Latest news with #TimTierney
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Ottawa commuters frustrated by transit and road closures
Lane closures and construction on Montreal Road, part of the LRT East Expansion on Saturday June 14, 2025 (Joshua Marano/CTV News Ottawa) Lane reductions and road closures mean construction season is in full swing in the nation's capital, and as expected, commuters are not happy. Several projects were planned at the start of the season to fix up roads and improve infrastructure, including work on Montreal Road, where all Highway 417 on-and-off ramps are closed for construction. Only one lane in each direction is open, causing significant delays in commuter travel. Coun. Tim Tierney, who serves as the chair of the public works and infrastructure committee, says the O-Train East Extension projects have caused major headaches for drivers. 'East of St. Laurent Boulevard, it's been pure traffic hell for over two years,' Tierney said. 'Over 500 closures, in different respects, just for construction of that east line and it's creating way too much demand on our streets.' The Stage 2 East integration activities also took a toll on Line 1 riders, with scheduled maintenance this weekend resulting in no train service on Line 1. Many riders not finding out about the closures until arriving at Blair Station. 'Having a train shutdown is not the most convenient, especially with not that much notice around for out-of-towners,' said Aerin Leavitt, visiting Ottawa from Vancouver for the buses were running between Tunney's Pasture and Blair Station to accommodate for the maintenance. 'I'm trying to hit some museums before I go, but this put a little bit of dent in those plans, I'm going to take the replacement bus, but it'll take a lot longer than it usually does,' Leavitt added. The maintenance schedule for Line 1 also includes no train service of the entire line between 8 a.m. and noon on June 22 and on June 29.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
These are the hot spots for rat sightings in Ottawa
The City of Ottawa will continue to conduct more frequent garbage cleanup in high-traffic areas, conducting sewer bating and increasing public education campaigns in neighbourhoods to address rat issues across the city. Rideau-Vanier continues to be the hot spot for rat complaints, with 73 calls to 3-1-1 about rats in 2024 and 12 calls in the first three months of 2025. There were 43 complaints about rats in Capital ward in 2024, 38 calls to 3-1-1 from Orleans East-Cumberland and 37 requests for service from Beacon Hill-Cyrville. Ottawa's 3-1-1 line received 512 calls for service about rats in 2024 and 72 in the first three months in 2025. In April, coun. Tim Tierney asked city staff for an update on the city's anti-rat working group and the plan to deal with problem areas this year. Staff say the Rat Mitigation Working Group is using several tactics to address concerns about rats, including public education campaigns to inform residents about best practices to prevent rates, improving waste collection and disposal practices that reduce food sources for rats and regular inspection and maintenance of sewer systems. In response to Tierney's motion or the environment and climate change committee, Infrastructure and Water Services general manager Tammy Rose said, to support wards in addressing rat issues, the city will employ the following tactics: Enhanced Waste Management : More frequent debris and litter cleanup in high traffic and Business Improvement Areas. Major bus stations with a high volume of passengers will have garbage cleared daily. : More frequent debris and litter cleanup in high traffic and Business Improvement Areas. Major bus stations with a high volume of passengers will have garbage cleared daily. Increased Public Education : Bylaw Services officers will respond to the address where a service request about rats is received and proactively inspect the surrounding area. 'This educational and proactive approach helps build community awareness and addresses potential issues before they escalate,' Rose says. : Bylaw Services officers will respond to the address where a service request about rats is received and proactively inspect the surrounding area. 'This educational and proactive approach helps build community awareness and addresses potential issues before they escalate,' Rose says. Sewer Baiting: The city will conduct sewer baiting in areas where an investigation has confirmed rats are in the sewers. The City of Ottawa has also developed a new Rat Sightings Reporting Tool for residents to report rats. 'Requests submitted through the form will be actioned by the appropriate team,' Rose said. 'This is a major step toward tracking and reducing the rat population.' Tierney's motion shows the number of 3-1-1 requests for rats in each ward in 2024.
