River Ward City Councillor Maria McRae's Report to Hunt Club Community Organization 6 December 2010

Hunt Club-South East Transitway Multiuse Bridge

I would like to invite you to attend a Public Information Session regarding the Detailed Design for the Hunt Club Pathway Connection to the Southeast Transitway Station. Meeting details are as follows: Date: Tuesday, December 7th, 2010, Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Place: Hunt Club-Riverside Community Centre, 3320 Paul Anka Drive, Ottawa ON

As you may be aware, this project involves construction of a 3 metre wide multi-use pathway to link the Hunt Club community with the South Keys Transitway Station. This pathway will cross the Airport Parkway by way of a new pedestrian/cycling bridge that would span the roadway. The pathway will then cross the existing Sawmill Creek constructed wetland area and cross under the rail line adjacent to the Transitway via a new culvert underpass The pathway will then connect at-grade via a new entrance to the South Keys station and will involve the construction of a new secondary ramp for persons with mobility difficulties. At this open house, you will be presented with the following information:
Project history and background;
Review of design drawings showing the planned work
Discuss impact of construction work on adjacent properties
Discussion of concerns
Comments and suggestions; and
Next steps.

Councillor McRae and representatives from the City of Ottawa and the consulting team will be available at the open house to discuss the project and answer any questions on any aspect of the project.

River Ward City Councillor Maria McRae cordially invites you to Maria McRae's Annual Christmas Lights Tour for River Ward Seniors, Friday, December 10, 2010 Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre 3320 Paul Anka Drive (at McCarthy Road) (Accessible by Bus Routes 87 and 146). Board Bus: 6:50 p.m. Departure: 7:00 p.m. sharp, Christmas Treats: 9:15 p.m. (approximately), Featuring Christmas Carols with Mike Fahey, Limited Bus Seating, Please R.S.V.P. before December 6, 2010 by calling 613-580-2486 to reserve your ticket(s)

Green Bin Collection

Please note that over the winter months, Green Bin collection will take place every 2 weeks. The bi-weekly pick-up of Green Bins started last week or this week, depending on which of the four schedules residents are using (collection calendars A & C or B & D). Hunt Club residents using collection calendar A will not have Green Bin pick up during the week of December 6 to 10. Weekly Green Bin and leaf and yard waste collection will begin again in April 2011. For more information, including a complete list of items that can be put in the green bin, visit: www.ottawa.ca/greenbin or www.greenbinottawa.ca.

Speed Reduction on Local Residential Streets

Local residential streets in the city of Ottawa may be eligible to have the speed reduced from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Residents who would like to lower the speed limit of a residential street can complete a petition. If 2/3 concurrence is received, City Staff will evaluate the request, post signage and enforce the new speed limit. If you are interested in lowering the speed limit on one of your local residential streets, please contact my office at 613-580-2486.

Free Flu Vaccine Clinics

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is helping Ottawa residents stay healthy this season by offering free flu vaccine clinics. The flu vaccine is also available at doctors' offices, community health centres and walk-in clinics. The flu spreads easily from person to person usually through coughing, sneezing or touching contaminated objects. Even if you do not have flu-like symptoms, you can pass the virus to someone. Protect yourself and your loved ones from getting sick this flu season by getting the flu vaccine. It is safe, easy and free. The flu vaccine is recommended for all Ontario residents over six months of age. Visit ottawa.ca/flu or call Ottawa Public Health Information at 613-580-6744 or 3-1-1 to obtain a list of health care providers and community clinics that are administering the flu vaccine.

Winter Overnight Parking

In order to help keep Ottawa's roads, sidewalk and pathway networks clear for motorists, public transit, pedestrians and cyclists, winter overnight parking regulations are in effect between November 15 and April 1 of each year. When winter parking restrictions are being enforced, vehicles are not allowed to park on any City street between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. when a snow accumulation of 7 cm or more is forecast by Environment Canada. Vehicles that remain parked on the street during an overnight parking restriction will be ticketed and could be fined up to $60, even if it does not snow. On-street parking permit holders are exempt from this restriction.

In addition, Public Works crews may remove snow from City streets during the day or night, even when no snow is forecast. When daytime or nighttime snow removal operations are planned, temporary "no parking" snow removal signs will be posted before snow removal begins. Vehicle owners are reminded not to park on streets where temporary "no parking" snow removal signs are placed. Vehicles parked during planned snow removal will be ticketed with a $75 fine and towed to a nearby street. This restriction applies to all vehicles, including those with on-street parking permits.

To inform residents and motorists of the winter overnight regulations, a special advisory is issued to the local media announcing that an overnight parking restriction is in effect. All special advisories are posted online in the City's newsroom. Enforcement of winter overnight parking restrictions will continue each evening until snow clearing is completed and the City issues a special advisory indicating that the overnight parking restriction has been lifted. Residents are encouraged to sign up to receive e-mail or Twitter notifications of overnight parking restrictions at ottawa.ca/winterparking. After they sign up, they will receive an e-mail or Twitter alert every time a winter overnight parking restriction goes into effect or is lifted. The service is free and they can unsubscribe anytime. Residents can also access the winter overnight parking regulations information by calling 3-1 -1.

Integrated Road Safety Program (IRSP)

November Initiative: Ottawa Police focussed on motorists who disregard reserved transit lanes, stop lights and travel the wrong way on roadways. In 2009, motorists' improper use of reserved transit lanes caused 34 collisions - resulting in 11 injuries and one death. The fine for this infraction is $150. Driving the wrong way on a roadway is also a serious issue on Ottawa roads. Between 2007 and 2009, 76 collisions were caused by motorists driving the wrong way on roadways -resulting in 39 injuries, three of which were serious. Running red lights also made a large impact on 2009 traffic with 773 collisions reported. These collisions resulted in one death and 376 injuries - 18 of them life-threatening. I will provide results for the November Initiative in my next report.

December Initiative: Ottawa Police fill focus on impaired driving and speeding in December. In 2009, 381 impaired driving-related collisions occurred on Ottawa roads - resulting in nine deaths and 175 injuries, 22 of them serious. Of the motorists who were charged with impaired driving, 84 per cent were male and 36 per cent were between the ages of 17 and 25. Speeding is also a serious issue on Ottawa roads. In 2009, speeding or driving too fast for road and weather conditions resulted in 3,454 reportable collisions. These collisions resulted in 15 deaths and 1,002 injuries - including 43 serious injuries. The speeding initiative is part of a larger IRSP public awareness and enforcement campaign entitled "Speeding Costs You."