The objective is limit as much as possible the construction of a road in the Alta Vista Corridor (AVC). A better alternative would be Ottawa invest in some form of electric mass transit. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary have all been doing so for more than two decades. Ottawa is the largest city in Canada that isn't. Ottawa is investing heavily in the most expensive form of transport: roads for single-occupant commuters. Ottawa is overdue to re-balance its investments towards sustainable transportation. The AVC is a prime example.

1. Sign the Ecology Ottawa new road moratorium petition which can be found at: http://www.ecologyottawa.ca/take-action/index.php
2. Participate in the reviews of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) within the Official Plan review called Beyond 2020. The new TMP is coming before Council in November 2008. Contact city councillors and the mayor to let them know what you want.
   • Instead of spending $680 million on arterial expansions in the next 6 years and deferring light rail construction for 8 to 11 years, ask for electric mass transit to be started as soon as possible and road expansions to be deferred until after the light rail has had a change to reduce the need for more asphalt.
3. In future City of Ottawa budget consultations, request funding for the construction of the AVC be redirected to more sustainable and healthy projects. The next City of Ottawa budget for 2009 will debated and voted on by Council in late November and December 2008.
4. Building public support for 2 and 3 above:
   • Talk to your neighbours. Check out the alternatives section to see how rapid transit compares to a roadway option and share that information. Refer people to this web site. Don't underestimate to power of word of mouth.
   • Write letters to the editor or to your community newspaper. The message has been getting through to a broader audience. See the Press section.

This page last updated on October 6, 2008