Fleury with our email tools! We have one about increasing pedestrian safety with automatic walk signals, rather than beg buttons on Montreal road!

Please also email the Councillor about increasing rider safety on the #12 bus route by banning double deckers from this route, where there are frequent stops, and many people with balance or mobility challenges whose safety is at risk. 

At this meeting we hope to prepare and sign a letter from the group listing our priorities, to present directly to Councillor Fleury.