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OC Transpo Route 95

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Map with Route 95 shown in green

OC Transpo Route 95 is the Ottawa transit network's busiest route, running on the Transitway across the city. The termination points are located at Barrhaven, at Fallowfield Station and in Orléans, at Place d'Orleans. Weekday trips may be extended to Trim Station, a few minutes east of Place d'Orleans. In addition, some trips also start or end at Baseline in the west end. During rush hour, a few trips start or end at Tunney's Pasture. Originally, the route served only the city core, but since the 1990s, the route has been expanded significantly to serve suburban areas, starting with Orleans in the early 1990s and Barrhaven in 2000. Since January 2007, some trips have been extended to Barrhaven Centre near Riocan Marketplace via Greenbank Road and the new Strandherd Station and Park and Ride.

History

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton approved the construction of a new transit corridor called the Transitway. The purpose of this busway was to increase the speed of city-bound services from east and west. The first sections were built in 1983: in the southwest between Lincoln Fields and Baseline, and in the east between Lees and Hurdman. Gradually, those two sections were extended through the addition of a central Transitway in the Westboro and Mechanicsville areas, as well as in the downtown core along Albert and Slater streets, with the addition of designated bus lanes. There was also an eastern extension towards the St. Laurent and Cyrville areas, built during the late 1980s.

Route 95 became very important when the Transitway route was further developed. Priority measures were introduced on Woodroffe Avenue and on Regional Route 174 towards Orléans. The route rapidly became the city's busiest, requiring a very frequent service on weekdays and weekends. In the early 1990s, it ran from Baseline Station towards St. Laurent and then to Blair. As the suburbs grew in the 1990s and early 2000s, its coverage extended towards Barrhaven in the southwest and Orléans in the east. The Barrhaven extension was made after the construction of Fallowfield Station at the corner of Woodroffe and Fallowfield road in 2000, while the expansion to Orléans was possible subsequent to the opening of Place d'Orléans Station. Prior to the expansion of Route 95 toward the suburbs, the local service in Barrhaven served Baseline and/or Bayshore Stations, while the local Orléans service ended at Blair Station. The route will further change in future years with the continuation of major developments in those two suburbs.

Recent Changes

In 2003, OC Transpo opened a new Park-and-Ride facility at the corner of Trim Road and Regional Road 174, which became Trim Station. Initially, they added rush hour trips from Lebreton to Trim. Due to increasing demand, additional trips were added and frequent service is now provided on weekdays and weekends between 6 a.m. and 3 AM.

OC Transpo built a new extension of the southwest transitway in 2005. The new roadway was built parallel to Woodroffe Avenue from the Nepean Sportsplex south of Hunt Club Road towards Fallowfield Station, which opened in 2000. The 95 and express buses from Barrhaven travel along that stretch. Service on Woodroffe, previously provided by the 95, was replaced by Route 157, which is a rush hour-only route. The frequency of the 95 did not improve, due to which there were public complaints, as Woodroffe Avenue was widened to four lanes at the same time. In addition, the VIA railroad track that crosses Woodroffe and the transitway is by a level crossing - a singularity on the exclusive busway network.[1]

Following the 2006 TransPlan public consultations, OC Transpo extended the 95 south of Fallowfield Station to a new Park and Ride facility located at the corner of Greenbank and Strandherd, near a bustling and expanding shopping district and neighbouring residential developments. In the future, a new transitway extension will be built to connect the southern sections of Barrhaven, and will be completed with the creation of Strandherd and Marketplace Stations. Before its cancellation on December 14, 2006, the north-south light-rail extension project between downtown Ottawa to South Barrhaven would have connected with the 95 near Chapman Hills. Those who opposed the light-rail project believed it would faster to take the 95 rather than the O-Train [citation needed]

In 2009, 24-hour service was introduced on the 95 between Fallowfield and Place d'Orléans. Service during the newly-operated hours is every 30 minutes. [1]

Future Changes

The City of Ottawa has also conducted public consultations over the Greenbank Road extension and realignment. There are plans to add designated bus lanes along Greenbank from south of Strandherd to Cambrian Road (and possibly further south) in conjunction with future development growth. It is possible that the 95 and other bus services will use the corridor towards those new communities.

