A couple of weeks ago I pointed in some of my channels to the publication of the Transportation Trends Report prepared for the City. The report is an important input into our work updating the Transportation Master Plan that will ultimately guide investments in infrastructure to move people from point A to point B in Ottawa.
I wanted today to point to my Top 10 interesting data point in that report pertaining to our part of town and neighbourhoods in Ottawa like it that residents might find interesting and that is illustrative of the kinds of data available in the document. The numbers come from a very significant research effort called the Origin-Destination Study undertaken by multiple government agencies in the national capital region that affords us significant insight into how people move around.
I encourage residents to read the full report, but wanted to focus in this post – without being too pedantic – on some specific findings that I think will be important to informing the conversation about zoning and transportation in Kitchissippi.
Here’s my Top 10 data points that have caught my attention – plus a bonus stat! I’ve asked for some Kitchissippi-specific data that I look forward to sharing in future. Below, the Inner Urban transect describes the neighbourhoods that ring downtown and includes Kitchissippi ward. More narrowly, we’re part of the Ottawa West district which is composed largely of our ward plus a chunk of Bay ward to Woodroffe.
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Over half of residents who live in the Inner Urban transect of Ottawa live in apartments (which includes condos).
While the number fell between 2011 (the last time the Origin-Destination study was conducted), fully 21% of households in the Inner Urban transect are car-free.
Most trips made from the Inner Urban transect are to a destination also in the Inner Urban transect.
Trips in our district, Ottawa West, that end in Ottawa West rose substantially from 2011 to 2022.
The number of kilometers per person driven is falling, and is significantly less inside the Greenbelt.
In the Inner Urban area, a very substantial share of trips are made by walking and cycling.
The number of trips made into the downtown core by bike has risen from 7,000 trips a day to 11,000.
In the Ottawa West district, almost half of trips we make end in Ottawa West.
Walking accounted in Kitchissippi for over a quarter of trips.
Driving as a share of daily trips has been largely constant for years while in the most recent period studied, transit has fallen significantly replace by walking and cycling.
I have one bonus stat, which makes it a Top 11. One-third of households who live in the urban area in apartments (which includes condos), don’t have a car.
