| Transitway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Overview | |||
| Owner | City of Ottawa | ||
| Locale | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Transit type | Bus rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 12 | ||
| Number of stations | 57 | ||
| Website | Rapid route network | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1983 | ||
| Operator(s) | OC Transpo | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 59 km (37 mi) | ||
| |||
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The Transitway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) network operated by OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It comprises a series of bus-only roadways and reserved lanes on city streets and highways. The dedicated busways ensure that buses and emergency vehicles on the Transitway rarely intersect directly with regular traffic, making it possible to run quickly and consistently, even during rush hour traffic. OC Transpo operates a network of rapid routes which use the Transitway to connect communities with the O-Train light rail system. Additional bus routes also use segments of the Transitway.
The Transitway opened in 1983 with five stations. The network expanded greatly to include over fifty stations at its peak.
In the 2010s, the central segment of the Transitway began reaching capacity, with buses bumper to bumper. To combat this, segments of the Transitway were closed in 2015 to allow conversion to a higher capacity light rail line, which opened in 2019 as the Confederation Line.[1] More segments of the Transitway have been closed since construction began on Stage 2 of the O-Train expansion, and more will converted when Stage 3 begins.
Ottawa's Transitway has been seen as a prime example of bus rapid transit internationally, and has influenced the design and creation of other systems worldwide.[2] The Ottawa Transitway has also been used as a model for how to design bus rapid transit, such as is the case for Brisbane, Australia and Mississauga, among others.[3][4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Emerging Technologies for Rapid Transit: Part One Future-proofing Investment Decisions" (PDF).
As case studies in Ottawa, Adelaide, and Brisbane show, the "best case" scenarios for BRT investment often result in subsequent upgrades to LRT or tunneling to separate BRT systems from surface traffic
- ^ "Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan" (PDF). City of Mississauga.
- ^ Rathwell, Sean; Schijns, Stephen (April 2002). "Ottawa and Brisbane: Comparing a Mature Busway System with Its State-of-the-Art Progeny". Journal of Public Transportation. 5 (2): 163–182. doi:10.5038/2375-0901.5.2.8.