GTTA "Quick Start" Expansion

[ShonTron]

But Hazel wants more parking....

From the Star:

A $100M plan to ease gridlock in 2 years or less

Aug 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter

The region's new transportation authority is urging Queen's Park to put rubber to the road and fund $100 million worth of quick-start transit projects that could be implemented within two years.

Among the proposals:

Bike racks on all buses.

Installing 1,000 weatherproof bike lockers across the region.

A new transit terminal in Markham.

Creating an online trip planner service to make it easier to use transit across city borders, plus a "carbon footprint" calculator.

Expanded GO train and bus service on the Lakeshore, Milton and Georgetown lines.

With a provincial election looming, the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority wants the government to commit to seven such proposals.

Getting them off the ground signals that the GTTA understands the urgency of reducing congestion on Toronto area roads, said chair Rob MacIsaac.

"We really want to show people we're moving quickly. We want to make a difference to people travelling throughout the region," he said in Mississauga yesterday.

The priority projects would all be implemented within two years and represent only a fraction of the Liberal government's $12 billion commitment to regional transit by 2020.

Some of the proposed projects, such as the transit expansion, were already on the books. If Queen's Park funds the GTTA's recommendations, those improvements would move up the list.

Other proposals, such as the plan to install bike lockers, are new.

The lockers could be made compatible with the Presto "smartcard" the GTTA is launching, which will allow users to travel easily across the various regional transit authorities without having to pay an array of fares.

"If this $12 billion is for real, then $100 million can be for real right now," York Region Chair Bill Fisch told the board.

Although it has no capital budget of its own, the GTTA has approved spending $1.5 million out of its $8 million operating budget to design two Web-based tools it says would improve customer service.

The online trip-planner would allow riders to plan the best cross-border routes and connections when they are travelling between the region's various transit services. And a personal carbon footprint calculator would raise their awareness of the impact of their travel choices.

The projects have been designated as priorities following a meeting last month in which transit authorities from around the region presented their individual wish-lists to the GTTA.

But some board members didn't agree entirely with the rushed list.

Durham Region Chair Roger Anderson noted that none of the recommendations extended into his region, and he disagreed with cycling initiatives.

"I understand the quick-win scenario, but if you've got $1.8 million to spend I think you can find something better to spend it on than bike racks," he said.

He added that the expansion of Hamilton municipal bus service to that city's airport does not qualify as a regional initiative.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion also argued that if the GTTA is going to expedite GO Transit expansions, then more parking at GO stations needs to be part of the plan.

But Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger told the board it was fitting that the GTTA's first outing focus on transit rather than cars.

Several projects that did not make the quick-win list include kickstarting certain bus and rail rapid transit projects that are on the agenda for the coming decade.

The include bus links to Hamilton and GO Transit for the underserved Waterdown area; and new VIVA/GO terminals at Concord and Unionville.

Meanwhile, the GTTA approved studying a proposal to move Toronto's intercity coach terminal from Bay and Dundas Sts. to a Harbour St. site south of Union Station.

Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly has replaced Councillor Brian Ashton as the city's other political representative on the GTTA.

 

[JasonParis]

The lockers could be made compatible with the Presto "smartcard" the GTTA is launching, which will allow users to travel easily across the various regional transit authorities without having to pay an array of fares.

Although they will still be paying an array of fares, just electronically.

"I understand the quick-win scenario, but if you've got $1.8 million to spend I think you can find something better to spend it on than bike racks," he said.

Seems like a modest amount to completely revolutionize cycling commuting opportunities across the GTA.

 

[drum118]

Under the Quick Fix agenda

I posted this in another group after the meeting as two different posting. Will do a pdf of the presentation.

1>Chair Roger Anderson (Durham) and Hazel McCallion (Peel) call for
parking structures at GO stations as part of the quick fix projects.

Hazel said her people are demanding more parking at the existing
station because lots are full by 7.30 am and I am assuming its her car
people since they are kings of the road. Even Rogers said almost the
same thing.

A motion was made that staff is to look at putting parking structure
in the current plan.

