Many Ottawans eagerly await access to the LRT. But for residents of Vanier and other low-income neighbourhoods, that train may never come. By continuing down a path that ignores the needs of the people who require affordable and accessible transit, the City of Ottawa excludes its most vulnerable residents.
Despite the delays associated with the LRT project – the hope now is that it will be up and running around the end of March, 2019 – it is being celebrated as one of Mayor Jim Watson’s biggest accomplishments. The LRT is widely popular and the expansion of affordable and accessible transit was an important topic in the recent municipal election.
But a map of Ottawa’s lowest-income neighbourhoods combined with the proposed LRT route reveals a worrying pattern.
This map highlights the income disparity in our city. Darker areas represent the neighbourhoods with the highest percentage of residents with low incomes. The Confederation line of the LRT is delineated in dark (the Trillium line as well), with the thinner portions showing the proposed expansions for Phase 2 of the project. This map illustrates that the LRT route appears to often avoid reaching into low-income communities.
While the LRT is a welcome addition to Ottawa’s transit system, it is unfortunate that this development ignores the needs of these communities. This means that the people who need reliable and affordable transit the most will not have easy access.
We should strive towards an affordable, and preferably free, transit system that reaches both high- and low-income areas. The benefits of providing free and expansive transit to all residents of Ottawa are numerous.
First, reducing the cost of transit for low-income individuals helps ease financial burdens. Expanding transit can help to increase access to employment, thereby improving the long-term financial sustainability of people living in low-income areas.
Second, expanding the use of public transportation lowers emissions and can help us meet our climate targets. In fact, expanding public transit is one of the most important things we can do to combat climate breakdown. On a local level, investing in transit can help to reduce air pollution, which is particularly problematic in the low-income communities that are being underserved by the LRT.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, expanding affordable transit increases the quality of life of its users and allows greater access to the essential services and leisure activities that people need in order to lead fulfilled lives.
We need to make improving transit in low-income communities a priority. A commitment to the mobility of all residents of Ottawa is a commitment to improving the lives of those most in need. It would be shameful to ignore these communities, especially with a project with such long-lasting consequences as Ottawa’s LRT. The infrastructure we build today will be with us for many years, and if we want to live in a more equitable and fairer city, we must demand mobility for all today.
By ignoring these communities, the City of Ottawa is sending a clear message that the needs and lives of the poor don’t matter. We can and must imagine a better Ottawa. Our infrastructure projects need not ignore low-income communities. This type of path dependence will do little to encourage equality and fairness in our city. As we welcome our newly appointed leaders to city council, we must prioritize those who need transit the most.
Julia Szwarc is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa with a background in environmental sociology and social history of technology. Twitter: @JuliaSzwarc