Aurora GO train shuttle could be boom or bust for commuters

Commuters won't use service, King mayor insists

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 10, 2016
By Lisa Queen

York Region is considering Aurora’s request to fund a shuttle bus service for GO train commuters after the town suggested bankrolling the service from an additional $15 million the region received in gas tax revenues from the provincial government.

It’s an idea that could dovetail with a key plank of the region’s proposed updated transportation master plan, expected to be approved later this year.

The plan, which includes creating a “world-class transit system,” is trying to find ways to accommodate the “last mile” of commuters’ journeys so they don’t drive their cars to train and bus stations.

But while overflowing GO commuter parking is a problem in most municipalities, a shuttle could be a bust, said King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini, who said a similar idea failed in his community a couple of years ago.

In Aurora, commuters who find the GO parking lot at the train station on Wellington Street west of Industrial Parkway full are parking in adjacent neighbourhoods such as around Town Park, Aurora Councillor John Abel told regional councillors.

Providing an efficient shuttle serve would encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, he said.

Aurora’s existing public transit, provided by the region, is not meeting the needs of commuters, he said at a town council meeting in November.

“When you ask why these commuters don’t take public transit to the station, they just laugh,” he said.

“I don’t want to offend anyone but we have the poorest transit service, with buses that are often late and can’t meet deadlines. If we want to encourage more people to take transit, we will have to provide the services they need.”

Small shuttle buses would make stops near main roads in each quadrant of Aurora and take passengers directly to and from the GO station, Abel suggested last fall.

Auxiliary police officers could be used to give the shuttle buses the right of way in traffic, he added.

“It’s not a new idea. I used something like this in the ’70s when I lived in North York,” he said.

“We are identifying a crisis here and it’s only going to get worse as the population grows and the GO increases service.”

GO train service is expected to draw countless new commuters in coming years as service is significantly improved in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area over the next decade, including trains running every 15 minutes from Union Station to Aurora.

“With all the Metrolinx and GO service, this is not going to get any better, it will only get worse,” Abel said.

The provincial government has announced an increase in gas tax contributions to municipalities for transit improvements, with York Region receiving an additional $15 million, Aurora said in a motion to the region supporting the shuttle.

“I did note that there has recently been provincial funding for infrastructure and for transportation and I thought it would be an opportune time to address this growing concern,” Abel told regional councillors.

“This (parking issue) isn’t new to anybody around the table who has GO parking lots in their municipality. By the second (morning) train in King, it’s packed,” he said.

“People are doing exactly what you are saying. They are parking on local streets, causing issues. In fact, when people are late for trains, they tend to leave their cars wherever they want.”

A couple of years ago, the region provided a shuttle for King commuters but it never took off, Pellegrini said.

“We tried. People wouldn’t use it. We tried the park and ride at (Hwy.) 400, the parking lot there. We thought, ‘What a great way because a lot of people are coming down the 400, we have the bus there. It will take them straight (to GO)’,” he said.

“It cost (passengers) 50 cents. People wouldn’t use it. We tried, we tried, we did everything. We thought ‘This will work, this will work.’ Didn’t happen.”

But it’s time to get away from fixed bus routes that don’t meet the needs of passengers and, instead, have a responsive shuttle, Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen said, adding new routes would evolve over time.

“I think it’s a great idea,” he said.

Aurora may or may not be the best location to have a shuttle pilot project, Newmarket Councillor John Taylor said.

It’s more important to get it done right than get it done quickly, he said.