Globe and Mail
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Globe and Mail
Road lines fading faster after environmental rule, say local politicians – raising costs and safety concerns
Municipalities across the country say a government regulation that limits a group of chemicals used in painting road lines is hitting their budgets hard. Without the chemicals, they say, road lines fade more quickly, putting drivers at risk and forcing municipalities to repaint them more often. 'It seems like something small but it's actually something that affects every municipality across the country,' said Tim Tierney, vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and an Ottawa city councillor. The federal regulations limit the allowable concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) − chemicals in paint products used for road markings − to 150 grams per litre in those products from 450. VOCs are also found in nail polish and hairsprays. The lower limit is required only from May 1 to Oct. 15, when the weather is mild and air pollution is a concern. These are the months during which most municipalities paint their road lines. The regulations by Environment and Climate Change Canada were put forward because VOCs contribute to the formation of both particulate matter and ground-level ozone, which are the two main components of smog. 'Health impacts from smog include irritated eyes, nose and throat. Smog can worsen existing heart and lung problems or may cause lung cancer with regular long-term exposure,' spokesperson Brandon Clim said in a statement. Gary LeRoux, president of the Canadian Coatings Association, said a steep drop in VOC concentration results in 'inherent issues with adhesion and durability.' Councillors across the country say the regulations overlook safety concerns on roads. They say municipalities now require multiple rounds of repaints a year as fading road lines continue to put drivers, pedestrians and motorists' lives at risk. Clark Somerville, councillor for the Town of Halton Hills and the region of Halton, said the regulation is ultimately costing Canadian taxpayers more, with their money being spent 'unnecessarily.' 'As the road painting is disappearing quicker, we are now spending taxpayers dollars to go out and repaint the roads more than what we had to before,' Mr. Somerville said. Rural municipalities say it's particularly an issue for them because their roads are darker and more dangerous at night. 'Anyone that gets behind a vehicle knows how important and key it is to have those lines on the road,' said Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and councillor for Brazeau County. 'Especially when you're in rural areas where we don't have [adequate] street lighting.' Ms. Westerlund, who represents 69 rural municipalities in Alberta, said it's not just councillors or elected officials who have been raising this issue. She said first responders, police services and volunteer firefighters are pointing to disappearing road markings to explain some road accidents. 'It's really tough because everyone wants to be a good steward to the environment, but I just think we have to pick and choose our battles,' said Mr. Tierney, the Ottawa councillor. 'And safety is a real one.' While councillors such as Mr. Somerville are calling for more funding to cover the cost of keeping up road lines, arguing that municipalities do not have the necessary 'wiggle room' in their budgets, Ms. Westerlund said more attention should be paid to the paint. 'Before throwing more funding at crews to paint the lines, let's get to the root of the issue and that is the paint itself,' Ms. Westerlund said. 'Let's find solutions there and move forward from there.' Mr. Clim, the Environment Canada spokesperson, said other factors also determine how long road markings last – traffic volume, weather conditions and how snow and ice are managed. The department 'has not received any technical information indicating that the VOC limits for traffic markings affect the product's performance,' Mr. Clim said. David Saucier, director of issues management at the Canadian Coatings Association, said the federal government should go back to the drawing board and consult industry experts. 'What are we compromising here?' Mr. Saucier said. 'If we're going to compromise health and safety for pedestrians and motorists, what are we saving?' Mr. Tierney said the regulation has had a positive impact when applied to products such as hairsprays or nail polish, 'even wall paint.' 'But when it comes to road painting specifically there doesn't seem to be a magic formula to make it work yet.'
