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Durham Region Transit
Long Term Transit Strategy
Best Practices to Increase
Transit Usage - Final Report
Durham, ON
July 2009
Durham Region Transit
Long Term Transit Strategy
Best Practices to Increase
Transit Usage - Final Report
Durham, ON
July 2009
iTRANS Consulting Inc.
100 York Blvd., Suite 300
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8
Tel: (905) 882-4100
Fax: (905) 882-1557
www.itransconsulting.com
Project # 4598
Durham Region Transit Best Practices to Increase Transit Usage - Final
Report
Client Project Team
Project Manager Keith Ramdial, Project Manager, Durham
Region Long Term Transit Strategy (LTTS)
iTRANS Project Team
Principal Tyrone Gan, P.Eng
Project Manager Karen Freund, P.Eng, LEED AP
Technical Team Sherwin Gumbs, M.Eng, P.Eng.,
Stephen Keen, M.Sc. P.Eng.,
Wally Beck, C.E.T.
Quality Control Karen Freund, P.Eng, LEED AP
July 2009
iTRANS
Project # 4598
Durham Region Transit Best Practices to Increase Transit Usage - Final
Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Report Purpose....................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Report Outline ....................................................................................................... 1
2. Operating / Service Adjustments ................................................................................. 2
2.1 Service Frequency and Connectivity ..................................................................... 2
2.1.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration .............................................. 3
2.2 Express Bus Service .............................................................................................. 4
2.2.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration .............................................. 5
2.3 Flexible Community Service ................................................................................. 5
2.3.1 Community Bus ........................................................................................... 5
2.3.2 Vanpools / Ridesharing ................................................................................ 6
2.3.3 Recommendations for Further Consideration .............................................. 7
2.4 Route Structuring................................................................................................... 8
2.4.1 Existing Route Structure in Durham Region ............................................. 10
2.4.2 Warrants for New Transit Service.............................................................. 10
2.4.3 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 11
2.5 Service Monitoring .............................................................................................. 11
2.5.1 Performance Measures ............................................................................... 11
2.5.2 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 13
2.6 Transit Priority Treatments.................................................................................. 13
2.6.1 Queue-Jump Lanes..................................................................................... 13
2.6.2 Curb-Space Management ........................................................................... 15
2.6.3 High Occupancy Vehicle Priority .............................................................. 15
2.6.4 Dedicated Transit Lanes............................................................................. 18
2.6.5 Grade-Separated Transit Facilities............................................................. 19
2.6.6 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 20
2.7 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) ............................................................ 21
2.7.1 CAD / AVL (Computer Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location).. 21
2.7.2 Automatic Passenger Counters (APC) ....................................................... 21
2.7.3 Special Vehicle Amenities ......................................................................... 22
2.7.4 In-Vehicle Maps and Traveler Information ............................................... 23
2.7.5 Security Features........................................................................................ 23
2.7.6 Transit-Signal Priority (TSP) Systems....................................................... 23
2.7.7 ITS Case Studies ........................................................................................ 24
2.7.8 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 26
2.8 Target Marketing ................................................................................................. 26
2.8.1 Case Study – Pace Bus Market Segmentation Marketing Plan.................. 27
2.8.2 Product-Usage Segmentation ..................................................................... 28
2.8.3 Market Segments by Age Group................................................................ 30
2.8.4 Market Segments by Transit Service Type ................................................ 30
2.8.5 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 31
2.9 Surface Transit Stop Improvements .................................................................... 31
2.9.1 Shelter Design ............................................................................................ 32
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2.9.2 Transit Stop Locations ............................................................................... 33
2.9.3 Bus Stop Accessibility ............................................................................... 36
2.9.4 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 36
2.10 Station Improvements .......................................................................................... 37
2.10.1 Attractive / Modern................................................................................ 37
2.10.2 Lighting.................................................................................................. 37
2.10.3 Waiting Area Amenities ........................................................................ 37
2.10.4 Passenger Information ........................................................................... 38
2.10.5 Way-Finding Signs ................................................................................ 38
2.10.6 Examples of Station Improvements....................................................... 38
2.10.7 Recommendations for Further Consideration........................................ 41
3. Fare Collection / Fare Policies.................................................................................... 43
3.1.1 Fare Media ................................................................................................. 43
3.1.2 Fare Collection and Technology ................................................................ 43
3.1.3 Fares for Different Market Segments......................................................... 47
3.1.4 Special Promotions .................................................................................... 48
3.1.5 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 48
4. Marketing / Communications .................................................................................... 49
4.1.1 Media Advertising Campaigns................................................................... 50
4.1.2 Improving Transit’s Image......................................................................... 50
4.1.3 Use of the Internet...................................................................................... 52
4.1.4 Targeted Marketing – (Realizing applicable and future demographics).... 53
4.1.5 Educating Students..................................................................................... 54
4.1.6 On-Board (vehicle) advertising.................................................................. 54
4.1.7 Training and Educating Employees ........................................................... 54
4.1.8 Information Media (maps, timetables)....................................................... 55
4.1.9 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 55
5. Land Use....................................................................................................................... 56
5.1.1 Regional Land Use Planning...................................................................... 56
5.1.2 Transit Oriented Development................................................................... 57
5.1.3 Matching Land Use Density with Transit Intensity ................................... 61
5.1.4 Urban Design / Site Design........................................................................ 62
5.1.5 Parking Practices........................................................................................ 67
5.1.6 Joint Development of Transit Nodes.......................................................... 69
5.1.7 Road Design ............................................................................................... 69
5.1.8 Security ...................................................................................................... 70
5.1.9 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 71
6. Vehicles......................................................................................................................... 72
6.1.1 Accessible / Low Floor Vehicles ............................................................... 72
6.1.2 Electrically Powered Transit Vehicles ....................................................... 73
6.1.3 Diesel Multiple Units ................................................................................. 75
6.1.4 Alternative Fuels ........................................................................................ 76
6.1.5 Alternative Configurations......................................................................... 76
6.1.6 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 80
7. Intermodal Provisions................................................................................................. 81
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7.1 Park and Ride Facilities ....................................................................................... 81
7.1.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 82
7.2 Bicycles................................................................................................................ 83
7.2.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 84
7.3 Intermodal Stations.............................................................................................. 84
7.3.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 88
7.4 Inter-modal “Transfer” Facilities......................................................................... 88
7.4.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration ............................................ 90
8. Next Steps..................................................................................................................... 91
9. Reference List .............................................................................................................. 92
Tables
Table 4-1: Definition of Agency Size .................................................................................... 49
Table 5-1: Transit Service Related to Density........................................................................ 61
Table 5-2: Transit Density Requirements .............................................................................. 62
Table 7-1: GO Lakeshore East Parking Utilization (July 2006 – June 2007) ........................ 82
Exhibits
Exhibit 2-1: Edmonton Transit Centre, Edmonton, AB - Canada ............................................ 2
Exhibit 2-2: Queue-Jump Lane Schematic ............................................................................. 14
Exhibit 2-3: Queue-Jump Facility with Right-Turn Lane, Brampton, ON............................. 14
Exhibit 2-4: Arterial HOV Lane, King County, WA - USA .................................................. 16
Exhibit 2-5: Freeway / Highway HOV Lane: San Francisco Bay Area, CA - USA .............. 17
Exhibit 2-6: Highway HOV Lane: Highway 404, Toronto, ON - Canada ............................. 17
Exhibit 2-7: Dedicated Median Transit Lane, Vancouver, BC – Canada............................... 19
Exhibit 2-8: Transit Lane, Portland, OR – USA..................................................................... 19
Exhibit 2-9: Grade-Separated (Open-Cut) Busway, Ottawa, ON - Canada ........................... 20
Exhibit 2-10: Grade Separated Heavy Rail Commuter Train, Toronto, ON - Canada........... 20
Exhibit 2-11: In-Vehicle Closed Circuit Television on “VIVA” BRT bus, York Region, ON -
Canada..................................................................................................................................... 22
Exhibit 2-12: On-Board Ticket Machine, Amsterdam, NL .................................................... 23
Exhibit 2-13: Transit Signal Priority....................................................................................... 24
Exhibit 2-14: “On-Line Trip Planner” – Mississauga Transit, ON - Canada ......................... 25
Exhibit 2-15: Product-Usage Market Segments and Size....................................................... 29
Exhibit 2-16: Examples of Local Bus Stop Designs in Germany........................................... 32
Exhibit 2-17: Bus Stop – Portland, Oregon ............................................................................ 33
Exhibit 2-18: Bus Stop with LED platform lights .................................................................. 33
Exhibit 2-19: Pedestrian Access to Surface Transit Stop ....................................................... 34
Exhibit 2-20: Level boarding between Platform and Transit Vehicle .................................... 35
Exhibit 2-21: Examples of Tactile Treatments at Transit Stops to Assist .............................. 35
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Exhibit 2-22: Accessible Bus Stops, Curitiba, Brazil ............................................................. 35
Exhibit 2-23: Mississauga Transit Terminal, Mississauga, ON - Canada .............................. 39
Exhibit 2-24: “American Plaza” LRT Terminal, San Diego, CA - USA ............................... 39
Exhibit 2-25: “Orange Line” Busway Station, Los Angeles, CA - USA ............................... 39
Exhibit 2-26: Shawnessy LRT Station, Calgary, AB - Canada .............................................. 40
Exhibit 2-27: Ohlone / Chynoweth LRT Station, San Jose, CA – USA................................. 40
Exhibit 2-28: “Way-Finding” Signs, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and New York City
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA NYC)............................................................. 41
Exhibit 3-1: Sample Halifax Metro Transit System Map with Fare Information................... 44
Exhibit 3-2: Sample Fare Brochure from LACMTA.............................................................. 45
Exhibit 3-3: Typical Ticket Vending Machine at “VIVA” BRT stops, York Region, ON -
Canada..................................................................................................................................... 46
Exhibit 3-4: Example of Touch-Screen Ticket Vending Machine, Paris - France ................. 47
Exhibit 4-1: Translink’s (Greater Vancouver Area) BRT services are branded “B-Line”
services and use buses with a unique colour scheme.............................................................. 51
Exhibit 4-2: Metro Transit (Halifax) branded its BRT services as “MetroLinx” ................... 51
Exhibit 4-3: The Massachusetts Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) in the Boston area brands
its BRT services as the “Silver Line”. .................................................................................... 52
Exhibit 5-1: TOD around Pleasant Hill BART station ........................................................... 59
Exhibit 5-2: Fruitvale Transit Village, Oakland CA - USA ................................................... 60
Exhibit 5-3: Transit-Oriented Development around a Rail Station ........................................ 60
Exhibit 5-4: Granville Street Transit Mall, Vancouver, BC - Canada.................................... 63
Exhibit 5-5: K Street Transit Mall – Sacramento, CA – USA................................................ 63
Exhibit 5-6: Transit Mall in Charlotte, NC - USA.................................................................. 64
Exhibit 5-7: Transit Mall in Downtown Bogota – Colombia ................................................. 64
Exhibit 5-8: Example of Isolated and Clustered Development .............................................. 65
Exhibit 5-9: Pedestrian access between building and the street. ............................................ 65
Exhibit 5-10: Primary transit corridor – e.g. served by light rail............................................ 66
Exhibit 5-11: Secondary transit corridor served by bus.......................................................... 66
Exhibit 6-1: BRT Vehicle, Las Vegas, NV - USA ................................................................. 72
Exhibit 6-2: Portland Streetcar................................................................................................ 73
Exhibit 6-3: Light Rail Vehicle in San Francisco, CA ........................................................... 74
Exhibit 6-4: Articulated Trolley Bus, Translink (Vancouver, BC) ........................................ 74
Exhibit 6-5: “O-Train” DMU in Ottawa, ON - Canada.......................................................... 75
Exhibit 6-6: DMU operated by New Jersey Transit ............................................................... 75
Exhibit 6-7: Inter-Regional Commuter Rail DMU, Munich – Germany................................ 76
Exhibit 6-8: Lane Transit (Eugene, OR – USA) Articulated Buses with Double-Sided Doors
................................................................................................................................................. 78
Exhibit 6-9: Double-Articulated bus is Utrecht, NL............................................................... 78
Exhibit 6-10: Light-rail train in Marseille, Le Mans, France ................................................. 79
Exhibit 6-11: Articulated Light Rail Vehicle in Paris, France................................................ 79
Exhibit 6-12: GO Transit and BC Transit in Victoria, BC both operate double-decker buses
in their fleets ........................................................................................................................... 80
Exhibit 6-13: Local Double Decker bus in New York City.................................................... 80
Exhibit 7-1: Bike Rack on Bus – Hamilton Street Railway, Hamilton, ON - Canada ........... 83
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Exhibit 7-2: Secure Bicycle Storage, Ajax GO Station .......................................................... 83
Exhibit 7-3: Bicycle Storage on LRT vehicle – Sacramento, CA - USA ............................... 84
Exhibit 7-4: Emeryville Station, CA....................................................................................... 85
Exhibit 7-5: Forth Worth Intermodal Transportation Center.................................................. 86
Exhibit 7-6: Entrance to La Defense Station .......................................................................... 87
Exhibit 7-7: Canary Wharf Station ......................................................................................... 87
Exhibit 7-8: Clareview LRT Station Layout – Edmonton, AB - Canada ............................... 89
Exhibit 7-9: Schematic of Inter-modal Transfer Facility........................................................ 89
Exhibit 7-10: Portland “MAX” Gateway, NE 99th Ave Station ............................................. 90
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Report Purpose
This Technical Paper is one of six background reports being developed for the Durham
Region Transit Long Term Transit Strategy (LTTS) project. The purpose of this report is to
provide the Regional Municipality of Durham (the Region) and Durham Region Transit
(DRT) with a set of national and international best practices used to increase transit ridership.