Buses

During the early years, GM articulated buses were used for the 95. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the route was served by Orion III Ikarus articulated buses that were built during the second half of the decade. Some of those buses were purchased from the Toronto Transit Commission in the mid 1990s. There were problems over the bodywork and rust on these vehicles. These buses were also not air-conditioned and the doors would sometimes get people's ankles caught in the door rail. With the arrival of new articulated buses built by New Flyer Industries, OC Transpo gradually shifted to the New Flyer's D60NL model, a change completed in 2003.

Purpose

The very frequent service of the 95 (compared to the 96 and 97) is unsurprising, as it is the only transit route that serves more than one major suburban area (Barrhaven and Orléans). The 95 serves five major Park and Ride facilities, including Fallowfield, Strandherd, Baseline, Place d'Orléans and Trim. There are smaller facilities near Blair and Jeanne d'Arc Stations. It also serves both of the city's Via Rail train stations. Several major tourist attractions are served by the 95, including Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, the Byward Market and the Canadian War Museum north of Lebreton Station.

It is also a major route for shoppers. In addition to new commercial district coverage with additional service to the Greenbank/Strandherd area, the 95 also serves College Square located at Baseline Road and Woodroffe, Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre on Carling, St. Laurent Shopping Centre, Place d'Orléans, the Rideau Centre, the Sparks Street Mall, the Bank Street Promenade and Shopper's City East near Blair Station.

Educational institutes along this route include Woodroffe High School (near Lincoln Fields), Algonquin College (near Baseline Station), the University of Ottawa, Lisgar Collegiate Institute (both near downtown), and Gloucester High School.

Additional bus rapid transit routes

After the 2006 TransPlan public meetings, whose purpose was to discuss the improvement of transit services across the city, three rapid-transit routes were created and extended to Orléans. The main purpose of these changes was to offer east-end residents alternatives to Route 95 during the planned construction of the O-Train in the downtown core and to improve local service in growing communities in the east end. These three routes provide frequent service in addition to Route 95 on the eastern transitway corridor. It also followed plans by the Transportation Committee to improve travel times between the east and west ends of the city. Service to the 95 in Orléans was not modified.

OC Transpo Route 94

Route 94 is a new rapid transit route that travels from the community of Avalon to Tunney's Pasture. While its service was originally limited to rush hour, OC Transpo plans on improving the frequency due to new developments south of Innes Road between Navan Road and Trim Road as well as the increase of new big-box and department stores that are located along Innes. It is unclear whether Route 94 will use a future transitway road that will link South Orléans to Blair Station and Hurdman Station.

Midday service was added in September 2007 as it ran westbound from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and eastbound from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with 30-minute service during midday hours in both directions and westbound during afternoon rush hour. Midday service was increased to every 15 minutes during the spring of 2008 with earlier and later eastbound service added as well. 30-minute weekend service from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. was be added in September 2008 as well as more evening service in both directions up to 10 PM[2][3] and later until midnight in 2009 with frequencies increased to every 15 minutes on weekends. [2]

OC Transpo Route 101

Route 99, previously running from Blair Station to Bayshore Station (and rush hour trips to Kanata North Business Park) for over 25 years, was renumbered to Route 101 and extended to Orléans to allow residents to travel to the west end of the city (such as Bayshore) without travelling through downtown. However, most morning rush hour trips to and from Kanata do not serve Orléans (where service is provided by peak Route 102 that travels to Tunney's Pasture). Since April 15, 2007, four AM rush hour trips travel from Orléans to Kanata, while all PM peak trips do the opposite.

The route runs every 30 minutes and 6 days a week with frequencies of 10 minutes during rush hour to (AM) and from (PM) Kanata. 10-15 minute service is provided during rush hour in the other direction. Service outside rush hour has been improved with buses running every 20 minutes until 9-10 PM. During its first years of operation, Route 99 ran on Sundays and late on Saturday evenings, before service cuts were made. There are no immediate plans to re-introduce Sunday service despite being designated as a rapid transit bus route. It also previously served areas of Industrial, Innes, Star Top and Blair Roads before ending at Blair Station. Some trips ended at Hurdman Station before it was revised to remain on the Eastern Transitway. Those portions of the route were replaced by Routes 125 and 126. In its early years, the 99 did not travel via Carling Avenue and Booth Street.

Both Route 101 and 102 use the Queensway in addition to the transitway. While Route 101 is generally much faster than crosstown Route 2 that links Blair to Bayshore, it is more susceptible to lengthy delays due to accidents, traffic tie-ups and construction on Highway 417. Future transitway extensions in the west end from Queensway Station to Bayshore Station will minimize the risk of delays on the 101.

