No parking will be available at many Toronto Pan Am Games venues

theglobeandmail.com
June 9, 2015
By Adrian Morrow

Sorry, Pachi - you can’t park here.

Pan American Games officials want to encourage spectators to leave their cars at home this summer and travel to the Games’ more than 300 events across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area by public transit.

To that end, there will be no parking at some venues and Pan Am ticketholders will be able to ride free on all public transit.

Former astronaut Chris Hadfield says the torch relay for the 2015 Pan Am Games will pass through areas "special" to him, like his hometown of Sarnia, Ontario. The relay is set to begin May 30 in Toronto.

“We’re very much taking a transit-first approach for our spectators’ travel for our Games,” said Allen Vansen of the Pan Am organizing committee Tuesday, as officials unveiled the Games’ full transportation plan. “All of our venues in the city of Toronto are well-serviced by transit. In some cases, transit is the only option, unless you walk or cycle.”

Toronto’s Exhibition Place, which will host the largest number of events, and the Rogers Centre, site of the opening ceremonies, will have no parking.

These and other venues will, however, have improved transit service. This will include 6 a.m. Sunday subway service, and more GO trains and buses.

There will also be several special shuttle bus routes, including routes from Dundas West Station to the Exhibition, from Don Mills Station to the Aquatics Centre in Scarborough, and between the Ryerson Athletic Centre and Varsity Stadium.

Having a ticket to a Pan Am event will allow the bearer to ride free on any public transit service in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area for the day.

There will, however, still be parking at some of the further-flung venues, including the Scarborough Aquatic Centre and Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

The plan includes high-occupancy vehicle lanes on The Gardiner Expressway, Queen Elizabeth Way, Lake Shore Boulevard, the Don Valley Parkway, Highway 404 and parts of Highway 401. The HOV lanes will be open to vehicles with three or more occupants between June 29 and July 27, and to vehicles with two or more people during the Parapan Am Games from July 28 to Aug. 18. Public transit buses, Pan Am vehicles and taxis will also be allowed to use the lanes.

Officials are also hoping and praying many Torontonians will voluntarily opt to work from home, carpool or work irregular hours to cut down on congestion. The transportation plan hinges on a 20-per-cent decrease in transportation demand during peak hours.

“Part of our plan includes reducing demand on our transportation network at its busiest times to help alleviate congestion,” said Andrew Posluns, an official with the provincial Ministry of Transportation. “This can be done in many ways...carpooling, shifting to transit, telework. It can also be as simple as retiming one’s drive to avoid the rush hour peak or rerouting your travel around a particular venue.”

Officials have already been contacting companies along major Games’ routes, encouraging them to make more use of teleconferencing and video conferencing to cut down on travel during the Games, and for employees to commute to and from work outside of peak hours.

Pan Am organizers have launched two different websites to help games-goers and commuters plan their routes.

One site, www.triplinx.ca, contains full information on transit servicing Pan Am including a trip planner.

Meanwhile, 2015gamestripplanner.ca contains information on Pan Am lane closures and traffic bottlenecks to help drivers navigate traffic tie-ups during the Games.

Pan Am also has an app available through iTunes and Google Play that provides the Games’ schedule and other information.

Better download that app, Pachi, so you can avoid getting towed.