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: Fix the hazard of vanishing traffic-lane markings
Article content Disappearing lines are dangerous Article content Thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for explaining why highways have become so dangerous, especially in the rain after dark on a busy, multi-lane highway such as the Queensway. The paints that have been substituted by federal fiat for those used formerly are not fit for purpose since the lines disappear rapidly. Article content Article content Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contribute to destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects life on our planet, and must be managed. Canada played a lead role in securing international agreement, the Montreal Protocol, on action to protect the ozone layer. VOCs are also a hazard in the human environment. What is most important to the welfare of citizens is their control inside residences, offices and other buildings, where concentrations are higher and people are exposed for longer. That is managed without creating other hazards. Article content The simple-minded federal approach to highway paints has failed to take account of the resulting hazards to citizens. It also fails to deal with the relative importance of emissions from highway paint and from the combustion of gasoline and especially diesel fuel, that dominate the emission of VOCs from the use of roads. Until we all switch to EVs, sound environmental practice requires analysis of the the whole system, not just one side of the coin. The federal government has created a hazard to the health and welfare of citizens. It should re-evaluate. Article content Article content A big thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for his enlightening piece on the short life of traffic lane markings. Like other drivers, I have long wondered about this fast-fading phenomenon and have dreaded driving at night, when the lines are entirely invisible. Article content Coun. Tim Tierney has done something surprising and praiseworthy. All politicians are front and centre when the cameras gather at festivals, at community centre openings, at special cause celebrations. I rarely see them posing when new sewers are finished, or potholes filled, or weed-choked playing fields finally cleared. Article content But those are the things we actually hire local politicians to take care of. It's the basic infrastructure of the city, the things we need and rely on daily that matter most.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa's construction season kicks off today. Here's what you need to know about road projects this summer
Construction season officially kicks off in the City of Ottawa today, with several projects planned for the spring and summer to fix up roads and improve infrastructure. Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Chair Tim Tierney will be joined by councillors this morning for an event to launch the 2025 construction season on Bank Street and outline the city's new construction safety campaign. The Bank Street Renewal is one of several construction projects underway across Ottawa. The work on 2.8 kilometres of Bank Street, between Riverside Drive and Ledbury Avenue, includes the full reconstruction of the road and the sanitary sewer, storm water and watermains. There will also be new cycle tracks, the introduction of full height and mountable curb medians and new street scaping. The work will see Heron Road close between Bank Street and Alta Vista Drive starting June 1, and the current Bank Street lane reductions between Riverside Drive and Collins Avenue continuing through the summer. The 2025 City of Ottawa budget included millions of dollars for Ottawa's transportation networks, including $184.6 million for road, water and sewer projects, $69.5 million for road resurfacing, $34.8 million for transportation bridges and structures and $14.2 million for sidewalks and pathways. Other construction projects this summer include: Laurier Avenue between Bronson Avenue and Bay Street for resurfacing work Resurfacing Rothesay Drive, March Hurst Road, Thomas A. Doland Parkway and McElroy and Queensview drives Resurfacing work on Merivale Road, between Viewmount Drive and Meadowlands Drive Resurfacing Cedarview Road, from Fallowfield Road to Lytle Road Crews resurfacing Eagleson Road, from 250 metres south of Perth Street to Fallowfield Road Resurfacing work on Walkley Road between May and October New watermains, sewers and associated road rehabilitation on Greenfield Avenue and Main Street Construction also continues this summer on the rehabilitation of the Mackenzie King Bridge, between Elgin Street and Nicholas Street. In 2024, the City of Ottawa spent $600 million on bridge renewals, road rehabilitation, road resurfacing work, culvert renewals and replacements and traffic calming measures. Highway construction Motorists are also being warned of construction on Highway 417 through the spring and summer. The Highway 417 westbound on-ramp from southbound Pinecrest Road and the westbound off-ramp to Richmond Road are closed for Stage 2 LRT work. The ramps are scheduled to reopen in August. Starting May 20, there will be lane closures and lane changes on Hwy. 417 between Island Park Drive and Kent Street for work on the median. The traffic changes include lanes shifted to the outside to allow for median construction, 'periodic daytime (off-peak) and nighttime lane closures,' and the closure of the eastbound right lane at Kirkwood Avenue.
