Pedestrians vs Transport Trucks in Ottawa’s Downtown

Imagine this, downtown Ottawa traffic comes to a complete halt. There is a large 18-wheeler truck blocking Rideau and Waller, and a pedestrian, in an effort to get across the street, crawls under the truck. Unreal, right? Well, this was all too real in Ottawa just the other day. Check out the video for yourself.

We can all agree that this pedestrian was incredibly reckless and is lucky to be alive. Only a few months ago, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a transport truck at this very intersection; however, this act raises many issues which are already on the minds of downtown residents: the congestion and danger caused by transport trucks is a serious issue.

Rideau St is the only connection between the 417 and Quebec. Rideau was once simply a business centre, but now, with the growing University of Ottawa population, and the high rise condos shooting up everywhere, this street is busier than ever. City planners clearly didn’t anticipate that one day, the downtown core would develop and grow. So now what are we going to do about it?

With the upcoming Ontario elections, this issue is a hot item. Incumbent Mathieu Fleury proposes a tunnel which would connect the 417 to the McDonald Cartier bridge. Great idea! But once the election is over, and the city resumes its focus on the ridiculously expensive LRT, will there really be money and resources left over for a tunnel? It seems that, for now, residents will need to be vigilant and keep their eyes peeled for these monstrously large trucks.