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Greenboro Busway

Greenboro Busway: The Transitway That Ottawa Abandoned
Greenboro Community Centre, on Lorry Greenberg Dr.
Greenboro Community Centre, on Lorry Greenberg Dr.

Did you know that the City of Ottawa removed a part of its transitway network after only eight years of operation?  When it was first conceived in the 1970s, the Greenboro neighbourhood was envisioned as a dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented community.  This walk tells the story of those plans by focusing on one of its key innovations:  the Greenboro Busway.  We'll discuss the original plans, how they played out in reality, and what this means for imagining future transit-oriented communities in Ottawa and elsewhere.

The walk will bring to life the story told in Matt's original blog post, The Busway that Ottawa Abandoned.

Location
Route

We'll meet at the maiin entrance of the Greenboro Community Centre (363 Lorry Greenberg Dr).  From there, we'll head west through Greenboro Park to Cahill Drive, then loop back following the alignment of the old busway. The route will be walked at a casual pace, with lots of stops for questions and discussion. 

 

Please review our covid guidelines before attending a walk.
About the walk leader

Matt Pinder is a South Keys resident who is passionate about community development, city-building, and sustainable transportation. He runs the blog BeyondTheAutomobile.com and works as a transportation engineer focused on Complete Streets. Matt is also a fan of urban history and when he learned that his new neighbourhood was orignally planned around a busway that no longer exists, he was compelled to find out more. 

Guide:

Matt Pinder

When:
Date:Sat May 7, 2022
Time:12:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Language: English
Where:
Start:Greenboro Community Centre, Main Entrance
End:Greenboro Community Centre
Area:Greenboro
Distance:1.5 kms
Accessibility:

The entire route will be on paved pathways and city sidewalks.

Gallery
Greenboro Community Centre, on Lorry Greenberg Dr. The planned bus route across Greenboro. Some of the route follows normal streets (blue), while the rest was to be dedicated transitway (orange). The he eastern segment of the transitway (dots) was never built. The photo shows part of what used to be the busway. After the busway was closed, the roadway was replaced by a walking/cycling path, which has been integrated into the local network of recreational paths. Greenboro Community Centre and playground
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk