CCA expresses disappointed by the lack of consultation in Ottawa’s return to office traffic plan.
Transportation | September 2, 2026
Dear Mayor Sutcliffe,
The Centretown Community Association is disappointed by the lack of consultation, and true solutions included in Ottawa’s return to office traffic plan, officially known as the Transportation and Mobility Strategy and Action Plan.
The plan provides very little real solutions for addressing traffic congestion and an influx of cars in the downtown area. Many of the plan’s areas of focus are redundant, or identify projects a functioning city should already be doing, like ensuring bike lanes are well maintained and swept. On a plan that aims to implement all feasible measures by September 1, 2026, two thirds of the plan's funding is being spent on the Suburban Bowesville Park and Ride expansion that will not be complete until 2027.
We are especially concerned by the lack of consultation for what is being presented as a significant plan. This plan was not originally presented at a city committee, meaning residents were not given the opportunity to delegate or consult on the project. Changes like allowing private driveway rentals will have a profound and lasting impact on our neighbourhood, and deserved to be discussed ahead of time. Return to office is not a surprise development; proper consultation with local residents and commuters should have been an essential part of a functional plan.
We are also concerned by the lack of investments in Centretown and across downtown that this plan provides. Somerset Ward residents will bear the significant brunt of the additional traffic, air pollution, and road safety concerns. We are disappointed to see no significant investments in cycling infrastructure, bus lanes or similar transit priority measures, or road safety measures included as part of the plan. Instead, critical infrastructure works downtown, like on Bay Street, are being delayed so more commuters can drive past our doors.
Ottawa’s return to office traffic plan doesn’t serve downtown residents, and will lead to more traffic congestion, more road safety concerns, and more unreliable public transit in Centretown. We urge you to rethink this plan, so we can have a plan that works for all of Ottawa.
Thank you,
Martin Barclay
CCA President