It's Alive?

On Saturday, I walked along Montreal Rd through the neighbourhood of Vanier. I attempted to do so on Friday but the din and volume of cars during rush hour was too much. The section from St. Laurent to the Rideau river had been closed off for 2 years with construction and revitalization. The latter seemed to have been mostly a widening of the sidewalk, some trees, and new bike lanes. In my opinion, the lanes were poorly thought out as they were part of the sidewalk and therefore separated from cars by a raised curb. I'm skeptical if that would make them safer. They narrowed and were partially blocked by sidewalk blistered strips for the visually impaired at intersections. So unlike drivers, cyclists have to slow down at every road crossing.

For decades, there has never many businesses on Montreal Rd. The heydays of the Eastview Theatre, the Chateaubriand restaurant, and other shops were long-gone. They are only preserved in murals painted on a few remaining buildings. But the years-long construction might have bumped off a few more. Only the block of stores between the Vanier Parkway and the river offered any neighbourhood vibrancy. Condos were being built across the street, especially in the strip mall that used to house a Chinese buffet, supermarket, a pool hall, a dojo, and other modest businesses. Hard to say if these new residences will revitalize the street (with locals who frequent the shops) or kill it off entirely (with more condos replacing those stores). Regardless, the car-heavy Parkway will continue to separate the two halves of Vanier and squelch any meaningful development. Its genesis as a railway did start the urban destruction of the old Eastview town. But if it had endured as a (derelict) rail corridor, perhaps a New York-style High Line could be imagined. In reality, the only future for the Parkway is to remain an arterial road.

The bridge over the river should be a pleasant stroll. And although it had a pretty view, the narrow sidewalk and speeding cars made the walk felt precarious. When I reached the other side and Montreal Rd became Rideau St, my trek to the downtown wasn't much better. The squat, old buildings weren't too pretty but at least they housed various businesses. More than half have been replaced by condos (and the demolition continues apace). These have the shininess of new construction (if not much architectural flair) but almost no street-level activities. Empty for-lease signage outnumbered the occasional dentist office or Subway franchise. Rideau St. was also brutally divided by an arterial road: the notorious King Edward Ave. Staring at multiple lanes packed with vehicles, I have no idea why any condo dwellers would choose to live nearby (even if the Byward Market was in the area). The Rideau Mall was itself a sad reminder at what could have been. Some have dubbed the Nation's Capital as Auto-wa. But pondering all the mish-mash development throughout Ottawa, I was thinking more of Frankenstein's monster.