York Region vision has transit as the faster way

yorkregion.com
March 3, 2016
By Amanda Persico

York Region’s transit master plan envisions a future 25 years from now where transit will be the faster option.

Several key roads in Markham will have been widened to six lanes to accommodate buses, the subway will extend up Yonge Street into Richmond Hill and there will be more frequent trains and buses to better serve riders, Markham councillors were told this week as the region’s transportation master plan was presented at this week’s development services committee.

The new master plan represents a shift in focus on regional roads, from moving the most vehicles to moving the most people, said the region’s transportation services director, Stephen Collins.

“The No. 1 complaint now is that transit cannot compete with cars"

A lot has changed on our roadways since the last transportation master plan in 2009: construction on the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension and opening Viva rapidways along Hwy. 7 and Davis Drive.

Transit travel times have decreased by about 35 per cent along Hwy. 7 between Bayview Avenue and Hwy 404. Meanwhile, Viva/YRT ridership has increased by about 20 per cent.

Yet despite new infrastructure and an expanding road network, car commute times will continue to increase, Collins said.

According to the region, driving from Markham to downtown Toronto takes about 50 minutes during morning rush hour.

By 2041, that will increase to more than an hour.

Transit times, on the other hand, will decrease from 50 to about 40 minutes in 2041.

The same trend can be seen with trips going east/west across the region.

It takes about 30 minutes to get from Markham Centre to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. That commute is expected to increase to more than 40 minutes by 2041.

Transit commute times are also expected to decrease within the region by 2041.

“The No. 1 complaint now is that transit cannot compete with cars,” Collins said. “Transit travel time is becoming more competitive with auto travel time.”

The Yonge Street subway extension remains a transit priority for the region, he added.

The master plan projects a subway extension into the Langstaff corridor, Collins said.

The region is also lobbying to extend 15-minute, all-day GO train service up to Major Mackenzie Drive along the Stouffville GO rail line.

But connecting the different modes of transit - Viva/YRT, GO Train and TTC - is missing from the region’s plan, said regional councillor Jim Jones, a longtime advocate for transit innovation in the GTA.

The existing - and any new - bus or rapid transit networks should connect to other transit options, he said this week.

“We have to use the network we have,” Jones said. “Use the bus network to feed the train network. Connectivity means mobility.”

That includes an integrated fare system as well as bringing bus or rapid transit into the train stations.

Jones argued there should be more bus connections to the Barrie and Stouffville GO lines.

“We have to figure out how to service the base (need) and handle the peak (demand),” Jones said. “Right now, it’s about servicing the peak without knowing how to handle the base first.”

Several steps and major infrastructure upgrades are required to make transit the faster option, Collins said.

The region is also planning to extend rapid transit lanes along Hwy. 7 to the Cornell area.

Other transit improvements include ramping up to 15-minute service to major regional corridors, creating rural bus connections and establishing commuter parking lots.

The region’s master plan includes future plans to widen sections of Kennedy and McCowan roads and Warden Avenue from four to six lanes with provisions for future transit lanes.

Also, the region plans to widen 16th Avenue between Yonge Street and McCowan Road and Major Mackenzie Drive between Hwy. 404 and Donald Cousens Parkway from four to six lanes with provisions for future transit lanes.

Some concerns expressed by Markham councillors include regional road widths, adding a physical separation between cyclists and motorists and the design of regional roads that pass through heritage districts.

The region’s transportation master plan is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year.

PLAN AT A GLANCE

The region’s transportation master plan includes:

• Take full responsibility of all mid-block crossings over highways, such as the crossing over Hwy. 404 north of 16th Avenue and Elgin Mills road;
• Take full control over highway ramp extensions, including Hwy. 404 ramp extension at 16th Avenue, Hwy. 7 into Allstate Parkway area and new ramps extensions at 19th avenue;
• Establish a fund to help municipalities complete and connect major arterial roads, such as connecting Yorktech Drive and Enterprise Boulevard;
• Eliminate turn restrictions and vehicle restrictions on new roads;
• Widen regional roads from four to six lanes to accommodate transit only allow for general lanes to be converted to HOV or transit lanes in the future;
• Take ownership of sidewalks, bike paths and lighting along regional roads;
• Take responsibility of at grade rail separation along regional roads, including Hwy. 7 and the Stouffville GO Line.