🚄 In 2013, we were promised a small “pop up” station with an underground tunnel that did not impact the Byron Linear Park.
🚄 In 2015, the route was realigned (it’s complicated!) but the city listened to residents and agreed to keep off the linear park and keep this part of the route underground.
City of Ottawa staff say residents shouldn’t be surprised that Cleary Station is being built bang on the linear park.
After all, they consulted! They wrote reports!
Continue reading ““There’s no point acting all surprised about it.””
This is the community we call home: it’s a happy mix of low-mid rise apartments, bungalows, townhouses, single family homes, churches, schools and businesses.
The LRT will be going in directly in the front of the low rises on Byron Avenue and 500 metres from the backyards of many homes. Most of whom weren’t informed of this decision.
Even on an unseasonably cold spring day, the linear park at the end of my street is full of life: a few dogs and their walkers, bikers, and people walking to Westboro and beyond to Wellington Village. We met a friend and the conversation turned to the LRT; we stood there looking at the park, trying to get a sense where the station was going, and what it would look like it. Then we wandered in different directions on the path–what a great way to travel through our community.
Cleary Station will start at Sherbourne Avenue and run 100 metre west in an open trench the length of a football field before going underground and coming back up at New Orchard Station. The linear park will be dug up between the two stations removing all of the beautiful, mature trees that line this section (the city says it will widen the park to allow for pathways around the station, and plant two trees for every tree it removes).
Walked into my favourite diner for breakfast last week and the owner Tony said, “Hey! You’re on the cover of the newspaper!” He held up the April issue of the Kitchissippi Times and there I was. Yeesh. I’m the type of person who would rather be behind the camera than in front of it!
People have an emotional connection to their parks. And I do to mine.
Byron Linear park project: Documenting life in and around an urban park in transition 