OC Transpo Route 97

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Map with route 97 shown in black

OC Transpo Route 97 is a major Transitway route that serves important areas across the city including the downtown core and the Ottawa International Airport. It starts at Bayshore Station near the Bayshore Shopping Centre and ends at either South Keys or the Airport. Several trips each day starts or ends at Tunney's Pasture. Some rush hours trips also serves Woodridge Crescent after serving Bayshore. It is also used as an alternative to the 96 from Bayshore to Hurdman Station and had thus provided improved service to the Central Transitway, the downtown core and Bayshore Shopping Centre while also helping on transfers at Hurdman, Lincoln Fields and Bayshore to local routes, some of which in the east end have been extended to Hurdman.

1 History
2 Miscellaneous
3 See also

[edit] History

The 97 was created when the Transitway gradually expended in the 1980's and 1990's especially when the southeastern leg was created all the way to South Keys.

Previously, the 97 used to traveled from Stittsville to the Ottawa Airport via Kanata, Bayshore and downtown. During the 1990's, an older route 96 used to follow a similar route then the 97 by from Carlingwood Mall before it was cancelled.

However, in 2004, the city suddenly introduced a major change by splitting route 97 into two different routes which included the new route OC Transpo Route 96. The 97 had lost the section between Kanata and Stittsville which was now served by the 96 which also travels via Highway 417 between Queensway Station and Bayshore. The 97 also lost its early morning service to Pinecrest Garage to the 96, since the latter one was traveling much closer to it then the 97. By staying on Carling and Richmond only, it sped up the early morning trips by several minutes. Route 172 would provide the service on Pinecrest Road.

Also, when the route was changed, the route's schedule configuration changed in some periods. In the past, numerous trips that started at the Airport was doing a longer trip to Kanata with some extending to Stittsville. Today, many trips that starts from there ends at Tunney's Pasture. Many trips that ends at Bayshore now starts at South Keys which in the past was terminating at Lebreton. This occasionally forces some riders west of Tunney's Pasture to transfer to the 97 Airport from the 97X South Keys.

In the past two years, service had increased recently during weekdays for most of the route.

[edit] Future changes

In their transit realignment plan for 2009, the city is planning two modifications with the 97. First, for 2008, they plan on extending route 97 to Bells Corners via Richmond Road. It would terminate in an undetermined hub location in the community. The change would be made to facilitate transfers for some Kanata routes as well as a future east-west rapid transit link from Kanata to Orleans.

Also, it was possible that a shuttle service would have replaced the 97's coverage to the Airport, depending whether or not there will be service by the future north-south light-rail project directly to the Airport. However, City Council have cancelled the project on December 14, 2006 thus will likely not affect service to the Airport by the 97. If the light-rail project would have been done, there would have been a shuttle service from a proposed Lester Station to the Airport replacing the 97. The 97 would have end at the Hunt Club Loop.

A possible rapid transit route from the Greenboro community could offer supplementary service to the 97 in the future in the southeast transitway even without light-rail project.

[edit] Safety Concerns

There are two areas along this route that had been sources of security concerns over the pass few years. The first section is between Bayshore Station and Lincoln Fields where there have been a history of swarming and other incidents mostly at transit stations. The second area of concern is located in South Keys Station, where numerous similar incidents have occur at the transitway station and more recently at Billings Bridge Station. Bayshore, South Keys, Billings Bridge and Lincoln Fields are all equipped with night-time stops in which every route is serving that particular stop and which all passengers would be grouped together at that one after 9 PM on evenings.

Then-Mayor Bob Chiarelli had introduced a unit of officers that would patrol buses, most especially at routes that are more problematic and has a history of incidents. It is possible, that the 97 would be of those routes.

[edit] Purpose

The 97 is considered the main commuter for most residents living in the south end of the city in areas such as South Keys, Walkley Station and Billings Bridge areas towards downtown and Tunney's Pasture. One major park and ride facility is served by the 97 which is at the Greenboro Park and Ride in the South Keys Shopping Centre area.