The report will also provide commentary on the potential applicability of each strategy to
DRT.
The implementation of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) policies and initiatives
to better manage traffic demand and to maximize the benefits of proposed roadway and
transit infrastructure is widely accepted practice within the transportation industry. The
strategies recommended by TDM practices typically result in an increase in transit usage.
TDM strategies are addressed in more detail in a separate background report developed for
the LTTS project – Task 1.2 Best Practices to Support Transportation Demand Management,
March 2009.
The information in this paper will be used in future tasks, (e.g. Task 5.3 Identifying
Alternative Transportation & Transit Strategies), to assist the Region with the identification
of strategic improvement options that will ensure DRT meets its’ short and long-term transit
growth and ridership objectives.
The recommendations presented in this report will be used to assess the future direction to be
undertaken by the Region. The recommendations presented are options that will be
considered as the project moves forward, at which further analysis will be required to
determine the viability of implementing these practices in the Region.
1.2 Report Outline
This report is structured as follows:
Section 2: Operating / Service Adjustments
Section 3: Fare Collection / Fare Policies
Section 4: Marketing / Communications
Section 5: Land Use
Section 6: Vehicles
Section 7: Intermodal Provisions
Section 8: Next Steps
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2. OPERATING / SERVICE ADJUSTMENTS
To encourage transit ridership, transit must be convenient and reliable, serving as a viable
travel mode for all trip purposes. This section outlines best operating and service adjustment
practices to encourage transit ridership in the Region.
2.1 Service Frequency and Connectivity
The more frequent the transit service, the more effective the service will be attracting new
riders to increase ridership levels. Service along key transit corridors, especially during peak
hours is essential to increasing transit use and attracting new customers. Frequent service not
only provides more convenient service to transit customers, it can also help to address
“latent-demand” which refers to persons who would consider transit, provided convenient
and timely service was available to them.
Given the urban and rural make up of the Region, some areas will not have the population
densities needed to make high-frequency service viable. Service increases and operating
investments can also be quite costly and may require significant capital investment;
therefore, “incremental” service improvement strategies, with a focus on initiatives that will
have significant positive effect on the transit network can be used.
These strategies include improving the quality of services offered, by providing:
Better on-time performance
Reduced transfer time
Co-ordination with neighbouring systems such as YRT, GO Transit and TTC
Each of these strategies focus on reducing travel time which encourages residents to use
transit alternatives rather than single-occupant vehicles.
The Edmonton Transit System (ETS) in the City
of Edmonton, Alberta uses a “timed-transfer-
system” (TTS) for its transit network. This system
consists of a network of transit lines that all
connect at various transit centres strategically
located at development nodes throughout the City.
All intersecting bus routes at a transit centre arrive
simultaneously, allowing for easy and convenient
transfers between several connecting routes; this
increases origin-destination satisfaction.
Source: www.panoramio.com/photo/340059
Exhibit 2-1: Edmonton Transit
Centre, Edmonton, AB - Canada
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TTS works efficiently on systems that operate with precise schedules, typically at 60, 30, 20
or 15 minute intervals. TTS systems have been successful in US cities such as Sacramento,
CA; Portland, OR; and other low-density, auto-oriented suburban areas that are difficult to
serve with conventional, independent transit lines. In Canada, similar TTS systems are
operated by Winnipeg Transit in Manitoba and Grand River Transit in the Region of
Waterloo. It is also important to recognize that DRT also operates a timed-transfer-system at
many of its terminals such as the Oshawa Centre and at GO stations throughout the Region.
Service improvements also include extending service hours and providing more off-peak
service during the midday, evenings and weekends. Municipalities like the Region of York,
the City of Brampton and even Durham Region have increased their transit service hours of
operation over the last few years and have seen an increase in ridership. By extending service
hours, there is less reliance on higher household auto ownership since the added hours target
more residents.
Following the implementation of high-frequency, all-day VIVA bus rapid transit service on
major corridors in York Region in 2005, York Region Transit and VIVA saw an increase of
10.8% in revenue ridership by the next year.1 Durham Region Transit also saw an increase in
ridership between 2006 and today following the introduction of extended service hours.
2.1.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Level of service refers to both hours of operation and frequency of service. The more hours
service is provided and the more frequent the service, the more effective transit will be.
However, fiscal responsibility dictates that care must be taken. Since financial resources can
be limited, a balance must be struck between increasing service levels to maximize ridership,
revenues and costs. The following are recommendations that address the various urban areas
of the DRT service area:
Higher Density Urban Area: Provide high-frequency service along key east-west and
north-south, inter-municipal transit corridors including Highway 2, Highway 7, Taunton
and Rossland Roads, Simcoe Street, Brock Road, and Brock Street
Sub-urban Areas: Co-ordinate local bus services with timed-transfer opportunities
available at major transfer points along key transit corridors and at major terminals and
GO Stations
Rural Areas: Provide minimum hours of operation and service with the appropriate
vehicle technology in a manner that provides schedule connectivity to other transit
services in a timely manner
All services: Ensure that routes are designed and schedules are developed that provide
connectivity between buses that minimizes customer wait times
1
http://www.york.ca/Publications/News/2006/September+21,+2006+YRT+Viva+Ridership+climbs+10.8+
per+cent+in+2006.htm
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2.2 Express Bus Service
There are typically two types of express bus services operated by transit agencies, point-to-
point express buses and limited stop express buses.
Point-to-point express bus services serve “point-to-point” demand by providing service
between two or more specific areas and generally not picking-up or dropping-off passengers
in between.
Examples of “Point-to-Point” express bus services include:
TTC’s “Premium express” bus services which operate during peak hours, serving
designated residential areas in the City then operate non-stop, sometimes utilizing 400-
series highway, to the downtown core
Corridor express buses such as the numerous express buses operated by TTC along
lengthy, heavily-travelled bus routes serving a particular corridor. These buses typically
operate during peak hours providing serving all stops along a certain portion of the route,
then operating non-stop along the same corridor to the route’s terminus
YRT’s express buses that operate non-stop between the Finch Subway Station and
various employment or residential areas in York Region, utilizing 400-series highways
Airport Express buses, operated in many cities, providing non stop service between an
airport and major transportation terminal and / or downtown area
Point-to-point express bus services are especially useful for serving commuter-traffic
between residential areas and major employment areas, commuter rail stations, central
business districts, or a unique destination such as an airport or stadium.
Limited-stop express buses generally follow the same route as a local bus but only stop at
major intersections and transfer points. Examples of “limited-stop” express bus services
include:
VIVA BRT routes in York Region which operate along major travel corridors throughout
the Region stopping only at major intersections, transfer points and stations. Stops along
VIVA routes are typically spaced every 1 km
Halifax’s Metro Transit “MetroLink” express buses which provide limited-stop service
between suburban centres and the downtown core
Translink (Greater Vancouver area) “B-Line” BRT routes which operate limited-stop
service between major suburban development nodes and downtown Vancouver or
“SkyTrain” stations
“Metro Rapid” (Los Angeles, CA) – limited-stop express buses that operate along major
arterial roads across the City, only stopping at transfer points. Bus stops have an average
spacing of 1 mile
Limited-stop bus routes are useful for long, heavily travelled routes where passenger capacity
may be limited. They also provide faster service along lengthy bus routes. Some express
buses include passenger amenities not found on conventional local transit buses such as
upholstered seating, wireless internet capabilities and televisions.
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2.2.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Express bus services connect people to major destinations quickly, relative to conventional
transit service, by eliminating stops that are infrequently used relative to the major
destinations along a corridor. The concept is simple and can be easily implemented using
current vehicle resources. In implementing either a point to point express bus service or
limited stop service, the express corridor is a step towards Bus Rapid Transit light services
without the infrastructure or technical requirements.
Express bus service can be implemented throughout the Region where demand, typically in
the 500 to 750 passengers per peak hour in the peak direction, warrants the service.
This study will examine the feasibility and demand for express bus service on the following
corridors in the Region:
Whites Road
Brock Road Extensions (North & South)
Westney Road
Harwood Road
Brock Street
Thickson Road
Harmony Road
Townline Road
Courtice Road
Rossland Road
Bayly-Victoria-Bloor
Conlin Road
Columbus Road / Baldwin Street
It should be noted, that some of the aforementioned corridors may exceed the passenger per
peak hour peak direction threshold of 750 and require BRT “Lite” services to effectively and
efficiently transport transit customers.
2.3 Flexible Community Service
2.3.1 Community Bus
Community bus service is an accessible fixed route service that connects several community
origins and destinations, such as seniors’ residences, community centres, medical centres and
shopping malls on one route. Routes are generally indirect with longer travel times and are
designed to serve a market where directness of travel and frequency of service are not
important. Service frequencies tend to be longer and are typically provided on an hourly
basis or can operate up to every two hours during the off-peak periods. Community buses are
accessible and operate on a fixed route and schedule to provide service reliability.
Community buses can operate during peak periods as well, where feasible. By only operating
in the off-peak periods, buses can be redirected from the conventional transit peak hour fleet
when the number of buses needed is reduced; as such, there are no additional capital costs
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and only variable operating costs are incurred. Additional details on transit vehicles are
provided in Section 6.
2.3.2 Vanpools / Ridesharing
Sometimes called “para-transit”, vanpools are the “midway” point between public transit and
carpools2. Vanpools are typically defined as vans (and in some rare instances small buses and
other vehicles) that operate in a ridesharing agreement, providing transportation for 5 to 15
individuals travelling directly between their homes and a regular destination within the same
geographical area. Research indicates that vanpools can either complement transit services or
even replace underutilized transit routes. The average trip distances characteristic to vanpools
are frequently beyond local transit agencies catchment areas. Lower operating costs allow
them to operate in areas not viable for conventional transit, areas with non-supportive transit
densities or ridership patterns.
Vanpools have been operating across North America for over 40 years. However, most
existing vanpool programs in Canada are employer-operated, with vans insured by the
employer and employees forming and operating the vanpools. The Ford Motor Company in
St. Thomas, ON, the Polysar Corporation in Sarnia, ON and Ontario Ministries of Energy
and Transportation operate similar vanpool programs. The Jack Bell Rideshare (JBR)
program in British Columbia provides rideshare car and vanpool services to the general
public to a number of employment sites in the Vancouver area. Funds required to cover JBR
administration costs of the rideshare programs (vanpool and carshare) are provided by
Translink (Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority) and BC Transit outside of the
Greater Vancouver area. However, there are legislative barriers in Ontario preventing third-
party operation of vanpool services, limiting their operation to employer-provided vans.
The trend in the United States is for employers to include the involvement of Transportation
Management Associations and third-party operators, such as transit providers, to look after
vanpool operations. There are numerous successful third-party vanpool programs operating
in the United States. King County Metro, Washington, is the largest public vanpool system in
the U.S. Initiated in 1985, it has grown from 127 vans and 720,500 annual unlinked
passenger trips in 1985 to 686 vans and 1,749,200 annual unlinked passenger trips in 2002.