My take is looking is only going to take place as the GTTA is in the
transit business and not much support for it from other board members. The
comment was made at board level.

GO Parking structures sends a clear message that they are there to
move Green House Gas from Toronto and move it to other areas and local
transit systems are not supporting GO stations in the first place with
good service.

Downside is there are a few places that require parking lots as it
will be to costly to put in some local service in the first place.

Hazel did say there is more need of local service improvement and I
will say she wants the GTTA to pay for it, not her city.

2>
Roger Anderson (Durham) does not support Hamilton BRT for Upper James,
bikes racks on buses and up grading GO projects as they should be by
GO in the first place.

Hazels does not support bikes racks also.

Parking is their pet project.

Comment was made that this meeting sounded like a GO meeting.

The board approved the Quick Fix projects.

The next list of possible expansion was table.

BRT lines in Hamilton, Durham, Oakville and Burlington.

Not sure what shoulder AM and PM is at this time, but operates after
peak service hours.

Lakeshore will see 30 minutes service by 2009 once the additional 20
coaches arrive. (nice to see this finally happening)

All day both direction service for Toronto-Markham and New Market-East
Gwillimbury will be in place by 2009.

Bradford and Stouffville lines will see double track pasting siding.

Renforth hub will be upgraded to an inter-regional terminal.

New bus station in Toronto will be an urban design.

The San Francisco Regional transit system will be part of the Montreal
and TransitLink team for the GTTA.

1,000 bike racks to be added to local transit system on top of the
1,000 bike lockers.

It looks like Dundas in Mississauga will become an LRT line before
Hurontario St now as it part of phase 2. MT and BT are talking about
having BRT on Hurontario and come no surprise to me. If LRT is built
into Brampton, it will go underground through the downtown area.
Mississauga cannot justify an LRT north of 401.

TTC is to submit a LRT line or two for the next round of projects.

Georgetown line expanded to Guelph.

7 day service to Burlington.

Milton and Georgetown lines will see all day service for both directions.

Other items to be added at the fall meeting.

Will be interesting to see how many board meeting David Millers is
going to miss as it 2 so far from my end.

Brian Ashton (Toronto) officially replace by the person who replace
him at City.

Comment was made that there needs to be a guideline in place to
justify they should get built first as the next round of projects
surface as they will be in the high millions to Billions where it will
pit various region against each others.

By-Law was change to allow GTTA meetings to be held in any part of the
GTA-Hamilton area.

You can submit your name for consideration to the GTTA for the Transit
Advisory Committee and supposed to be on the GTTA site, but don't see it.

Notice the GTTA is hiring and only 10 days to apply.

 

[Lone Primate]

The design of City Hall notwithstanding, I've always admired the way Hazel built Mississauga. She's a pragmatist, and if she's the only one considering the details, that hardly surprises me. It's a matter of good planning to have adequate parking wherever you're expecting people to congregate and take public transit. Furthermore, I'd say it's a good idea to make sure it's free, too. It gets people in and out faster, and it serves as no disincentive to getting out of the car and onto the train (bus, subway, streetcar, LRT...). Make it easier to use, and more people will use it. In the long run, that'll make a difference.

I've had discussions with people who wonder why the Sheppard Line was built where it was, instead of, say, Eglinton. The answer to that is clear to me; Sheppard is the last possible exit before motorists hit the choke point of the 401/404/DVP interchange. Eglinton's too late; by then, Toronto-bound motorists have spent an extra 15-20 minutes idling in traffic, wasting gas, worsening smog. Finch might have been an even better choice, or even Steeles, but Fairview Mall is where it is and has been since the 60s. When I saw them building the multi-tiered parking garage, I was pleased. If the idea is to get people out of their cars, then that's the right idea. I'd probably be tempted to take the bus to work myself and get more reading in if it weren't for the fact that they drew an arbitrary line in 1953 and as a result, York Region expects me to pay a second fare, coming and going, to cross it... without even changing buses. That would wind up costing me MORE than what gas does, so... nope. It's a losing proposition for me. That's the kind of impediment we need to eliminate. The GTA should have one transit authority. The parochial fiefdom attitude is crippling the city... the real city, not the one that ends at imaginary lines or rivers and streams.