It is also useful for residents in the Bayshore community during rush hours as it avoids a transfer from route 85 to the 96 or 97 at Lincoln Fields or Bayshore. Additionnal service between Lincoln Fields and Bayshore is also provided by routes 2, 85, 96, 152, 154, 172 and 182 that travels via the 417, Carling Avenue, Richmond Road or various neighborhoods such as Craig Henry (Route 172), Foster Farm (Route 154) or Iris (Route 152).

Like the 95 and 96, it serves all major downtown touristic areas such as the Canadian War Museum, the Byward Market, the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill. Students are also using this route to get to the University of Ottawa.

The 97's route is located among several major shopping district. It serves 3 major malls such as Bayshore Shopping Centre, Billings Bridge Plaza and the Rideau Centre. In addition it serves smaller shopping centres such as South Keys Shopping Centre on Bank Street and Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre located on Carling Avenue as well as the Sparks Street Mall, World Exchange Plaza, L'Esplanade Laurier and the Bank Street Promenade all located downtown.

[edit] Buses

A westbound #97 bus near Lincoln Fields Station

Despite its long coverage, regular buses were used for many years on this route instead of articulated buses. When the Rack-and-Roll program started in the early 2000's, some MCI's 89 and 91 models along with some Orion V's 97 and 98 models were used during the bike season. Starting in the winter of 2001, they've introduced the New Flyer's D60LF articulated buses on certain trips weekdays and Sundays. Those buses were introduced in 2002 on the Saturday Service. Today, the D60LF models are used for the vast majority of the trips with occasional Invero models on certain trips.

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Destination Signs

[edit] Westbound

97X Downtown/Tunney's Pasture. Several trips during the day terminates at Tunney's Pasture. Previously, it ended at Lebreton, but for avoiding for many passengers to transfer in order to access the O-Train at Bayview Station or Tunney's Pasture, they extended the trips further west. After the route changes were made in 2004, most trips that ends at Tunney's starts at the Airport.

97 Bayshore. Most trips ends at that station. The vast majority of the trips that starts from South Keys ends at Bayshore along with some departing from the Airport.

97X Nepean North via Bayshore. These are rush hour routes that starts mostly from the Airport. Those trips travels through the Bayshore community on Woodridge Crescent.

Trips that are diverted on Sunday mornings due to the Alcatel Sunday Bikedays on the Ottawa River Parkway are still signed 97 Bayshore.

[edit] Eastbound

97X South Keys. All trips that ends at South Keys starts at Bayshore.

97 Airport. Represents the southern terminus of the route. All trips that starts from Tunney's Pasture and some trips from Bayshore and all rush hour trips that starts from Woodridge ends at the Airport.

Trips that travels via the former RCAF Station Uplands or via Uplands Drive are still signed 97 Airport.

[edit] Frequencies

As being the main and only regular route that travels through all the length of the southeast transitway, there is frequent service from South Keys to Hurdman Station and then to Tunney's Pasture. Westbound morning rush hour trips and eastbound afternoon trips have service every 5-7 minutes with extension to Bayshore and the Airport every 12-15 minutes. Midday service in both directions is every 6 minutes from Tunney's Pasture and South Keys with service to Bayshore and the Airport every 12 minutes. Rush hour trips that serves Woodridge are every 9-12 minutes through the whole length of the trip. Evening service is about 7/8 minutes in the Tunney's Pasture-South Keys stretch with 15 minute-service elsewhere.

Similar service is provided for most of Saturdays except 15-minute early morning service for all the length. Evening service is every 10 minute for the busiest portion with 20 minutes for Bayshore and the Airport.

Sunday service is mostly every 15 minutes for all the route with the exception of midday service in which there is 10-minute frequencies on the busiest portion with 20 minute service for Bayshore in the Airport.