MichiVan is a vanpool program run by the Michigan Department of Transportation and fully
contracted out to VPSI Inc. (a U.S.-based private vanpool operator). As of June 2005, the
program ran 133 vanpools and had 1,103 customers3.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) implemented a ridesharing program for the
construction of the local Hartsville Nuclear Plant during the 1980’s. During the 10 year
construction period where as many as 6,000 employees were working at the site, the
2
Le Group Conseil, Preliminary Assessment of the Potential for Vanpooling in the Region of Ottawa-Carleton,
Bronson Consulting Group, September 14, 2000, p.1
3
Ibid, pg.29.
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ridesharing program initiated there included 132 vans and 17 buses, which transported 56%
of all the day shift workers4.
The State of New Jersey offers a state-wide Vanpool Sponsorship Program through New
Jersey Transit with the objective of subsidizing vanpooling in areas where lower densities
make public transit impractical. Vanpool operations cannot duplicate service patterns already
offered by public transit but can be used to replace underutilized transit routes5 or can be
initiated in areas where public transit may not be feasible.
The Pace Suburban Bus Service outside Chicago, IL provides vanpool service in Cook
County and has a fleet of over 420 vans (2002). Pace vanpools follow Pace-designated routes
with transfers allowed between vans and buses. Nearly 80% of the vanpool routes were
routed suburb-to-suburb with the remaining routes serving the city-to-suburb reverse
commute market. Suburb-to-downtown service was provided by high quality conventional
transit6. Competition with fixed route transit service in other areas has not been identified as a
problem.
Vanpool users from one place of employment are typically gathered in groups per van
according to the home area or pick-up points. These are referred to as “ride clusters” and
these clusters may gather in such locations as a park and ride lot or shopping centre.
The typical characteristics of a vanpool are as follows:
Average vanpool trip lengths are between 20 and 100 km and / or longer than average
commuting distances
Vanpools can originate from the home, from a carpool lot or other designated meeting
place
In general, most vanpoolers have access to a private vehicle for their commute but choose
not to drive alone to work
Most vanpoolers are fixed schedule workers
2.3.3 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Vanpooling / ridesharing can be an effective means of providing public transit service to
large areas with low population density.
Research in other jurisdictions shows that third-party vanpool operations, either non-profit,
for-profit or in cooperation between public and private entities, can thrive in a more mature
market with higher awareness and a well-established, low-risk market of core ridership.
Vanpools can compliment transit services or replace underutilized routes.
Previously, Whitby Transit operated a “Dial-A-Ride” service in conjunction with local taxi
operators that allowed conventional transit customers to transfer to local taxis that would
4
Stokey, Stan, Wegmann, Frederick, Menendez, Katalin, and Whitney, Tom, ‘Ridesharing at Construction
Sites: TVA Experience’, Transportation Research Record 823, 1981, pg.22
5
Le Group Conseil, Preliminary Assessment of the Potential for Vanpooling in the Region of Ottawa-Carleton,
Bronson Consulting Group, September 14, 2000, p.1
6
J.E. Evans, H. Pratt, p.5-12
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meet buses at designated transfer points, or vice-versa. This was a demand-responsive service
for areas with low passenger demand that did not warrant conventional transit operations.
The LTTS will investigate the applicability of utilizing a similar type service in the rural
areas to meet ridership demand. The following services will be considered as part of the
ongoing analysis:
“Train-meet” or “Bus-Meet” vanpool / ridersharing programs providing service between
rural hamlets and major transit stops or terminals throughout Durham
An effective communication strategy and registration tool to co-ordinate, structure and
time vanpool routes
Highly successful vanpool programs operated throughout North America include those
operated by transit authorities or third-parties, such as an employer. However, current legal
obstacles at the provincial level, including the Public Vehicles Act (PVA) limit the ability for
vanpools to flourish in Ontario. Existing PVA legislature prevents transit authorities from
operating and insuring vanpool programs, while third-party vanpool programs are only
accepted if the vehicles are provided by employers and vanpool operations are within a single
municipality. Changes to existing legislature and the PVA would allow for the more-
successful implementation of vanpool programs in Durham Region and across Ontario.
2.4 Route Structuring
Transit networks should be designed in a way that attracts as many customers as possible –
captive and choice, with choice transit customers being the largest potential market. The
design of transit networks and the structure of routes directly influence customer attraction.
Transit systems are continually restructuring their routes to improve service effectiveness and
efficiency in response to changes in population.
Most route restructuring modifications undertaken by transit agencies include:
Redesigning routes for efficiency (doing more with the same or less) and effectiveness
(attracting more customers)
Simplifying routes for user-friendliness and to provide more direct service between
points
Eliminating unproductive service ore replace with lower cost service alternatives;
Redirecting obsolete service
Eliminating route deviations
Co-ordinating radial / grid routes
Creating tiered systems of transit (hierarchy of services / family of services)
Focusing service on major transit nodes (i.e. activity centres7) and corridors
Other commonly-reported route restructuring methods include new services to meet the
specific needs, such as suburb-to-suburb commuter travel, seasonal tourism, welfare-to-work
transportation and medical transportation.
7
Survey of Successful Transit Systems: What Do the Experts Think Explains Ridership Growth? – Route
ReStructuring, pg. 59
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OMINTRANS, serving the Riverside, CA, a vast area with low population density,
underwent a major route restructuring procedure that saw service increases in core areas and
a reduced emphasis on serving radial areas, resulting in fewer transfers required for many
customers. Although the total levels of service did not increase, ridership increased
dramatically following the restructuring of the system.8
Recently, Brampton Transit restructured its bus network from a radial to a grid-based system
in 2005 to simplify routes and act as a precursor to high-order rapid transit services along
major arterial roads, with local bus services feeding higher-order transit lines at major
intersections. Brampton Transit has since seen a dramatic increase in ridership growth.
Similar to what is being proposed in the City of Brampton, York Region Transit (YRT) has
restructured many of its local bus routes to feed VIVA bus rapid transit lines on major
corridors throughout the Region. As part of YRT’s 5-year service plan, YRT is currently
restructuring its local bus routes to enhance connections to the VIVA network along major
corridors.
YRT / VIVA also operates a “tiered” transit network consisting of:
VIVA – higher-order bus rapid transit serving major corridors in the Region;
Base Grid – serving other major and secondary arterials in the Region, with connections
provided to VIVA services
Local Services – serving local subdivisions and specific areas, connecting either to VIVA
services and / or Base Grid Routes
Express Routes – providing point express service between specific areas of the region,
serving point-to-point demand
Shuttles – short, direct routes serving GO stations, VIVA stations and major employment
sites in the Region
Community Buses – that operate either as fixed routes or demand-responsive routes to
improve the effectiveness of poor-performing routes
Numerous transit systems across Canada and abroad operate “tiered” transit networks. One
such system, Translink in Vancouver, British Columbia, operates a hierarchy of local bus
routes, many of which connect to various “B-line” bus rapid transit lines throughout the City.
They also operate express buses between designated areas of the City and the downtown
core, with all bus services feeding into the “SkyTrain” rapid transit rail lines.
The City of Los Angeles “Metro” transit agency operates one subway and 3 light rail, 3 bus
transitway routes and nearly 200 local bus services. The backbone of the transit network
includes the subway and light rail lines which radiate out of the downtown core and the bus
transitway lines which feed the rail lines. Many bus routes feed into these rail lines; however,
given the vast size of the Los Angeles area and the fact that many trips on the system are not
downtown-based, Metro also operates a hierarchy of three different bus services, “Metro
Local”, “Metro Rapid” and “Metro Express”.
“Metro Local” buses are painted orange and provide frequent-stop service along major
arterial roads and communities in the Los Angeles Region.
8
Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in the 1990’s, pg 95
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“Metro Rapid” buses are painted red and provide high-frequency (typically every 15 minutes
or less), limited-stop service along major arterial roads, usually in parallel with Metro Local
routes, stopping only at major intersections and transfer points. Metro Rapid routes cover the
entire City including multiple cross-town services and routes to areas that are not be served
by rail lines. This network is especially useful at serving trips that are not originating or
destined to downtown Los Angeles.
“Metro Express” buses are painted dark blue and are premium-express routes that operate
with very few stops providing point-to-point service between various areas of the City. Metro
express route typically utilize the freeway network in the City.
The network structure for the City of Edmonton’s transit system includes a series of high
frequency bus routes operating along major corridors throughout the city between various
transit terminals. Local feeder buses are connected to high-frequency routes at the transit
terminals, while both higher-frequency and local bus routes connect to the city’s light rail
line.
2.4.1 Existing Route Structure in Durham Region
The network structure of many bus routes in Durham Region, especially in Pickering and
Ajax are “radial” based with many bus routes operating out of specific transit terminals in the
Region such as GO Stations or Shopping Centre bus terminals.
Although many of DRT’s bus routes are local routes serving a specific area of the Region,
many routes also “double” as “shuttle services” providing Toronto-bound commuters with
local transit access to and from GO stations. DRT also operates a number of “High School
Special” routes to serve students traveling to and from school.
2.4.2 Warrants for New Transit Service
As the Region grows and new residential subdivisions develop, public transit services should
be provided to those areas as soon as possible. This will allow new residents to establish a
mode choice based on transit availability. Guidelines used by other municipalities suggest
transit should be introduced when there are at least 400 households or a population of 1,000
that are beyond a 400 to 500 metre walk (5 minutes) to a transit stop or route. Transit
services are typically introduced to new areas in the following manner, identifying the
targeted market:
Priority 1: School Specials (students and some workers)
Priority 2: Peak period service (workers)
Priority 3: Off-peak weekday service (shopping, medical, leisure, other)
Priority 4: Weekday evening service (worker, shopping, leisure, other)
Priority 5: Weekend evening service (some workers, leisure, other)
It is also important to recognize that as residents locate to new subdivisions, auto ownership
decisions are made prior to moving. If service is not available (i.e. criteria not met for
conventional transit service), higher auto ownership is likely. For example, if service is
available (i.e. during the peak), regardless of the vehicle type, the opportunity exists to
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prevent the household from purchasing that second or third vehicle. In this regard, it is easier
to attract that resident to transit than it would be to convince them to switch to transit when
service is finally warranted. Every effort should be made to extend existing service to
developing subdivisions by restructuring or streamlining nearby routes. Alternatively, other
demand responsive or fixed route peak services should be explored.
2.4.3 Recommendations for Further Consideration
The LTTS will conduct further analysis to determine if DRT should introduce or build on
existing strategies that provide for:
A “tiered” network and hierarchy of transit services
Higher-order transit services on major inter-municipal corridors such as Taunton Road,
Highway 7, Highway 2 and Highway 407
Restructuring the route network to a grid-based system with local services connecting to
higher-order transit lines
Express bus services to existing and proposed employment areas throughout the region
from major transit terminals and centres, such as GO stations
Expanded community bus services and demand-responsive/ alternative service routes,
especially in the northern municipalities of the region, connecting to other fixed transit
routes
Introduce transit service into new development areas based on recommended warrants
described in Section 2.4.2
Introduce fixed-route low cost services to new developments before conventional transit
service is warranted in order to influence mode choice and mitigate higher auto
ownership levels
2.5 Service Monitoring
2.5.1 Performance Measures
Performance measures monitor how well transit service is performing at a specific time and
certain measures determine if goals are being met, not being met or exceeded.9
The three main indicators typically used to assess a transit system’s performance at a system-
wide level are:
1. Ridership per capita
2. Cost-recovery ratio
3. Revenue hours per capita
Definitions of these performance measures are provided in Chapter 6 of the Transportation
Conditions and Trends Report. All three of these performance measures must be considered
together when measuring system performance and not individually since improvements to
one usually come at the expense of another’s performance.
