Transit a priority for Mississauga
TheStar.com - Athome - Transit a priority for Mississauga
May 12, 2007
MIKE FUNSTON
STAFF REPORTER
Major public transit improvements are planned over the next five years to avert crushing traffic congestion as the boom in high-density development in downtown Mississauga continues.
To avoid big traffic jams in the city centre planning district, which will become home to about 50,000 residents over the next 25 years, an efficient transit system is a must to encourage people to leave their cars at home, city officials say.
As the city's last open lands in Churchill Meadows and Meadowvale Village fill up with houses, development in Mississauga has shifted from the sprawling subdivisions that have been going up over the past 25 years to high-density projects, especially condominium towers.
Mississauga's population now stands at about 700,000, making it Canada's sixth largest city and second only to Toronto in the GTA.
The proposed improvements include a $259-million bus rapid transit system (BRT) along the Highway 403-Eglinton Ave. corridor to TTC connections at Renforth Dr., scheduled to open in 2012.
The timing of some projects in the city centre could also help accelerate the redevelopment that's expected along the Hurontario and Dundas corridors, says John Calvert, the city's director of policy planning.
Mississauga is also studying the feasibility of using light rail transit on Hurontario St. between Brampton and Port Credit. If that becomes a reality, Calvert expects a tremendous spark for redevelopment.
In the five years leading up to the BRT opening, the city plans to increase service frequency on primary and secondary bus routes, so a passenger doesn't have to wait more than 15 minutes at any stop, according to a report by transportation commissioner Martin Powell.
The plan is to add 15 more buses and 70,000 to 80,000 service hours in each of the five years beginning immediately. This will increase annual transit use from 40 to 50 rides per capita, and the number of annual fares from 29.7 million to 37 million, Powell says.
The city's share of provincial and federal gas taxes will pay for improvements to the system up to 2010. After that, property tax hikes of up to 2 per cent will be needed, he says. "We are still a very car-oriented municipality, but it's changing," adds Calvert, noting that the average downtown condo household has only one car, compared with the housing subdivisions where families with one car are an exception.
Already 7,800 units have been built in the downtown, with 8,000 more in the application process and a potential 15,700 on the drawing boards, Calvert says.
Downtown consists of the area around Square One Shopping Centre and the Mississauga Civic Centre off Burnhamthorpe Rd., west of Hurontario. This area is experiencing the highest density development with dozens of condominium towers as high as 50-storeys either already built, under construction or proposed.
Amacon Development Inc. alone plans 30 condominium towers of almost 6,000 units on 13 hectares of land to be phased in over 10 to 20 years, which will add another 12,000 people.
Lilliana De Cotiis, Amacon's vice-president of marketing and sales, says that transit improvements, especially the BRT, could accelerate the timing of projects.
"Better transit will benefit us. It's not only market conditions (that drives sales). It provides another reason for people to consider living in Mississauga. It adds an overall improvement to the city," De Cotiis says.
"That lack of infrastructure (transit) has come up in public hearings and sales surveys but I would call it a small challenge, not a big hindrance in our marketing," she says.
"The fact Mississauga will have a (rapid transit) link to Toronto should definitely help bring our projects to market sooner."
The company is seeking final approval from Mississauga Council to start a project with three buildings (the total number of units hasn't been determined) with sales tentatively set to begin next fall. "Our presentation centre is under construction," De Cotiis says.
