o sooner will the pleasures of summer have passed when we will find ourselves plunged into the maelstrom of big city politics with the first municipal election of the reformulated City of Ottawa, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of the Ottawa-Carleton Region.
With the evolution to one big city, the dynamics of local politics will be dramatically changed, sharply pitting inner city area interests against the combined interests of the suburban and rural areas.
The defining issue will be transportation. Specifically, the form that primary transportation modes will take, which will determine the kind of city we will live in.
It is a given that since the inception of the automobile, its impact on the evolution of the city has been dramatic, with the relentless expansion of multi-laned highways ploughing through the city, irreversibly integrating themselves into the urban fabric.
There is no question that the advantages accrued from the automobile have been considerable when measured in terms of personal freedom and choice. However, these advantages have come at a price by compromising the integrity of neighbourhoods, as well as impairing human health and significantly contributing to global climate change as a result of toxic emissions.
It is now very apparent that Ottawa is at a cross roads with respect to its future development as a result of the current hi-tech boom. On the one hand, do we want to carve out a new niche in the evolution of the city by prioritising public transit, cyclistsand pedestrians to achieve a healthier and more balanced development process? Or, do we succumb to the status quo, and the relentless needs of the automobile with its constant demand for more and more tarmac?
Free, unimpeded movement is essential to the healthy development of the city. However, by continuing to rely upon the automobile as the primary means to facilitate such movement, this will actually result in compromising this essential goal, as roadways become clogged, and more valuable urban land will be disproportionately allocated to highway development and parking needs.
Ottawa has benefited immeasurably from early city visionaries, putting in place such policies as decentralised employment nodes (eg Tunney's Pasture and the Heron Road Taxation Centre), the enhancement of river corridors with parkways and driveways, and, last but not least, the greenbelt.
With the present economic forecast predicting an unprecedented development boom, now is the time to complement these policies with an integrated public transit system, focussing on light rail, to ensure that the benefits of these policies are not overwhelmed by the proliferation of multiple lane highways throughout the city.
In the forthcoming election period, transportation must be foremost in the debate regarding the future of Ottawa. The election of enlightened city councillors will be essential if we wish to continue to pride ourselves as living in one of the most "liveable" cities in the world.