9
TCRP Report 88, A Guidebook for Developing a Transit Performance-Measurement System, Transportation
Research Board, Service Monitoring (pg. 26)
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The following performance measures are typically used by transit agencies to assess
individual routes:
Service Effectiveness: a measure of the number of revenue passengers per capita
Service Performance: a measure of the number of revenue or total boardings by kilometre
or by hour
Economic Performance: a measure of the cost-recovery ratio from fares
Level of Service Measure: the number of service hours provided per capita
Maximum Load Point: the maximum load along a route that determines the need for
more frequent service or ‘specials’ that can be used as ‘doubleheaders’ to ensure
customers are not left behind
Directness of Service Ratio: the end point to endpoint distances based on the route
travelway distance versus the straight line distance
2.5.1.1 Current Monitoring
Transit service monitoring is limited to periodic ‘ride-check’ surveys to provide route section
travel times and passenger boardings and alightings (ons and offs) by bus stop on a typical
weekday. The data is complemented by revenue data that is collected by route using
registering fareboxes. The information that can be generated from this data is ridership by
route, load profiles along a route and schedule adherence. Due to the high cost and
significant staff effort to collect and analyze a sample weekday route network profile,
surveys are generally undertaken infrequently (i.e. annually or every 2 or 3 years), which
does not provide for seasonal variations or Saturday and Sunday data collection.
Ride check surveys are generally complemented by supervisor checks throughout the year to
identify issues, investigate further and develop solutions.
2.5.1.2 GTHA PRESTO Farecard
DRT will soon have ‘smart card’ (GTA PRESTO farecard) capabilities on all buses. The
PRESTO card is intended to replace all forms of fare payment with the exception of cash
fares, and will likely be used by approximately 70% of all customers. By tying the on-board
Farecard Transaction Processor (FTP), which is the PRESTO card reader, to an Automatic
Vehicle Location (AVL) device on the bus, DRT would have the ability to track individual
card or total boardings (revenue and transfers) by route and by time of day. The cash fares
would be deposited in the registering fareboxes. Integration of the registering farebox with an
on-board PRESTO Fare card transaction processor (FTP) reader, would provide boarding
data for the remainder of the passengers.
This additional source of data will be a benefit to transit planners and schedulers since they
would be able to better fine-tune route designs and schedules. Increased cost efficiencies
through route redesign and vehicle allocation can be realized and enhanced service
effectiveness can be maximized by potentially reducing customer travel times. In essence,
DRT will have the capability to monitor origins and (to some degree) destinations for all
PRESTO card users by any time period and day of week. It will also provide planners with
demographic information (if registered by the card user), enabling DRT to monitor behaviour
over time. This will enhance accuracy when predicting transit use in the future.
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2.5.1.3 Automatic Passenger Counters
Given the advent of lower cost Automated Passenger Counter (APC) technologies, DRT will
have the ability to provide passenger load data in an offline system (uploaded when vehicle
returns to garage). Since back-end software is currently available through scheduling
software, the database being used can be exported to integrate with the APC data to generate
route performance reports.
2.5.2 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Given the advent of the APC and GPS technologies, it is recommended that DRT purchase
and install Automated Passenger Counters on 10% of its fleet and equip all buses with
PRESTO farecard readers and AVL capabilities. This could be in place prior to the full
rollout of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies (discussed further Section 2.7).
The APCs can be rotated throughout the transit network on a continual basis to provide a
10% sample on all services provided by day of week. The effort will require DRT to develop
a database management system to warehouse the data for off-line review and processing,
recognizing that this wealth of information is expected to provide DRT with enhanced
decision-making tools to provide more efficient and effective service.
As part of the LTTS, transit technologies required to support the target operational
performance measures will be defined. These may include APC’s, AVL and other ITS
components. Such technologies will require DRT to develop a database management system
to warehouse the data for offline viewing and processing. However, the wealth of
information potentially gathered will help DRT in its decision making to determine future
service demand.
2.6 Transit Priority Treatments
Unreliable schedules, infrequent service and slow travel speeds are major deterrents to transit
use. Transit services in mixed traffic operations are often prone to these operating conditions
and are subjected to delays caused by traffic signals and other road users, which can
contribute to slow transit vehicle travel speeds, unreliable and unpredictable service.
In an effort to improve mixed-traffic transit operations, many jurisdictions across Canada and
the world have implemented “transit-priority” measures throughout their systems. Since
transit priority treatments are precursors to full BRT applications, the treatments can be
referred to as “BRT-lite”. Examples of BRT-lite / transit-priority “best practices” used are
outlined in the following sections. Note Transit Signal Priority (TSP) is discussed in Section
2.7
2.6.1 Queue-Jump Lanes
Queue-jump lanes typically consist of an additional travel lane on the approach to a
signalized intersection that is reserved for transit vehicles. The intent of this lane is to allow
for transit vehicles to by-pass vehicle queues on an approach to an intersection and “cut” to
the front of the queue, minimizing delays to transit vehicles. Queue-jump facilities can also
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consist of extended right-turn lanes that are shared by all motor-vehicles, but allow for transit
vehicles to proceed straight through the intersection (from the right-turn lane), by-passing
vehicle queues from through-traffic. A schematic illustration of a queue-jump lane is shown
in Exhibit 2-2.
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queue_Jump_-_Continued_Lane.png
Exhibit 2-2: Queue-Jump Lane Schematic
Transit Signal Priority (TSP) measures (refer to Section 2.7.6) used in conjunction with
queue-jump lanes can also help minimize delays to transit vehicles at intersections and
improve transit-vehicle speeds.
These measures allow for transit vehicles to by-pass vehicles queues from through-traffic and
utilize TSP to cross an intersection. By placing bus-stops on the far-side of the intersection,
transit-vehicles can fully utilize these transit-priority measures when passing through an
intersection and not have to stop on the near-side of an intersection to collect or discharge
passengers. An example of an existing queue-jump facility is illustrated in Exhibit 2-3.
Source: iTRANS
Exhibit 2-3: Queue-Jump Facility with Right-Turn Lane, Brampton, ON
Queue-jump facilities are excellent short-term, cost-effective strategies to improve surface
transit operations along major arterials. As indicated in the Task 1.4 Background
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Transportation and Trends Report, there is an increasing demand for inter-municipal travel
within the Durham Region. This will mean increased inter-municipal transit service
throughout the Region. These transit-priority measures should be considered, especially
along inter-municipal transit routes which are typically more susceptible to delays due to
their length, mixed-traffic operations, high passenger use and frequent stops. Transit-priority
measures can help minimize delays and improve schedule adherence, improving the
efficiency of surface transit operations.
2.6.2 Curb-Space Management
Curb space management refers to practices that are put into place to better manage curb-
space traffic, by increasing capacity and minimizing delays. In regards to transit operations,
curb-space management practice may include on-street parking restrictions in curb-lanes to
allow for transit vehicle operations. Other practices include the use of High-Occupancy
Vehicle (HOV) lanes are detailed in Section 2.6.3.
Curb-space management also includes the support of economic activities in the along
roadways to ensure that traffic operations do not negatively impact the operation of adjacent
land uses. This is especially important in built up areas where developments front onto road
rights-of-way.
The Rosslyn area located in Arlington County, Virginia, USA implemented the following
curb-management practices to improve transit operations and overall traffic management:
Maximizing the use of curb space for short-term uses such as bus stops and taxi stands
Directing long-term curb space users such as employees and visitors, service and delivery
vehicles, Zipcar and other related short-time use or rental vehicles to off-street parking
and loading areas
Undertake a more detailed examination of the current number and use of all on-street and
off-street parking spaces in the Rosslyn area, with usage studies focusing on the average
space occupancy, duration of use, and trip purpose of those vehicles using these parking
spaces
Establish a more formal process for controlling and monitoring the allocation and use of
all on-street curb space including both increased controls over the use of roadway
pavement curb spaces for short-term parking, service and delivery operations, and access
to off-street parking facilities as well as the provision of accessible pathways along
sidewalks and other pedestrian and bicycle movement corridors.10
2.6.3 High Occupancy Vehicle Priority
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) priority refers to strategies that give HOV vehicles priority
over single-occupant vehicles (SOV). HOV priority treatments include:11
HOV lanes, highways and arterial roads
High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes
Busways (refer to Section 2.6.5)
10
Rosslyn Multimodal Transportation Plan, Draft Final Report, March 2008
11
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm19.htm
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Queue-jump lanes and intersection modifications (refer to Section 2.6.1)
Streetscaping improvements
2.6.3.1 High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are designated travel lanes reserved for vehicles with
multiple passengers. HOV lanes on urban arterial roads are typically reserved for vehicles
with 2 or 3 passengers and more, including transit vehicles, taxis and cyclists. They are
usually located in the curb lane. The restrictions applied to HOV lanes limit the number of
vehicles that can utilize the HOV lane which can result in less congested conditions when
compared to general purpose lanes. Less-congested conditions allow for increased travel
speeds and reduced delays for transit vehicles.
Arterial road HOV lanes are best suited for local or limited-stop transit services on routes
with numerous stops. Arterial HOV lanes should be considered along major transportation
corridors in Durham as designated in the Region’s Official Plan and Metrolinx’s Regional
Transportation Plan. Appropriate roadways include Highway 2, Taunton Road, Brock Road
and Highway 7.
HOV lanes on major freeways typically have the same vehicle restrictions as those on arterial
roads, but are usually located in the median lanes of freeways and do not pick up or drop off
passengers unless bus bays and or passenger platforms are provided.
Streetscaping improvements include changes to curb lanes and boulevards to better suit HOV
and transit vehicles, such as improved bus stops and bus pullouts.
Source : http://your.kingcounty.gov/kcdot/news/thisweekarch/2004/tw091304_savestime.htm
Exhibit 2-4: Arterial HOV Lane, King County, WA - USA
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Source: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/transactions/ta11-1204/vision.htm
Exhibit 2-5: Freeway / Highway HOV Lane: San Francisco Bay Area, CA - USA
Source: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=157879
Exhibit 2-6: Highway HOV Lane: Highway 404, Toronto, ON - Canada
Freeway HOV lanes are best suited for inter-municipal or inter-regional “express-bus” or
“commuter” services. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) has long-term plans
to install HOV lanes on Highway 401 between Pickering and Oshawa sometime after 2016.
These would benefit inter-municipal and inter-regional transit services using the Highway
401 corridor.
2.6.3.2 High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes
High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes are an expansion of the HOV lane concept. HOT lanes
can be used by high-occupancy vehicles and low-occupancy vehicles, however, low-
occupant vehicles must pay a toll. High-occupancy vehicles can use HOT lanes free of
charge.
Tolls typically vary throughout the day based on vehicle demands on the roadway in an effort
to keep HOT lanes “congestion-free”, even during peak periods. This can be done by
increasing tolls during peak periods to limit the number of low-occupancy vehicles using the
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HOT lanes when roadway demands are at their highest, and similarly reducing tolls during
off-peak periods when vehicle demands are not as high. Many metropolitan areas in the
United States currently use HOT lanes on their highways, including Orange County and San
Diego in California, Harris County, Texas and Washington D.C., Virginia.
HOT lanes are typically limited-access and barrier-separated from general purpose lanes.
Most HOT lanes are created within existing general-purpose lanes on highways and utilize
sophisticated electronic toll collection and traffic information systems to make variable, real-
time toll pricing for low-occupancy vehicles possible, such as through variable message
signs.
Case studies show that HOT lanes are most effective on roadways that are heavily congested
during peak periods and have been shown to increase vehicle speeds and reduce travel times
along congested roadways.
The implementation of HOT lanes on congested corridors throughout the Region, such as
Highway 401, could increase the speed of transit vehicles using the 401, such as GO Transit
express buses. Increased transit vehicle speeds and more reliable transit service could result
in an increase in transit ridership since transit vehicles using HOT lanes would provide faster
travel speeds through congested corridors.
2.6.4 Dedicated Transit Lanes
Dedicated transit lanes are motor-vehicle lanes reserved for transit vehicles only and not any
other multiple-occupant motor-vehicles. Dedicated transit lanes bring obvious benefits to
transit operations such as increased travel speed, improved schedule reliability and often
times, improved image, especially in regards to bus operations. When transit operations are
physically separated from other motor vehicle traffic, their operations can become
competitive with some auto trips. These improvements can help to maintain existing
customers and attract new customers by providing transit services.
Many cities in North America experienced immediate reversals in downward passenger
trends following the implementation of improved transit service, segregated from other
motor-vehicle traffic. The cities of Vancouver, BC; Madison, Wisconsin and Portland,
Oregon all experienced an annual increase in transit ridership between 10% and 30% for
several years after implementation of a dedicated transit corridor.12
12
Vuchic, Urban Transit, Systems and Technology – Highway Transit: Bus, Trolleybus and Bus RapidTransit –
Section 5.3 Travel Ways, page 242
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Source: www.fta.dot.gov/assistance/technology/research_4374.html
Vancouver’s B-Line bus lanes in the median of a major arterial road have improved transit operations and
increase ridership. The busway has since been demolished and is being replaced with a heavy rail transit line.