 

[JasonParis]

It's a matter of good planning to have adequate parking wherever you're expecting people to congregate and take public transit. Furthermore, I'd say it's a good idea to make sure it's free, too. It gets people in and out faster, and it serves as no disincentive to getting out of the car and onto the train (bus, subway, streetcar, LRT...). Make it easier to use, and more people will use it. In the long run, that'll make a difference.

So the bigger the free parking lot the more people that will use transit? Funny, I guess large swaths of NYC and urban Europe is transit-centred parking lots then?

 

[Lone Primate]

So the bigger the free parking lot the more people that will use transit?

Definitely. I used to live in Mississauga and work downtown. Taking the GO Train was my second choice; I drove when it was practical. Believe it or not, factoring everything in, it could still be 15-30 minutes faster (depending on the traffic). But the GO Train was only attractive as a proposition because I could get in the car, drive for five minutes, park, and get on it. It was great, particularly in bad weather. But you tack on a ten minute walk to a mall to catch a bus that then snakes through subdivisions for another half an hour before even getting to the GO station then no, I'm sorry, you've lost me as a customer. That's way too much of a pain in the ass if I don't have to do it. And like hundreds of thousands of others, I didn't have to. This isn't New York, it's Toronto. It's still possible to drive downtown. Moreover, it's still possible for businesses to relocate to 905 where, increasingly, the workforce actually lives.

The math is plain. If you make taking public transit less, or no more, of a burden than driving, you'll tip the scales in its favour. If you ask for ten bucks just to stop the car, or don't even provide the means to do so, then people who don't have to aren't going to use it... they'll just pass it by. I mean, you can build the greatest mall in the world, with the trendiest shops and the best restaurants... but if you refuse to put doors in the mall, demanding people climb rope ladders to the windows and pay you for the privilege on top of it, by and large, THEY WON'T. They'll shrug, c'est la vie, and shop elsewhere.

 

[Degnaw]

^Exactly; I visited for about two days and stayed in Mississauga. To take the bus to (Clarkson) GO station, I would need to take two buses, each with frequencies of worse than 20 minutes, to arrive. One way to remedy this would be GO shuttles (like they have at some other stations) that provide no transfer, direct service to the GO stations. If a bus takes you from your house to the GO station with no transfers, costs only 50 cents, and arrives just steps from the station in a timely manner, many more people will be taking transit to the GO stations.

 

[rbt]

So the bigger the free parking lot the more people that will use transit?

Unfortunately, with the current built form of those areas, that is likely the case.

Granting very high density development rights on the parking lots to residential/office developments in return for a few floors of subterranean at cost parking for Go Transit (indoor parking warrants a minor additional fee), and you might get somewhere.

With any luck you manage to kick start small urbanized zones around the stations without immediately sacrificing existing users.

 

[ShonTron]

Seems like a modest amount to completely revolutionize cycling commuting opportunities across the GTA.

I agree - this was one of the best ideas, putting bike racks on all buses would open up the entire GTA and encourage biking so much, especially in areas where biking infrastructure is bad, to connect areas that do.

 

[unimaginative2]

This is great, though I'm a bit frustrated that the best part (GO improvements) was left rather vague.

The GTAA seems to be doing rather well. The new bus terminal is one of those obvious things that we should be fixing, and I'm glad they've finally taken notice. They could use work on their web presence, though. A Google search for GTAA still gives the Guernsey Table Tennis Association as top hit.

 

[ShonTron]

It's GTTA, not GTAA.

Damn those two acronyms.

 

[unimaginative2]

Haha...oops! Well I still searched for GTTA when I got the table tennis group.

 

[rbt]

It's GTTA, not GTAA.

Damn those two acronyms.

And they're both for public transportation, which makes it that much worse.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

why not TAGT?

 

[GregWTravels]

Granting very high density development rights on the parking lots to residential/office developments in return for a few floors of subterranean at cost parking for Go Transit (indoor parking warrants a minor additional fee), and you might get somewhere.

This seems like the way to go to me as well. Maintain the number of spots, while starting to move more res/office close to the stations.