After a social media survey with over 800 responses, we’ve identified the top 3 worst intersections in Ottawa, as voted by Faces Ottawa followers and readers.
Ottawa is a city known for its one-way streets and potholes. But, another well-known experience offered by city driving in the Capital is its intersections, which can be anything but straightforward. But which rank the highest in level of frustration? We asked our readers and followers to name the worst intersections in Ottawa, based on their experiences.
The results declared three definite winners. And, interestingly enough, the results of the reader’s survey were extremely similar to the City of Ottawa’s Road Safety report, showing that the near-misses at these intersections really have caused accidents for a lot of other drivers at these junctions.
Here are the top three worst intersections in Ottawa, according to a survey of our readership.
#3 – Riverside & Industrial
Riverside and Industrial is a large, signalized intersection with a ton of turning lanes. Most people using this intersection are turning, because a main road turns into a bus-only access route. This means that all traffic heading west (and most heading south) are waiting on advanced green lights to head into Alta Vista or Trainyards area. Tons of turning, turning lanes, and buses make this intersection a bit messy. Combined with an interesting merging lane for westbound traffic turning right (which has two lanes but only one for cars), it’s no wonder that the intersection saw 39 collisions in 2019, and was also named the 3rd worst interaction in Ottawa by the City of Ottawa’s Road Safety Report. Luckily, none of the collisions results in fatalities or major injuries, though a total of 4 minimal and minor injuries were reported.
#2 – Riverside and Hunt Club
These two streets appeared in a lot of votes (honourable mentions include Bank & Riverside, Hunt Club & Merivale, and Hunt Club & Bronson). So, it’s not surprising that when these major roads come together near the airport, they see a lot of collisions, near-misses, and overall confusion. Both Bank and Riverside are normally congested by 5 pm on normal workdays, and each direction has people merging when turning right. Combined with double turning lanes, a bike lane right in the middle of four lanes going north, and maybe some late-to-the-airport traffic, it’s not surprising that Riverside & Hunt Club was found to be the worst intersection for collisions in the 2019 Safety Report. It saw a whopping total of 60 collisions in 2019, and thankfully none of those resulted in fatalities or major injuries (but, 19 minimal/minor injuries were reported).
#1 – Bank and Leitrim
This intersection is a people’s choice winner: it isn’t mentioned in the City of Ottawa’s Safety report. So, thankfully, it seems to cause more frustration than accidents. Just a few blocks over from Riverside & Heron, Bank and Leitrim is ironically right outside of the Leitrim police station. With the road turning into more of a highway just outside the city, many people push their luck in running red lights and misjudging the speed of traffic when pulling out in front of cars. The intersection for the busy, 80KM road is also just after a turn in the road, leaving some people surprised and unprepared for the stop. There is also an unexpected merging lane for south-bound traffic, and a construction company to the right that has slow-moving trucks pulling out frequently.
It’s no surprise that the intersection may cause a few too many near-misses and frustrations, naming it the worst intersection in Ottawa by Faces followers and readers.