Exhibit 2-7: Dedicated Median Transit Lane, Vancouver, BC – Canada
Source: Peter Elrich www.world.nycsbway.org
Dedicated transit lanes in Portland, Oregon for LRT operations have contributed to increased transit ridership.
Exhibit 2-8: Transit Lane, Portland, OR – USA
Transit systems in London, England; Paris, France and many other European cities
experienced similar results in ridership.
2.6.5 Grade-Separated Transit Facilities
Grade-separated transit facilities are transit lines whose operations are completely separated
from all other forms of motor-vehicle traffic. They include exclusive at-grade rights-of-way
(where protected at-grade crossings may be present), elevated structures, below-grade
facilities such as an “open-cut” or tunnelled sections. Grade-separated transit facilities are
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most beneficial for inter-municipal or inter-regional transit lines that are fairly extensive in
length and have far station-spacings (typically greater than 500 m).
Grade-separated transit facilities are typically used for high-speed rail-based transit modes
such as commuter rail lines like GO Transit and subways. However, numerous Light rail
Transit (LRT) and Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems utilize grade-separated facilities.
Source: flickr.com/photos/11991855@N02/2043536767
Exhibit 2-9: Grade-Separated (Open-Cut) Busway, Ottawa, ON - Canada
Source: GO Transit www.gotransit.com/public/en/news/goexpansion.htm
Exhibit 2-10: Grade Separated Heavy Rail Commuter Train, Toronto, ON - Canada
Grade-separation allows for transit services to operate at high-speeds and cover long
distances in a relatively short period of time when compared to local transit services.
Separating transit services from other motor-vehicle traffic also allows for more reliable
service with better schedule adherence.
2.6.6 Recommendations for Further Consideration
As indicated in the Background Transportation and Trends Report, there is an increasing
demand for inter-municipal travel within the Region. Therefore, transit-priority measures
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should be considered along inter-municipal transit routes which are typically more
susceptible to delays due to their length, mixed-traffic operations, high passenger use and
frequent stops. Transit-priority measures can help minimize delays and improve schedule
adherence, improving the efficiency of surface transit operations.
Grade-separated transit lines would be most beneficial in the Region of Durham for inter-
municipal and inter-regional transit services across the Region and to adjacent municipalities.
This includes the Highway 407 transitway, proposed along Highway 407 across Durham and
into York Region.
2.7 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are a broad set of devices, facilities and or processes
that utilize computer and other electronic technology devices for the control and efficient
operation of transportation systems.13 ITS involves the application of information and
communications technology to transportation infrastructure and vehicles. ITS technology is
typically used to monitor and control transit operations, monitor fare collection, collect
statistical data and to for passenger information systems.
2.7.1 CAD / AVL (Computer Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle
Location)
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) are among the first
ITS applications for transit. They enable transit managers to optimize on-time performance,
improve planning, and locate vehicles in times of emergencies.
AVL is a means for automatically determining the geographic location of a vehicle and
transmitting the information to a requester. AVL systems use sophisticated global positioning
systems (GPS) devices to monitor the location of each bus and determine whether it is ahead
of, on or behind schedule. AVL is a powerful tool for managing fleets of vehicles (buses and
trains). It is also used to track mobile assets, such as non wheeled construction equipment,
non motorized trailers, and mobile power generators.
2.7.2 Automatic Passenger Counters (APC)
Automated passenger counters (APC) collect comprehensive information on passenger
occupancy levels, and offer an affordable alternative to labour-intensive manual methods.
Infrared or ultrasound sensors register passengers as they board or disembark each vehicle,
and information is stored in an on board computer until it is automatically downloaded to a
central database when the vehicle returns to the depot. APC systems are most effective when
integrated with AVL systems, so that passenger occupancy data can be tied to precise
locations along a route.
13
Vukan R. Vuchic, Urban Transit Systems and Technology – Transportation System Definitions and
Classification, Transit System Components (pg. 53)
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2.7.3 Special Vehicle Amenities
In an effort to keep transit vehicle up-to-date, retain existing transit customers and encourage
ridership growth, many special vehicle amenities are being installed on transit vehicles to
improve the transit-riding experience.
Some basic standard features include:
Automated next-stop displays and announcements
Climate control, (heating and air conditioning)
Low-floor and multiple door boarding/alighting
Stop request buttons and cords that can be reached from a seated position
Some additional amenities include television monitors as illustrated in Exhibit 2-11 on the
VIVA system in York Region, which allow customers to view the local news and weather
during their commute. WiFi is also a very popular and attractive amenity.
Source: www.pandagator.info/images/toronto/viva.JPG
Exhibit 2-11: In-Vehicle Closed Circuit Television on “VIVA” BRT bus, York Region,
ON - Canada
Single and double-articulated buses operating on BRT routes in Amsterdam, NL feature on-
board ticket machines, allowing passengers to by their tickets while in transit as illustrated in
Exhibit 2-12.
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Source: www.citytransport.info/Buses03.htm
Exhibit 2-12: On-Board Ticket Machine, Amsterdam, NL
2.7.4 In-Vehicle Maps and Traveler Information
In vehicle maps and accurate traveller information plays in important role in transit
reliability. Many cities around the world have provided transit information on website, which
provides information on buses and trains schedules. A web based trip planner allows riders to
select their best travel option on their choice of Transit. Next-station announcements are
automatically displayed and announced on buses. Transit route maps helps riders to quickly
find their destination.
2.7.5 Security Features
Live video cameras or video surveillance cameras and driver panic buttons installed on mass
transit vehicles can potentially help prevent crimes or attacks or at least mitigate their
severity by accelerating the emergency response. TTC have installed CCTV cameras at select
bus stops and stations which are linked to the collector booths. These cameras provide
increased safety and security of driver and transit rider.
2.7.6 Transit-Signal Priority (TSP) Systems
Transit signal priority systems have been installed in many jurisdictions throughout the world
to improve schedule reliability and decrease transit travel times. Transit signal priority, or
TSP, allows specially equipped transit vehicles to communicate with an approaching traffic
signal and “hold” the green display, allowing for the transit vehicle through the intersection.14
It should be noted that TSP is a “priority” process that modifies the normal signal operation
to better accommodate transit vehicles, rather than a “pre-emptive” process that interrupts
normal signal operations. This process is illustrated in Exhibit 2-13.
14
http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/news/picturearch/pw010212_TSP.htm
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Source: http://transit.metrokc.gov/up/archives/2001/tsp.html
Exhibit 2-13: Transit Signal Priority
TSP has also been shown to increase transit travel speeds and reduce delays, improving the
on-time performance of transit vehicles. Transit priority can be implemented in a variety of
ways including passive priority, early green (red truncation), green extensions and actuated
transit phases.
2.7.7 ITS Case Studies
Numerous transit agencies across Canada have implemented ITS features in their transit
systems in an effort to improve service. Applications of ITS features in transit systems
include15:
York Region Transit (YRT) / VIVA – The initial stage of the VIVA program included
the installation of CAD / AVL (Computer Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location)
and Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) system on all VIVA buses. YRT also
installed Ticket Vending Machines at all VIVA stops and initiated a proof-of-payment
approach to fare payment (see Section 3 for more information on fare strategies)
The City of Kelowna, BC – working to integrate the City and Provincial traffic signal
systems under a central traffic control to minimize traffic delays and incorporate transit
signal priority
The City of Guelph, ON – Deploying an advanced transit management system to assist
Guelph Transit in providing efficient and cost-effective service to maintain good
customer satisfaction and service reliability
Mississauga Transit, ON – Adding a transit signal priority system within Mississauga
Transit’s Smart Vehicle initiative, which will allow for vehicle tracking, automatic
passenger counting and status monitoring
Societe de Transport de Laval, QC – Implementing GPS technology to enhance service
and provision of real-time information to travellers
15
http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2005/05-h001e.htm
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Halifax Regional Municipality, NS – Implementing a pilot deployment for bus rapid
transit as an initial step to an integrated corporate vehicle tracking and communication
system
British Columbia Transit, BC – Implementing a real-time bus arrival notification system
for transit passengers for the Victoria handyDART accessible transportation service,
which serves seniors and disabled passengers
Brampton Transit, ON - As part of its AcceleRide Program, all AcceleRide buses will be
equipped with the SmartBus transit technologies including:
• CAD / AVL (Computer Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location),
• APC (Automatic Passenger Counters)
• PRESTO Fare Collection equipment (including fare card transaction processors and
transfer printers)
In addition to the on-vehicle technologies, Brampton will be implementing a number of
on-street and back-office systems including:
• Security Surveillance (on Vehicles, in terminals and in select stations)
• Traveler Information (Static and real-time data) to telephones, personal data assistants
(PDAs), cell phones, and web
• Variable Message Signs (VMS) on-board vehicles and at stations and terminals
• Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
• Local and Wide-area Communications subsystem
• Central System which will provide a critical Data Management function
Source: Mississauga Transit
Exhibit 2-14: “On-Line Trip Planner” – Mississauga Transit, ON - Canada
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ITS vehicle tracking systems, or an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) devices, allow for
vehicle monitoring controllers to know the location of all transit vehicles on a particular route
or in the system. This information can then be relayed to travellers through Real Time
Passenger Information Systems.
Other applications of ITS include on-line trip planning which numerous transit agencies are
implementing. On-line trip planning allows travellers to plan their trip by entering their
origin and destination and the time that they are travelling. The available travel options
within the specified time period are then displayed, indicating which transit route or routes to
take for the fastest and most direct trip. Agencies in the Toronto area that have implemented
online trip-planning include York Region Transit, Mississauga Transit, Brampton Transit and
the Hamilton Street Railway. Numerous transit agencies throughout, Canada, the US and
around the world have also used ITS for online trip-planning.
2.7.8 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Durham Region should consider the use of ITS for:
Service monitoring, vehicle tracking, data collection and passenger counting
Developing an online trip-planner
Provide passenger information display systems at bus stops along higher-order transit
routes, such as Highway 2 and Highway 407 transitway
Use Transit Signal Priority treatments
As part of the LTTS, transit technologies required to support the target operational
performance measures will be defined. These may include APC’s, AVL, TSP and other ITS
components. It is important to note that as the technologies are secured, DRT should embark
on a functional requirements exercise to ensure that the data collected and the reports
generated are manageable and usable, and provide benefits to the transit customer, transit
operations, and transit and marketing planning staff. The application of a Business
Intelligence approach (e.g. enterprise systems management) applied to the technology
selection for hardware and software is recommended.
2.8 Target Marketing
One of the best strategies for increasing transit ridership is to provide transit services that
target different market segments of transit customers. For example, long-distance commuters
using transit to travel between Toronto and Durham Region do not have the same travel
needs as students traveling from their local neighbourhood to a local high school. Different
transit services must be provided that accommodate the varying needs of transit customers.
Transit services targeting particular travel needs such as express commuter buses, Special
Event service and various types of Shuttle Services. A survey of transit agencies in Canada
and the US during the 1990’s showed that transit systems with the greatest increase in
ridership appeared to be those which tailored their services and product mix to meet customer
needs.16
16
Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in the 1990s – Executive Summary (p.4)
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As detailed in Section 2.4, a “tiered” transit network with a hierarchy of services is very
effective at accommodating different travel needs of transit customers. However, Market
segmentation is yet another effective strategy for increasing transit ridership.
Market segmentation, when related to transit ridership, is the process of identifying different
transit markets that have similarities in characteristics or needs and are likely to exhibit
similar purchase behaviour and/or responses to changes in the marketing mix.17 Market
segmentation is used to improve a transit agency’s ability to better serve the needs of its
customers.18 There are two basic market segments among transit customers; Transit-
dependent customers and choice customers.
Key strategies for increasing transit ridership include:
Retaining existing transit-dependent customers as they move into a different life cycle or
lifestyle stage in which they no longer need to rely on public transportation
Retaining individuals who have chosen to use public transportation for some purposes,
primarily work-related travel but also including travel to special events
Increasing the frequency of riding among existing customers
Encouraging non-customers to use public transit, at least occasionally19
2.8.1 Case Study – Pace Bus Market Segmentation Marketing
Plan
The Pace Bus transit agency serving suburb Chicago, IL in the US conducted a market
segmentation exercise in 1995 in response to increases in suburban population and
employment growth which also corresponded with a decline in employment in downtown
Chicago.
