OC Transpo routes to bypass Lees, Hurdman stations this winter

An Ottawa woman is petitioning OC Transpo to rethink its plan to have manyroutes bypass Lees Station this winter as part of O-Train Confederation Line construction.

Starting December 20, the Transitway will be shut down betweenLees and Hurdman stations, leaving only Routes 16 and 85 linking Lees Station to downtown.

Lees Station will also be served by Routes6 and101,eastbound 91 and 95, and 98 southbound and a new route 103,but only on the upper level.

TanyaHiebert, who buses to work downtown from Lees Station early in the morning, said residents in her neighbourhood rely on quick access to the centre of the city.

"I specifically moved in (near) Lees Station in order to get that convenience, to be able to be more mobile and get to my workplace quite efficiently," she said."People are used to a certain level of transit service and this is basically all going to go away."

She launched an online petition demanding that the city increase its planned service to downtown from Lees Station after December 20.

Hurdman Stationchangestoo

Meanwhile,Routes 95, 114, 192, 401 and 602 willbypass Hurdman Station starting December 20but the new 104 will maintain a connection from the east end.

• Full list of OC Transpo servicechanges

On January 17,LeBreton and Bayview Transitway stations will be relocatedto Albert Street. TheTransitwaywill also be shut downbetween Empress Avenue and Merton Street, forcing buses to be rerouted to bus lanes on Albert and Scott Streets.

Pat Scrimgeour, an assistant general manager atOCTranspo, admitted it will be "a big change" for transit users and encouraged them to plan ahead.

"There's online travel planning tools and our customer service staff is happy to help anyone who needs help figuring out how they can make their trips best with the revised service that will be in place starting Sunday," he said.

He added that whileit will be an adjustment for commuters, Lees and Hurdman will still have frequent service. By 2018, light rail transit is expected to service Lees Station every three minutes during rush hour.

"It'll be great when the trains are running on the Confederation Line," he said.