Town of Oakville council lays out transit priorities

Insidehalton.com
Dec. 13, 2021

Barry Cole, the outgoing director of transit of the Town of Oakville, gave a grim warning to the planning and development committee meeting on Tuesday. “Transit in Oakville is at a crossroads,” Cole told the committee.

“Vehicular congestion continues to worsen. Even with so many people still working remotely, we’re seeing congestion that already is starting to resemble pre-COVID levels.”

“Transit expansion in the form of increased hours of service, increased frequency and even some new routes in the north are going to be required if we are going to reach our TMP (Transportation Master Plan) goals.”

In his last presentation to council before retirement, Cole laid out seven priorities for Oakville transit.

Electrification of the Transit Fleet

On the surface, electrifying the fleet has obvious benefits. The town of Oakville declared a climate change emergency in June of 2019, making greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction a priority.

The Town of Oakville has set a goal of an 80 per cent reduction of GHGs from 2014 levels by 2050. However, Cole revealed other benefits that are less obvious. “The benefits of converting our transit fleet to battery electric are numerous. They include lower maintenance costs, lower operating costs, lower whole-life costs, and, as I said, lower emissions. They (also) eliminate residential noise.”

The Town hopes to have completed the transition by 2036.

Trafalgar Bus Rapid Transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT) involves an ordinary bus, whether diesel or electric, having its own right of way that cars cannot use. York Region’s VIVA and Mississauga’s Transitway are two examples.

The plan is for a bus rapid transit to operate between the Oakville GO station and the 407 Park and Ride on Trafalgar. This will provide Oakville residents with connections to Oakville Place, Sheridan College, the Uptown Core and the developing areas north of Dundas St. E.

Dundas Bus Rapid Transit

The plan is similar to the Trafalgar project. The difference lies in its sheer ambition. The goal, in its current stage, would be to have the BRT go from Kipling Station in Toronto all the way to Hamilton’s Hwy 6, covering a roughly 48 km journey spanning five municipalities.

“In my view this would be an exceptionally long route posing a multitude of operational governance and funding issues,” Cole warned council. “That being said, an important first step could be to implement a shorter Halton version.”

Palermo Transit Terminal

Plans are afoot to intensify the area surrounding the intersection of Bronte Road and Dundas St. W, more commonly known as Palermo.

In 2010, the Town of Oakville identified the area of the historical Palermo Village as a location for a major transit hub.

“A major growth area within the Town will be the Palermo Village located at Dundas Street and Bronte Road. This community will have about 5,200 residents and employ some 3,800 people.”

Midtown and Oakville GO

“The area will be home to 13,000 people, 7,000 jobs. It’ll account for 23 per cent of the intensification in Oakville and 8 per cent of Halton’s intensification,” Cole said.

Mid-town is the area around Oakville GO station, a roughly 40 ha area. This part of Oakville is designated as an Urban Growth Centre by the province.

Regional Express Rail

All-day-two-way GO service with trains arriving every 15 minutes along the Lakeshore West line is Metrolinx’s goal here.

Cole says that the benefits “include reduced traffic congestion, reduced fossil fuel reliance, greenhouse gases would be reduced, fuel consumption reduced and customer travel time is reduced.”

On-Demand Transit Services

Enhancements to Oakville Transit’s three on-demand services -- care-A-can for people with mobility issues, Home to Hub in areas where there is less transit coverage and Work to Hub -- are part of council's priorities.

Oakville Transit hopes to integrate the on-demand services into one, expand the service to make it available for more residents and certain enhancements. These enhancements include a ride sharing app, automated booking and a diversified fleet, among other things.