Pace surveyed 300 Pace bus customers and broke down proportionally the following three
market segments:
1. Suburb-to-suburb commuters
2. Suburb-to-city commuters
3. City-to-suburb customers.
Pace then developed a marketing plan identifying the following opportunities for attracting
automobile users to transit, for each market segment:
Reducing transit travel time in relation to driving time
Increasing opportunities for convenient park-and-ride
Increasing awareness of actual driving costs
Evaluating the potential to convert carpool commuters to vanpool passengers
Creating opportunities for alternative fare payment mechanisms
Pace determined the following findings for the “suburb-to-suburb” market.
17
TCRP 36, pg 5
18
TCRP 36, pg (i)
19
TCRP 36, pg 92
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Ten percent of suburb-to-suburb customers used the service less than four days per week.
The goal was to increase utilization by one day which would add 2,000 more trips.
The strategies used to accomplish this included:
Implementing new magnetic striped passes to take advantage of new fare box equipment
Allowing students to ride at discounted fares at any time, rather than restricting reduced
fares to weekday school trips
Promoting cost savings associated with riding the bus and increasing awareness of actual
driving costs
Installing more bus shelters to improve waiting conditions as infrequent customers
typically avoid using Pace during inclement weather
The average suburb-to-suburb commuter used the service for 64 months. Increasing this rate
by 1 month would add 964 daily customers to the system.
To accomplish this, Pace:
Offered discounts to long-term customers through ticket-by-mail programs
Promoting cost savings associated with continued use of Pace compared with buying,
maintaining and insuring a car – since a large percentage of former Pace users left once
they purchased a vehicle
Implementing a customer satisfaction monitoring system through an on-board survey,
allowing Pace to quickly identify and address service-related issues
Population growth in the suburbs was expected to add 905 customers per day to the system.
Strategies to attract new customers to the suburb-to-suburb market included:
Offering free trips to new customers
Developing a uniform mechanism for employer-based fare subsidies, targeted at large
employers in well-served markets
Using direct mail to promote the availability of Pace service to potential customers along
existing routes as many non-users were unaware to routes near their homes and where
they go
Implementing one new route in an underserved market
Increasing the number of signs and shelters along Pace routes to increase Pace’s visibility
and promote awareness to non-users
Similar goals and strategies were developed for the other markets identified by Pace,
allowing for Pace managers to understand the unique needs of each market segment.
2.8.2 Product-Usage Segmentation
Product-Usage segmentation is another method of market segmentation that is based on
usage rates. When related to transit, it involves segmenting market categories based on
ridership, most notably the frequency of ridership.20 Product-Usage segmentation involves
20
TRCP 36 – Product Usage pg.40
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classifying customers and non-customers into specific categories and examining various
characteristics among these groups.
For example, various transit operators in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area conducted a study
to measure transit-user and non transit-user’s awareness and attitudes towards public
transportation.
Transit customers were classified into following categories:
Primary customers – individuals who had ridden any transit system in the Chicago area
five times or more monthly
Occasional customers – individuals who had ridden at least one transit system one to four
times monthly
Incidental customers – individuals who had not ridden any of the transit systems within
the past month
Non-customers were classified into the following market segments:
Former customers – individuals who had not ridden any transit system within the past
year but rode at least one system at some point within the last five years
Always non-customers – individuals who had not used public transportation in the past
five years, or ever
The relative size of each of these market segments is illustrated in Exhibit 2-15.
Non-Riders, 20%
Primary Riders, 19%
Occasional Riders,
Former Riders, 17%
19%
Incidental Riders, 25%
Exhibit 2-15: Product-Usage Market Segments and Size
These findings allowed transit agencies to focus their ridership growth strategies on markets
that were most likely to yield the highest gains in ridership. For example:
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Since Primary and Occasional Customers represented 38% of all market segments, this
suggested that area transit agencies should examine strategies to retain existing customers
and increase ridership frequency, as any increase in among this market segment will
likely have a significant impact on ridership as a whole throughout the Region.
Incremental customers represented 25% of the market segments. This segment is more
familiar with and has more positive views towards public transportation than non-
customers. Therefore, efforts should be made to increase the frequency of riding within
this segment as even small incremental gains can have significant impacts on ridership
Former customers have some experience with using public transit and may have some
level of comfort with riding. If their past experiences have been positive, emphasis
should be placed on attracting these customers, rather than those who had never used
public transit.
Non-customers are typically the most difficult market to attract. Given the size of this
market segment, targeting this market should be considered a low priority.
2.8.3 Market Segments by Age Group
In Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area, students make up a significant share of
transit customers. Therefore, efforts should be made to retain this ridership group as they
grow into adulthood and will most likely have alternative travel options, such as an
automobile, available to them. This includes providing transit services that are suited to one
or a combination of different age groups such as children, students, adults and seniors.
Examples of different services include:
School specials – transit services catering to high school or college/university students
Summer camp services – transit services to camps for children
Employee shuttles – operating between major employment areas and transit terminals /
train stations for example
Community bus services – serving seniors residents and community destinations
2.8.4 Market Segments by Transit Service Type
Transit agencies that cover a large service area and population providing different “types” of
transit services such as local, express, limited-stop, school-specials, community or shuttle
services can typically better-serve the varying needs of its customers than agencies that
provide a simple base service. This is especially true for bus-based transit systems in urban
and suburban areas where travellers may take short or long-distance trips by transit
depending on their trip purpose. This also ties into the concept of a “tiered” transit network
as described in Section 2.4 where transit agencies provide a hierarchy of different services
which can suit varying travel needs.
Different service types include:
Local buses, to serve short-distance travellers
Express buses, providing fast service for long-distance travellers
High School specials serving the needs of students
Shuttle services, providing direct point-to-point service between two or more specific
areas such as a residential neighbourhood to employment area, residential neighbourhood
to a commuter rail station, etc.
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Community buses, providing local service to local destinations within a neighbourhood
Low cost-demand responsive or fixed route services
Vanpools / Ridesharing programs, providing transit service in areas of low passenger
demand
Providing various service types provides travel options that suit the varying needs of the
public and can encourage transit ridership growth.
2.8.5 Recommendations for Further Consideration
As part of the LTTS, focus groups will be conducted to develop a better understanding of
whether the travel priorities and required travel behaviour changes would easily be adopted
by members of the public. Building on the results of these focus groups, it is recommended
that DRT undertake a detailed assessment of all of its transit customers to gain insight to
what services are best suited for each market segment within the urban core areas, the
suburban areas and the rural communities. The intent is to develop strategies that ensure
transit remains a viable alternative and provides a service that increases transit customer use,
which results in enhanced mobility and a higher quality of life. It is also recommended that a
time-based opinion survey be undertaken to gauge how well their needs are being met over
time.
With respect non-transit customers, a detailed assessment of what they require to increase
transit as a mode choice for at least some if not all their trips should be undertaken. The goal
of the DRT strategic plan is to capture a share of the auto traveling public.
As part of the ongoing analysis and service improvement, DRT should undertake additional
surveys of the community of transit customers and non-customers. These surveys can be
conducted using methods such as telephone interviews, internet web-based surveys, or on-
board customer surveys for example. Year over year results will help DRT determine the
level of success of existing strategies and help develop strategies for the future.
2.9 Surface Transit Stop Improvements
Transit stop designs can greatly influence passenger attraction and potential ridership. Stops
that are poorly lit, do not have shelters or well-defined passenger waiting areas can deter
persons from using transit, especially choice customers. Many transit agencies are improving
their transit stop designs, especially along heavily patronized routes such as BRT or LRT
corridors. Transit stop improvements do not only apply to general maintenance and up-keep,
they also include “transforming” bus stops into comfortable, safe and secure areas for
passengers to wait.
Improvements are meant to provide the following benefits to travellers:
Convenience, comfort and accessibility
Security, safety and visibility
A simple and rational arrangement
High capacity passenger processing
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2.9.1 Shelter Design
Modern transit shelter designs include the extensive use of glass, making travellers visible in
the surrounding area. Transit shelters also include other features such as weather protection,
seating, designated passenger waiting areas and traveler information such as maps and in
some cases, fare purchasing machines.
Photo: Thomas Deutschmann/Ustra. – Produced by Ustra. Germany
Bus Stop, Dusseldorf, Germany – Source: www.coinbird.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/
Exhibit 2-16: Examples of Local Bus Stop Designs in Germany
Well-lit bus stops can increase traveller safety and comfort levels for persons using transit
outside of daylight hours.
Real-time passenger display information allows travellers to see when the next few transit
vehicles will be arriving. Numerous transit agencies throughout the world are implementing
these features, especially on highly-travelled transit lines.
Other passenger information provided at bus stops should include a telephone number for
which travellers can dial to obtain schedule information for transit services using that stop.
Transit agencies in the GTHA with this feature include the TTC, the Hamilton Street
Railway, Mississauga Transit, Brampton Transit and York Region Transit, for example.
The innovative bus stop design used in Portland, OR as shown in Exhibit 2-17 includes such
features as “next bus arrival” real-time information displays, weather protection, and
extensive use of glass to ensure that travellers are fully visible from the street.
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Source: www.daktronics.com/ProductsServices/Applications/Transportation/MassTransit/BusStation/Pages/default.aspx
Exhibit 2-17: Bus Stop – Portland, Oregon
Other unique features include platform LED’s (light emitting diodes) that change colour and
provide various animations as transit vehicles approach, arrive and depart. A photo is
provided in Exhibit 2-18.
Source: www.citytransport.info/Buses03.htm
Exhibit 2-18: Bus Stop with LED platform lights
This technology has been used on a BRT route in Amsterdam serving the city’s international
airport.
2.9.2 Transit Stop Locations
Transit customers need safe and convenient access to transit stops and will typically walk up
to 5 minutes (as per existing DRT route design guidelines) and, in some cases, up to10
minutes to access transit services. 21 Since customers typically walk to transit stops, their
needs as a pedestrian extend beyond the transit stop to the surrounding area. Transit agencies
21
Improving Transit Stop/Station Access, Retreived January 21, 2009 from Walkinfo.org website
www.walkinginfo.org/transit/access.cfm
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typically assume responsibility for their transit stop, but not sidewalks, crossings or other
pedestrian elements on nearby streets. Also, given the aging population and the commitment
to low floor wheelchair accessible buses, the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act
transit stop accessibility by mobility devices will be mandatory.
Surface transit stops should be placed in locations that account for three factors:
1. Passengers – locating stops near places where there is an expectation of customers
2. Access – if a stop cannot be located right where customers are, they must be able to get to
the stop conveniently; and
3. Traffic characteristics – as buses can not always stop where customers want due to
complex traffic patterns and hostile pedestrian environments.
Passenger access also includes access for those with disabilities. A universal design for
transit vehicles, stations and stops should be used to ensure that all well-bodied and persons
with physical disabilities or other special needs can access the transit system.
Accessibility of the transit system to physically challenged people, and to people with
other needs;
Universal Design of vehicles, stations and pedestrian facilities to accommodate people
with disabilities and other special needs
The location of surface transit stops should consider the following:
Passengers – locating stops near places where there is an expectation of customers
Access – if the stop cannot be located where customers are, they must be able to access
the stop conveniently
Well-marked pedestrian crossings allow for pedestrians to cross the street to access transit
vehicles as illustrated in Exhibit 2-19.
Source: www.walkinginfo.org/transit/access.cfm
Exhibit 2-19: Pedestrian Access to Surface Transit Stop
Level boarding and alighting allows for travellers using mobility devices or carrying
strollers, luggage and other cumbersome materials to easily access transit vehicles. The
application of tactile treatments on station platforms can assist the visually impaired with
accessing transit vehicles. They are also beneficial to those using mobility devices as they
reduce the potential for “rolling” over the platform edge into the path of an oncoming transit
vehicle. Examples of these treatments are illustrated in Exhibit 2-20 and Exhibit 2-21.
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Source: www.tan.fr/images/photos/0005/img_1136812669257.jpg
Exhibit 2-20: Level boarding between Platform and Transit Vehicle
Source: www.globalride-sf.org/phtos.html
Exhibit 2-21: Examples of Tactile Treatments at Transit Stops to Assist
The innovative design of bus stops or “tube stations” along Curitiba’s (Brazil) bus rapid
transit lines, illustrated in Exhibit 2-22, is fully accessible with sheltered passenger waiting
areas and level boarding / alighting to and from buses provided via retractable ramps.
