OC Transpo Route 95

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs copy editing for proper spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice.
You can help by editing it now. A guide is available, as is general editing help.

OC Transpo Route 95 is the Ottawa transit network's busiest route as it sails through mostly the Transitway segments across the city. It starts in Barrhaven at the Fallowfield Station (which is also one of two VIA Rail stations in the city) and ends in Orleans, generally at the Place d'Orleans. Several trips during the weekdays continues until Trim Station a few minutes east of Place d'Orleans. On the other hand, several trips also start/ends at Baseline in the west end and a few during rush hour starts/ends at Tunney's Pasture.

1 History
2 Miscellaneous
3 See Also
4 External Link

[edit] History

In the 1970's and 1980's, the city of Ottawa have approved the construction of a new transit corridor called the Transitway that would speed up service towards downtown for the west and east end of the city. The first sections were done in the southwest section between Lincoln Fields and Baseline and in the east between Lees and Hurdman in 1983. Those two sections would gradually increase in coverage with the addition of a central transitway in the Westboro and Mechanicsville areas as well as in the downtown core along Albert and Slater Streets as designated bus lanes. There was also an eastern extension towards the St. Laurent and Cyrville areas during the late 1980's.

The 95 had become more important when the transitway bus-only route had developed further as well as different transit priorities measures located on Woodroffe Avenue, downtown and on Highway 174 towards Orleans. It rapidly became the busiest route requiring very frequent service even on weekends. As the suburbs became more important its coverage had extended towards the suburbs of Barrhaven in the southwest during the 1990's and Orleans in the east in the same decade. Its expansion will continue in the upcoming year with the pursuit of the development in those two suburbs.

[edit] Recent Changes

Starting in 2003, OC Transpo had opened a new park and ride facility at the corner of Trim Road and Highway 174 in which was become Trim Station. Initially, they've added rush hour trips from Lebreton to Trim. Due to the increasing demand, more and more trips were added and is now served frequently during weekdays between 6 AM and midnight. There are still no weekend service, but with further development towards the south, service may be added.

OC Transpo have built a new extension of the southwest transitway in 2005. The new roadway was built parallel to Woodroffe avenue from the Nepean Sportsplex towards Fallowfield Station, a station which was opened in 2000. The 95 and the Barrhaven express buses are currently using the stretch. Service on Woodroffe, that was once used by the 95 was replaced by Route 157 a rush-hour only route that recently had additional service. The frequency of the 95 did not improved and numerous people had thought that the Southwest transitway extension was built for nothing since Woodroffe Avenue had widen to four lanes at the same time resulting at a much more faster pace for motorists then before. In addition, the VIA railroad track that crosses Woodroffe and the Transitway is at-grade, which is a first on the exclusive busway. [1]

[edit] Future Changes

Following, their 2006 Transplan public consultations, OC Transpo will extend the 95 south of Fallowfield Station towards a new park and ride facility located at the corner of Greenbank and Strandherd right beside a bustling shopping district which is still under expansion along with neighboring residential developments. In the future, a new transitway extension will be done to connect more southerly areas of Barrhaven which will be done in the upcoming years with the creation of the Greenbank/Strandherd and Marketplace Station. In coincident with the future north-south light-rail extension project that would connect downtown to the southern sections of Barrhaven, the 95 would have a second connection to the O-Train near Chapman Hills. Opposition to the light-rail project, believed it would be faster to take the 95 rather than the O-Train to head downtown.

The city of Ottawa had also conducted public consultations over the Greenbank road extension and realignment. There are plans to add designated bus lanes on the road all the way to Cambrian Road and possibly further south in conjunction with future development growth. It is possible that the 95 and other service will use the corridor to serve the future developments in south Barrhaven.

[edit] Buses

The route used to be serviced with Orion III Ikraus articulated buses that were built in the 1980's with some of them bought by the Toronto Transit Commission. In the early years, GM articulated buses used to run the 95. However, due to rust and frame issues and the arrival of new articulated buses built by New Flyer Industries, OC Transpo had gradually shifted to the New Flyer's D60LF models prior to 2003.

[edit] Purpose

This is the only transit route that serves more than one major suburban area in instance Barrhaven and Orleans which explains the very frequent service in compare to the 96 and 97 which has about half of the 95's frequency. The 95 is serving four major park and ride facilities including: Fallowfield, Baseline, Place d'Orleans and Trim. There are smaller facilities near Blair and Jeanne d'Arc.

It also serves both of the City's Via Rail Train station which none of them are served by the two other routes.

In addition of providing a link to commuter from both Barrhaven and Orleans to work areas downtown, it also serves the major touristic areas of downtown including Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, the Byward Market and the Canadian War Museum, located north of Lebreton .

It is also a major route for shoppers. In addition of new commercial district coverage with the future service of 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'Orleans Shopping Centre, the Rideau Centre, Sparks Street Mall, Bank Street Promenade and Shopper's City East near Blair Station.

Students also have access to Woodroffe High School (near Lincoln Fields), Algonquin College near Baseline Station and the University of Ottawa along this route.

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Frequencies

This road is considered the busiest as it travels to two booming communities in Barrhaven and Orleans and also serves key stations such as Mackenzie King, Lincoln Fields, Baseline, St. Laurent and Blair which are all major hub points not to mention it goes right through the heart of the touristic area and the biggest employment zone. It also serves three of the biggest shopping centres of the city as St. Laurent, Place d'Orleans and the Rideau Centre are all served by the 95. Soon, the heavily commercial area of Barrhaven will be added on the 95's route.

It is the bus that is used the more frequently during every day as it travels every 4-5 minutes (10 from Fallowfield and 11-12 to Trim) on weekdays and only each 2-4 minutes during rush hour. During Saturdays, the intervals are as short as 5 minutes (10 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 AM on weekdays and ends at 2:30-3:00 AM each day.

[edit] Destination Signs

The 95 has several different destinations depending on the trip

[edit] Eastbound trips

Eastbound trip signs includes :

95 Orleans - All weekend trips and more than half of weekday trips ends at Place d'Orleans shopping centre. All trips that are detoured on St. Joseph Boulevard during the overnight hours, those that are detoured on Belfat and St. Laurent in the early morning and those that travels on Rideau Street after 1 AM are also signed 95 Orleans (95 Fallowfield for westbound trips)

95X Cumberland/Trim Road via Orleans - Some trips are extended to Trim Station & Park And Ride between 6 AM and midnight 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 weekends trips there. Some trips are coming from either Fallowfield or Baseline during most of the days with some from Tunney's Pasture during the afternoon rush hours.

[edit] Westbound Trips

Westbound trip signs includes :

95 Fallowfield (some signs say Nepean S./Fallowfield) - Every 1 out of 2 or 3 trips goes to Barrhaven during most of the day. All trips ends there in the early morning and late evening trips.

95X Baseline - Most midday trips ends there.

95X Downtown/Centre-Ville/Tunney's Pasture (AM rush hour only) These are generally rush hours trips that departs from Trim Station and ends at Tunney's Pasture. Those trips don't serve Place d'Orleans Station but the Park And Ride only.