The objective is limit as much as possible the construction of a road in the Alta Vista Corridor (AVC). A better alternative would be Ottawa invest in some form of electric mass transit. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary have all been doing so for some time. Ottawa is the largest city in Canada that isn't. Ottawa is investing heavily in the most expensive form of transport: roads for single-occupant commuters. 2007 was a record breaking year in Ottawa for new kilometer-lanes of asphalt built. Ottawa is overdue to re-balance its investments towards sustainable transportation. The AVC is a prime example.

1. Participate in the reviews of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) within the Official Plan review called Beyond 2020.
   • Push for electric mass transit as an alternative to more road building.
   • Request the removal of the Alta Vista Corridor from the TMP as a roadway. This was done in the past for the extension of the Vanier Parkway through New Edinburgh, the Champlain Arterial through Lebreton Flats and Queensway Collector lanes through Centretown to name three examples).
2. In future City of Ottawa budget consultations, request funding for the construction of the AVC be redirected to more sustainable and healthy projects. The next City of Ottawa budget for 2009 should be up debated at the end of 2008.
3. Building public support for 1 and 2 above:
   • Talk to your neighbours. Check out the alternatives section to see how rapid transit compares to a roadway option and share that information. Refer people to this web site. Don't underestimate to power of word of mouth.
   • Write letters to the editor or to your community newspaper. The message has been getting through to a broader audience. See the Press section.

This page last updated on March 13, 2008