Source: www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/11/transporation-tuesday-curitiba/
Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bus_Stops_5_curitiba_brasil.jpg
Exhibit 2-22: Accessible Bus Stops, Curitiba, Brazil
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Fare control is also provided at the “tube stations” where travellers purchase fares in advance
before boarding a bus. This speeds up the boarding and alighting process on transit vehicles,
allowing boarding and disembarking passengers to use any doors on the transit vehicle.
Providing universal access to transit vehicles can significantly increase transit ridership since
it provides accessibility to a group of persons that may have not been able to safely use
transit.
2.9.3 Bus Stop Accessibility
As the population ages and the transit fleet becomes more accessible, there is now a need to
ensure that those with mobility problems can physically use conventional transit vehicles by
being able to access bus stops. In this regard, the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act
will require improvements to bus stop accessibility. A number of strategies can be enacted
upon for a transit accessibility strategy.
They include:
Retrofitting, where practical, all existing bus stop areas within the Region for wheelchair
accessibility
Ensuring that all new bus stops are fully accessible
Conducting a bus stop accessibility audit in the DRT service area, which includes photos
of the bus stops so that they can be linked to an audit database for use on the DRT
customer website
Expansion of bus stop accessibility audits to include the identification of accessibility
requirements beyond the bus stop area
The need to inform landowners of accessibility requirements within their site (e.g. from
bus stops to main building entrances)
That bus stop area retrofit priorities reflect a combination of bus stop customer demand
and safety rather than bus stop demand only
That the costs associated with improving accessibility infrastructure should be identified
in a line budget item(s) in order to quantify the region’s commitment to accessibility
The bus stop retrofit program funding
A regional-municipal staff level task force be established with the ability to issue work
orders to expedite ad-hoc bus stop area improvements that they deem justified
Ensure snow clearing priority and enforcement is given to bus stops and sidewalks /
walkways leading to bus stops
By committing the funds today, DRT will be able to attract a new market, improve safety for
all customers, and be able to reduce the demand and resources needed to support reservation-
based specialized transit.
2.9.4 Recommendations for Further Consideration
The existing DRT bus stop design guidelines can be found in the DRT Bus Stop Guidelines,
which include guidelines on bus stop design, accessibility and placement.
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These improvements will not be applicable for all bus stops, especially lightly-used stops on
local bus routes. However, bus stop improvements should be considered along higher-order
transit routes such as those proposed along Highway 2 and Highway 407.
Typically, bus shelters are placed at the following locations:
All terminal and transfer points
Bus stops with more than 35 passengers per hour in peak periods
Locations with unique exposure to inclement weather
At bus stops near senior residences or other institutional facilities
2.10 Station Improvements
Similar to bus stop improvements, improved transit stations can also greatly influence
passenger attraction and ridership. Various best and innovative practices in Transit Station
designs and station improvements are provided below.
2.10.1 Attractive / Modern
Modern transit station designs can attract passengers and encourage use. Modern stations
typically incorporate features such as glass to allow for natural lighting, high ceilings and
“open” interiors that are not only spacious but allow for a high volume of passenger
movements. This is especially important at transit stations with multiple transfer
opportunities. Other station improvements include directly incorporating a transit terminal or
station into the surrounding developments, such an employment of commercial centre, rather
than segregating the transit facility from surrounding land uses.
2.10.2 Lighting
The use of natural light should be incorporated into all future transit station and terminal
designs. Natural light can help provide an “openness” and better sense of security to
travellers. When natural light is not available or cannot be incorporated into a station design,
transit stations should be lit in a manner where there are no “blind-corners” and all public
areas of the station / terminal are highly visible. Emergency phones should also be placed in
well illuminated areas.
2.10.3 Waiting Area Amenities
Passenger waiting areas should always be well lit and highly visible from the surrounding
area. Other amenities that should be included at major transit terminals and stations include:
Seats / Benches
General and designated passenger waiting areas within close proximity to emergency
telephones in well-lit areas and within view of a station attendant
Washroom facilities
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2.10.4 Passenger Information
The amount of passenger information provided at transit stops and stations is dependent on
the role and function of the transit stop or station. However, as a minimum, passenger
information provided at major transit stops and terminals should include:
Station / Stop name
Arrival / Departure times of connection transit services
Transit routes serving the terminal and where they can be located
Transit system maps – also showing the location of the transit terminal / station
Span of service and the frequency of service
Service schedule for low-frequency routes (> 10 minute intervals)
2.10.5 Way-Finding Signs
Passenger way-finding signs should maximize the use of symbols, arrows and colours and
should be intuitive to the passenger, without the need to read a lot of information. Many
transit agencies develop a “way-finding” strategy to ensure that all signs throughout a system
are of a consistent and recognizable design. The amount of information and signage provided
at a transit terminal will depend on the role and function of the terminal itself.
However, way-finding signage at transit stations should direct passengers to the following,
where applicable:
Passenger waiting areas including designated “safe” waiting areas
Locations for purchasing fares / ticket agents
Passenger drop-off / pick-up areas
Washroom facilities
Entrances / Exits and the streets they connect to, including any nearby attractions / places
of interest such as an employment centre, shopping mall, park, etc.
2.10.6 Examples of Station Improvements
Mississauga’s City Centre transit terminal features high ceilings, passenger information
displays, ticket sales and washrooms. The centrally-located platform allows for cross-
platform transfer opportunities between connecting services. The transit terminal is
connected to the “Square One” shopping centre, the busiest shopping area in Mississauga via
an at-grade pedestrian walkway. Other pedestrian crossing opportunities are available to
nearby restaurants and theatres.
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Source: http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Mississauga_Transit
Exhibit 2-23: Mississauga Transit Terminal, Mississauga, ON - Canada
American Plaza Station – San Diego, CA. This LRT station located in downtown San Diego
is fully integrated with a popular shopping mall and office towers. Its high-level roof is of
modern design and provides weather protection. There is also an “open-feel” to the station
with the allowance of natural light onto the passenger platforms.
Source: www.world.nycsubway.org
Exhibit 2-24: “American Plaza” LRT Terminal, San Diego, CA - USA
Typical stop on Los Angeles’s “Orange Line” bus rapid transit line, which includes a modern
design, passenger information indicating the arrival time of the next few buses, system maps
and way-finding signs, benches and lighting. The “M” logo is the branding for Los Angeles’s
transit system and is featured on all vehicles, stops and stations.
Source: http://www.you-are-here.com/transport/busway.html
Exhibit 2-25: “Orange Line” Busway Station, Los Angeles, CA - USA
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The Shawnessy LRT station in Calgary, AB passenger platform is fully illuminated after
daylight hours to increase to allow for easy navigation and increase passenger security.
Source:
www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_766_231_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Transportat
ion/Construction+and+Detours/Infrastructure+Projects/LRT/Shawnessy+CTrain+Station.htm
Exhibit 2-26: Shawnessy LRT Station, Calgary, AB - Canada
Source: www.fta.dot.gov/planning/planning_environment_6932.html
Exhibit 2-27: Ohlone / Chynoweth LRT Station, San Jose, CA – USA
The Ohlone / Chynoweth light rail station in San Jose, California is well lit to enhance public
security and is also located in an area that provides easy access to nearby residential and
commercial areas.
Way-finding signage used for the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) system includes the use
of colour-coded signs, with each colour representing different routes.
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Source: http://www.next-designs.com/portfolio/Transportation/trans_8_1a.html
Source: http://www.cgpartnersllc.com/projects-clients/metropolitan-transit-authority-mta/599-lexington-avenue/
Exhibit 2-28: “Way-Finding” Signs, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and New York
City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA NYC)
Curved way-finding signage used at a busy subway transfer station in New York City.
Although this application is for a subway station, in concept is also applicable to other busy
transportation hubs with multiple services connecting in one location.
Additional information on Bus Station and Inter-modal station facilities including details best
practices in terminal layouts and inter-modal connections can be found in Section 7.
2.10.7 Recommendations for Further Consideration
DRT Transit stations and terminals should be spacious, well-lit, include passenger amenities
such as designated waiting areas and seats, washroom facilities, refreshments, way-finding
signs, wireless-internet capabilities, and other convenience and comfort features.
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3. FARE COLLECTION / FARE POLICIES
Convenient fare collection procedures and policies can significantly impact ridership and can
increase the frequency of transit use. The fare collection and payment process should be easy
to understand for both the paying passenger and fare collector; fast so that customers do not
delay transit vehicle operating speeds, and convenient so that passengers have easy access to
various fare media. This chapter examines various best practices used for fare collection and
fare policies in other jurisdictions.
3.1.1 Fare Media
Many transit agencies are introducing new fare media to encourage transit ridership by
making fare collection and payment procedures more convenient for transit customers.
Electronic fare cards are a type of media being used by numerous transit agencies to
encourage more transit use by making fare collection and payment more convenient. The
PRESTO system is a Regional Fare payment system being introduced in the GTHA area. It’s
implementation will be rolled out over a couple years with implementation in Durham
scheduled for 2011. The PRESTO system uses a contactless smart card for fare payment and
will offer several fare product options including stored value and passes. A survey of various
transit agencies in the US showed that 28% of all respondents indicated new payment options
helped increase transit ridership, although this was most prominent for large transit agencies
(47% of large and 32% of very large transit agencies).22
Fare flexibility strategies such as (day passes or timed-transfers) can also increase ridership.
Note, these have been offered by Mississauga and Brampton Transit. Timed-transfers allow
for unlimited travel on the transit system for a limited time period following a single-fare
payment. Mississauga and Brampton allow for unlimited use of the transit system for a 2
hour period. Translink in Vancouver uses a 90 minute transfer.
Non-cash payment options such as credit or debit card are also useful methods of increasing
ridership as many transit agencies in the US reported the introduction of these payment
options as “somewhat” to “very effective” methods of increasing ridership.23
3.1.2 Fare Collection and Technology
Best practices do not only address fare collection procedures, they also pertain to how fare
information is relayed to passengers. A survey conducted by the TCRP for various transit
agencies across the United States showed that the majority of agencies used special
brochures and pamphlets, system maps and signs / notices posted on transit vehicles to
distribute fare information to customers.24
22
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 62)
23
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 62)
24
TCRP report 26, Bus Transit Fare Collection Practices, Table 3, pg 4
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Metro Transit in Halifax, NS displays fare information on its system maps as illustrated in
Exhibit 3-1.
Source: Metro Transit - Halifax
Exhibit 3-1: Sample Halifax Metro Transit System Map with Fare Information
An example of a fare brochure from the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Los Angeles is
illustrated in Exhibit 3-2.
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Exhibit 3-2: Sample Fare Brochure from LACMTA
Once transit customers know how much to pay, procedures that allow for fast and easy
payment should be available. However, the balance between ease of fare payment and fare
evasion needs to be considered. For example, many cities with rapid transit services such as
commuter rail, LRT or BRT are implementing barrier-free, proof-of-payment (POP)
measures to speed up the passenger boarding process.
VIVA in York Region uses a POP or “honour system” by providing ticket vending machines
(TVM) at all of the transit stops. The TVMs allow passengers to purchase various fare media
before boarding a bus. Fares can be paid by cash, debit or credit card. When boarding, fares
are not collected, which speeds up the boarding process and allows for the bus driver to
concentrate solely on operating the vehicle. It is expected that the passenger will pay the
appropriate fare before boarding the bus. Fare inspectors randomly check customers on
transit vehicles to ensure that they can present appropriate “proof-of-payment”, otherwise
they are subject to fines.
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Source: www.transit.toronto.on.ca/gotransit/2303.shtml
Exhibit 3-3: Typical Ticket Vending Machine at “VIVA” BRT stops, York Region, ON
- Canada
GO Transit has a similar fare-collection policy for its rail services with ticket vending
machines being installed at GO train stations, selling various fare media such as single-ride
tickets, 10-ride tickets, student fares and day passes. Barrier-free access is provided to all GO
trains with random inspections of passengers conducted to deter fare evasion.