In September 2007, the 101 expanded its service hours to include Sunday service between Kanata and Queensway Station for employees working at Kanata North Business Park, but this service was later discontinued in September 2009. Some Orléans trips on Saturdays were also extended to Kanata during the morning westbound and in the afternoon and evening eastbound[4]

OC Transpo Route 102

Route 102 offers similar service during rush hour towards Tunney's Pasture. It follows most of Route 101 until the Ottawa Civic Hospital on Carling Avenue. The City of Ottawa, in collaboration with the local newspaper, L'Express d'Orléans, have offered coupons for free rides for one day to those who were travelling or trying the route from Orléans to Tunney's Pasture. Its service has replaced the supplementary trips of Route 99 from Blair to Carling but extended to Tunney's Pasture via Holland Avenue. It also replaces Route 101 for rush hour service to (PM) and from (AM) Orléans with 10-12 minute frequencies.

Miscellaneous

Frequencies

A Route 95X Baseline articulated bus at Westboro Station

This route is considered the busiest of all the OC Transpo network as it serves two booming communities and key transit stations such as Mackenzie King, Lincoln Fields, Baseline, St. Laurent and Blair which are all major transfer hubs to local or STO service. It also travels through the heart of the touristic area and the biggest employment area. It also serves three of the biggest shopping centers across the city as St. Laurent, Place d'Orleans and the Rideau Centre are all served by the 95. The heavily commercial area of Barrhaven was also added on the 95's route. In addition, Route 101 serves the Pinecrest and Bayshore Shopping Centres in the west end.

The 95 is the route that is the most used every day as it runs every 3–4 minutes between Orleans and Baseline (7-8 from Fallowfield, 14 from Barrhaven Cenntre, and 11-12 from Trim) on weekdays and only every 2–4 minutes during rush hour. Trips to Trim are provided until 2 AM on weekdays. During Saturdays, the frequencies are as short as 6 minutes (12 from Fallowfield) and on Sundays as short as 7–8 minutes (13-15 from Fallowfield). It runs every 15 minutes until midnight on most days and starts even before 4:00 a.m. on weekdays and ends at 2:30-3:00 AM each day. Since September 2008, 30 minute service was be added on weekends between Fallowfield and Marketplace from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

Destination Signs

The 95 has several different destinations depending on the trip.

Eastbound trips

Eastbound trip signs include:

  • 95 Orleans - All weekend trips and more than half of weekday trips end at Place d'Orleans. All trips that are detoured on St. Joseph Boulevard during the overnight hours, those that are detoured on Belfast and St. Laurent during the early morning hours and those that travels on Rideau Street after 1 a.m. are also signed 95 Orleans (95 Fallowfield for westbound trips).
  • 95 Trim - Some trips are extended to Trim Station & Park and Ride between midnight and 6 a.m. on weekdays. As the main ridership at this station comes from Park and Ride users travelling downtown to work and workers at the nearby Taylor Creek Industrial Park, there are no weekend trips there. Some trips come from either Fallowfield or Baseline during most days, with some from Tunney's Pasture during the afternoon rush hour.
  • 95X Hurdman - Used as extra trips during rush hour (usually as the extensions of some trips of routes 156, 172 and 178 that were removed from downtown) otherwise it is mostly used on the weekends this trip is used as an Extra Route, such as special events such as Remembrance Day, Canada Day, and on the days when there has been a bus breakdown.
  • 95X Baseline - This route is on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It is when there is a 40 foot bus instead of a 60 foot Articulated model on the route. This runs from Barrhaven Center/Fallowfield to Baseline station, where the passengers can transfer to a sixty foot bus.

Westbound Trips

Westbound trip signs includes :

  • 95 Fallowfield (some signs say Nepean S./Fallowfield) - On average during the day, every 1 out of 3 trips goes to Barrhaven. All early morning and late evening trips end there.
  • 95 Barrhaven Centre - All trips that have been extended to Marketplace Station.
  • 95X Baseline - 1/2 to 2/3 of midday trips end there.
  • 95X Downtown/Centre-Ville/Tunney's Pasture (AM rush hour only) - These are generally rush hours trips that depart from Trim Station and end at Tunney's Pasture. These trips do not serve Place d'Orleans Station, but its Park and Ride facility only.

Communities Served

Major Attractions and Locations along the route

See also

References

  1. ^ "Southwest Transitway Extension".
  2. ^ "Report to/Rapport au:".
  3. ^ "Report to/Rapport au:".
  4. ^ "service d'automne".
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