In the last 60 plus years, Merivale Road has been transformed from farmers’ fields to condos. Now one of Ottawa’s busiest commercial stretches, it will again be the subject of massive development through the coming decades. But while growth can bring amenities, community and vibrance, it also means more people and, on busy roads like Merivale, an influx of cars.
To meet that demand, the city is considering putting dedicated bus lanes down a four-kilometre stretch of the road. But the idea is garnering mixed opinions.
Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan, passed earlier this year, lays out a 20-year roadmap for transit-oriented development from 2026 to 2046.
It includes $360 million for a median bus transitway on Baseline Road from Algonquin College to Billings Bridge, $257 million for the Cumberland Transitway from Blair Road to the Chapel Hill park-and-ride, $140 million to extend that line east to Esprit Drive, $154 million for dedicated bus lanes on Carling Avenue between Lincoln Fields Station and Sherwood Drive, and $122 million for new dedicated bus lanes on Heron Road between Conroy Road and Bank Street.
It also recommends “continuous bus lanes” on Merivale Road between Baseline Road and Slack Road to “address the city’s mobility needs in the future,” according to a staff report.
The plans are in College Ward, and Coun. Laine Johnson said she is in support of the environmental assessment study, which is the next step in exploring the feasibility of the project. She also noted that buses are regularly getting stuck in traffic, which is slowing them down and resulting in missed or delayed trips.
“A way to try and help them to make their trips on time is to get them out of that traffic. Transit priority lanes are the cheapest way to do that,” Johnson told the Lookout. “The mechanics of whether it can be done and how it would be done through that corridor are still yet to be determined.”
Part of the struggle, Johnson noted, is that Merivale Road is already two lanes of traffic in each direction, with little room to grow for dedicated bus lanes. It is a similar situation to what is playing out in the Glebe, where the city is exploring the feasibility of adding bus lanes and bike lanes to Bank Street.
Jill Prott, co-president of the CityView Community Association, said while she is in favour of improving bus reliability and frequency on Merivale Road, she does not think bus lanes should be the priority.
“We are still waiting for a Secondary Plan, and we think that should come first with a long list of improvements. The City has told us they are also going to look at pedestrian friendliness, which should also be part of the Secondary Plan,” said Prott. “We don't understand how all of this could also fit if the bus lanes are being squished in and the cars don't fit anymore. There just isn't space.”
A map showing the area included in the Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan. Credit: City of Ottawa handout photo.
Earlier this year, the Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan was introduced to guide private development and public infrastructure investments “in an area that is anticipated to see significant growth in the coming decades,” according to the City.
The multi-year project included an open house this past spring with another planned for winter 2026. A third will then be held late next fall to present draft recommendations and seek feedback before the final report goes before the Planning and Housing Committee and City Council in spring 2027.
While the City View Community Association is in support of the Secondary Plan study, they were initially promised their neighbourhood would have its own study. Combining it with Baseline does not make sense given its unique challenges compared to the Baseline area, said Prott.
“Merivale Road is a destination place, shopping, things like that, and then you've got a transit corridor you're trying to throw into the same secondary plan. That isn't going to work,” she said.
Instead of bus lanes, the local community association would like to see traffic diverted off of Merivale through other means, including the back alleyways that run behind many of the businesses.
“Buses have been going down Merivale forever and I can't ever recall that being a serious issue in the community. The bigger issue is with the bottleneck of traffic,” said Nancy Wilson, co-president of the Cityview Community Association. “Instead, use the alleys that can connect to streets like Capilano. You could easily put a street behind Emerald Plaza. All you would have to do is open up five yards of pavement.”
One of the back alleyways off of Capilano Drive the City View Community Association would like to see used for vehicles. Photo by Charlie Senack
What the association has heard in recent years, though, said Wilson, is the lack of busing options along Merivale. It currently houses routes 80, 53, 189, 117 and 187 – but is also a connector for drivers going to and from the OC Transpo drive on Colonnade Drive.
“What the City needs to realize is we have an aging population, and they aren't going to jump onto buses and go grocery shopping and things like that,” said Prott. “Bags of milk are heavy. I don't know why they think they can change a whole city into an anti-car or no-car place.”
“That is not going to happen. Instead, we want them to work with us on something that works for everybody.”
The environmental assessment will recommend “functional design for the corridor and confirm property requirements,” the City notes. It will also look at the patterns of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
There is no timeline for when construction would begin if the idea gets a green light.
