Free buses, shuttles among Lansdowne Park traffic plans

With the Ottawa RedBlacks home opener a month away, the team's owners have outlined their plan to get more than 20,000 fans to and from the new TD Place Stadium on game days.

Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group has encouraged football fans to make use of free public transit and park-and-ride shuttle services when planning their trips to the games at the stadium at Lansdowne Park. But a recent survey suggested only four in 10 fans planned to take advantage of the free services.

On Monday, OSEG announced plans for free park and shuttle services from multiple locations in Ottawa and Gatineau, free bus transit on all routes and secure on-site parking for bicycles.

"It's a plan that encourages visitors to leave their cars at home and have a stress-free, door-to-door experience," OSEG CEO Bernie Ashe was quoted saying in a media release.

Tickets to events at TD Place are also tickets to ride for free on OC Transpo or Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) to and from the venue. 

For major events with crowds of 15,000 or more, OC Transpo will offer direct park and shuttle service from park and ride lots located in Kanata, Barrhaven, South Keys and Orleans, while STO will offer shuttles from Rivermead, St-Dominique/Tache, Labrosse, de la Gappe and Robert-Guertin. 

The OC Transpo and STO service will start three hours before events at TD Place and continue for about three hours after the events end.

Another park and shuttle option for major events will be at four parking lots close to Lansdowne, including Canada Post at Riverside and Heron, Vincent Massey Park, the R.A. Centre and Carleton University. Major event ticket holders get free parking and free shuttle bus transportation to and from TD Place. The lots will open for ticketholders two hours before major events and shuttle service back to them will continue for about three hours after the events end.

OSEG held a news conference at TD Place Monday afternoon to announce the details alongside representatives from City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission, OC Transpo and STO.

The RedBlacks open their season at home on Friday, July 18 at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Argonauts. The team's regular season schedule begins on July 3 in Winnipeg.