Transit systems that do not use a “proof-of-payment” system have introduced other methods
of collecting fares which also increase the speed of boarding. These include:
Electronic fareboxes, which accept payment in cash, coins, tickets or tokens and
automatically count the amount of money being deposited
On-board ticket processors, such as magnetic card readers that read the magnetic data on
a ticket or pass used by the passenger to confirm that it is valid
On-board transaction processors which automatically deducts the appropriate fare from
an electronic fare card’s stored value, or deducts a ticket, or checks that the pass stored on
the card is valid
The Translink agency operating in the Greater Vancouver Area allows passengers to
purchase “day passes” when boarding surface transit vehicles. Passengers are provided with a
magnetic ticket which acts as a day pass, and passengers can use it to board any transit
vehicle within a limited period of time. When used on other transit vehicles, the ticket is
inserted into a “ticket-reader” on the bus which scans the ticket to determine whether it is still
valid or not. These tickets can also be purchased at automated ticket vending machines
available at major transit terminals or at SkyTrain (Translink’s heavy rail rapid transit
system) stations.
London Transport (Tfl) in the United Kingdom equipped 8,500 buses with electronic ticket
machines and upgraded its ticketing vending machines to include touch screen and
multilingual features which sped up the ticket transaction process.25 The machines are also
compatible with smart cards that enable paperless travel. Customers can touch their cards on
special readers on the machines to validate their travel. Following the installation of these
systems, the total lost revenue associated with fare evasion reduced from 3.7% to 2% within
one year.26
25
“Government Agency Drives Innovation in Public Transit” Transport for London Case Study
26
“Government Agency Drives Innovation in Public Transit” Transport for London Case Study
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Similar “touch-screen” ticket vending machines are now being used by GO Transit at Union
Station. Other heavily used transit hubs throughout the world are using “touch-screen”
technology to reduce passenger queues and speed up the ticket purchasing process.
Source: www.parisbytrain.com
Exhibit 3-4: Example of Touch-Screen Ticket Vending Machine, Paris - France
3.1.3 Fares for Different Market Segments
As discussed in Section 2.8, transit customers consist of various market segments and
different fares are usually applied to each group. When segmenting markets by age for
example, student fares are typically less costly than adult fares. Similarly, seniors or disabled
persons also receive discounted fares.
The introduction of employer subsidized transit passes also been used to increase transit
ridership, with transit agencies throughout North America reporting increases in ridership
following the implementation of such passes.27
Fare adjustments can also be applied to different transit services. For example, fares for
express services would be higher than those for local services. Numerous transit agencies
across Canada, including Translink (Greater Vancouver Area), the Toronto Transit
Commission (TTC), York Region Transit (YRT) and Metro Transit (Halifax) all offer higher
fares for premium express services while fares for local services are less costly. However,
fare adjustments that are too severe can impact transit ridership.
In March 1998, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York City lowered its
express bus fares from $4 to $3 which increased express bus ridership.28
Rhode Island Public Transit introduced one-day and family passes targeted towards area
tourists, which were “very effective” at increasing ridership.29
27
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 63)
28
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 93)
29
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 62)
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3.1.4 Special Promotions
Special promotions can include “free fares” for special events or the introduction of new
transit services to encourage ridership.
Milton Transit (Milton, ON – Canada) initiated at “Fare-Free Transit” pilot program in 2007
for a 6-month period, offering free rides between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to encourage off-
peak transit use. Sponsorship funding was obtained from corporate sponsors. Average
monthly ridership increased by 63% with 3,800 additional customers per month attributed to
the free-fare transit program.30 Passenger surveys conducted during the program indicated
that 87% of frequent customers would continue to use Milton transit when off-peak fares
were re-introduced.31
Ben Franklin Transit (serving the Kennewick / Pasco region, WA – USA) introduced fare-
free service on local bus routes on Wednesday’s and Saturdays which introduced new
customers to the system. This resulted in an increase in transit ridership on regular fare
days.32
King County Metro (KCM) in Seattle, WA started offering free trips within the Central
Business District between Monday and Friday to determine if it would speed up bus
boardings. It worked so well, improving the operations of bus service within the town centre,
that KCM has made this a permanent service policy.
3.1.5 Recommendations for Further Consideration
As part of the PRESTO System implementation Durham has decided to use on-board
transaction processors on the conventional bus fleet for fare payment.
30
Free-Fare Transit: The Milton Experience – Final Report, Community Services Department Feb, 2008
31
Free-Fare Transit: The Milton Experience – Final Report, Community Services Department Feb, 2008
32
B.Taylor, P.Haas et. al, Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in
the 1990’s, The Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business, San Jose University, 1991 (pg 62)
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4. MARKETING / COMMUNICATIONS
Marketing strategies can increase the public’s awareness of transit services without actually
changing transit service levels, and can therefore be an effective method of increasing
ridership without making significant changes to transit operations.
Marketing involves identifying customers’ needs and preferences and providing appropriate
services to meet them. When encouraging transit ridership, marketing alone cannot achieve
ridership growth; transit service must also be attractive, comfortable and convenient. Transit
marketing programs should also target those most likely to use transit. An effective
marketing campaign caters to those who currently use transit, encouraging them to use it
more often, and to persons who would be willing to use transit but require proper incentives
to do so. With this in mind, marketing campaigns are more effective when they are targeted
to particular socio-demographic and/or market groups. Market segmentation studies can be
used to more effectively identify potential customer groups.
The CUTA report Modal Shift to Transit, September 2008, identified two basic strategic
directions for increasing ridership:
1. Respond to socio-demographic trends in a particular community
2. Pursue an aggressive improvement of Transit Modal Share in Specific Market Areas
This approach can be used to identify and target marketing campaigns towards identified
cohorts in the same way that major products (e.g. cars, drinks and clothes) do in their
marketing campaigns. This helps in identifying the style of marketing campaign as well as
the location and type of advertising media that can be best utilized.
A survey of 227 federally subsidized transit agencies both large and small throughout North
America between 1995 and 1999 showed that marketing initiatives were major factors for
increasing transit ridership.33 Transit agency sizes were classified by number of unlinked
annual trips. Size categories are illustrated in Table 4-1.
Table 4-1: Definition of Agency Size 34
Size Number of Unlinked Trips
Very Large > 20 million
Large 5 – 20 million
Medium 2 – 5 million
Small 1 – 2 million
Very Small < 1 million
Based on the agency size, 69% of very small and small transit agencies reported an increase
in transit ridership due to advertising / information programs, 55% of medium size agencies,
33
Survey of Successful Transit Systems: What Do the Experts Think Explains Ridership Growth? – pg 65
34
Survey of Successful Transit Systems: What Do the Experts Think Explains Ridership Growth? – pg 41
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41% of large transit agencies and 50% of very large transit agencies reported marketing-
related increases in transit ridership.35 In total, 57% of all transit agencies surveyed reported
in general that marketing and advertising campaigns helped increase their ridership.36
Marketing and information programs included advertising, marketing segmentation, survey
research and customer satisfaction feedback mechanisms.
This shows that marketing and advertising plays a very important role in increasing transit
ridership. Key marketing and advertising methods used to increase ridership are discussed in
the following subsections.
4.1.1 Media Advertising Campaigns
Media Advertising can be an effective strategy for increasing transit ridership, especially for
new transit services. For example, VIVA in York Region implemented an extensive
marketing campaign for its BRT network which included advertisements in local papers,
promotional flags on streetlight posts along BRT corridors, the launching of a VIVA website
and the distribution of pamphlets and brochures to existing transit customers.
4.1.2 Improving Transit’s Image
Bus operations in mixed traffic typically have a poor image in the public’s view. New bus-
based transit operations with some sort of transit priority treatments (as discussed in Section
2.6) are typically marketed to establish the operations as a new and distinct service, unlike
typical bus operations. Such treatments include using another colour scheme and logo for
transit vehicles and modified stops with unique, but consistent, architectural treatments.
These elements are typically used for Bus rapid Transit (BRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT)
applications for higher-order transit lines.
These features help higher-order transit lines “stand-out” from other standards transit
services, making them noticeable to transit customers and non-customers alike.
Other features include using “catchy” brand names for new and improved transit services.
Examples are provided below:
35
Survey of Successful Transit Systems: What Do the Experts Think Explains Ridership Growth? – pg 65
36
Ibid
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Source: http://stephenrees.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/translink-etb-2215-e40lfr-on-arbutus-2008-0410.jpg
Exhibit 4-1: Translink’s (Greater Vancouver Area) BRT services are branded “B-Line”
services and use buses with a unique colour scheme.
Source: http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/LaunchofMetroLink-PhaseI.html
Exhibit 4-2: Metro Transit (Halifax) branded its BRT services as “MetroLinx”
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Source: http://ktransit.com/transit/NAmerica/useast/boston/boston-etb.htm
Exhibit 4-3: The Massachusetts Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) in the Boston area
brands its BRT services as the “Silver Line”.
4.1.3 Use of the Internet
The internet is a very effective tool for marketing transit initiatives to a large number of
people. Partnerships between transit agencies and other environmental and active
transportation groups are beneficial as they link transit use to other environmental-friendly
travel options such as walking and cycling.
OC Transpo (Ottawa, ON – Canada) created a “travelwise” website that provided a one-stop
source for complete information on public transit, walking, cycling and carpooling. 37
TravelSmart (Perth, Australia) a community-based program encouraging people to use non-
auto modes of travel created a website that provided information and motivation to help
people choose non-auto travel alternatives.38 Perth, Australia’s “TravelSmart” program
included a series of individualized marking programs that reached households, schools,
businesses, local governments and major destinations that have their own TravelSmart
programs. TravelSmart also formed partnerships with environmental, health and cycling
organizations. Within two years of the programs implementation, a 17% increase in transit
use was observed, along with a 14% reduction in automobile travel, a 35% increase in
walking and a 61% increase in cycling.39
37
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm23.htm
38
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm23.htm
39
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm23.htm
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Tri-Met and the City of Portland, Oregon initiated their own “TravelSmart” program via the
internet, creating a travel survey that identified individuals that wanted to change their travel
behaviour. The website provided information on transit, walking, cycling and carpooling for
their trips. Within one year of the programs implementation, an 8% increase in public transit,
walking and cycling use was observed.40
These programs have been quite successful in European and Australian cities. Similar
programs have been initiated in Canada and the US include the “Smartcommute” program in
the GTA, the “Way-to-Go” program in Seattle, WA and the “Commuter Choice” national
program in the US.
San Francisco-Bay Area residents are provided with the “NextBus” system – a predictive
software tool that gives transit customers accurate arrival time predictions for the next few
transit vehicles. It is accessible through the internet and bus stop signs.41
Many transit agencies also place the name of their website on their transit vehicles which is
another useful method of directing transit customers to the transit agencies website.
4.1.4 Targeted Marketing – (Realizing applicable and future
demographics)
Many transit agencies have pursed targeted-marketing campaigns aimed at specific
submarkets. This is where market-segmentation as described in Section 2.8 can be very
useful.
For example, the Cleveland-LAKETRAN (OH) transit system targets markets that are in
need of transit service, including welfare recipients, low-income workers and the disabled.
Snohomish Community Transit, a transit agency operating in suburban Seattle, WA, USA
markets “express” bus and commuter service to attract choice customers and discretionary
commuters who own private automobiles but may choose to take transit to employment
destinations in Seattle. Other transit agencies conducted periodic ridership surveys to
determine a profile of transit customers, identifying travel origins and destinations, trip
purposes and potential service improvements.
Market segmentation was most effective for increasing transit ridership for large and very
transit systems (>5 million unlinked trips per year),42 which is logical since large transit
systems have a large ridership base and wider variety of customers with varying needs when
compared to smaller transit systems.
Surveys provide a good profile of existing transit customers and markets. However, targeted
marketing should also examine potential future markets.
40
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm23.htm
41
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm113.htm
42
Survey of Successful Transit Systems: What Do the Experts Think Explains Ridership Growth? – Table 18:
Marketing Programs, pg 65
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4.1.5 Educating Students
High school and college/university students account for the majority of transit customers in
Durham Region.
Teenagers43 are generally considered to be image and brand-conscious, and greatly
influenced by their peers and parents/legal guardians. Transit ridership among teenagers has
traditionally been relatively low, particularly in those areas with small and medium-sized
transit systems. Many transit agencies have employed a variety of programs to attract teen
customers, such as summer passes or fare-free transit to school. Proponents of such programs
often hypothesize that teenaged customers will continue their transit habits into adulthood,
thus establishing a base of transit patrons in the future.
4.1.6 On-Board (vehicle) advertising
On-board vehicle advertising is an obvious means of announcing service changes to existing
customers to ensure that they are aware of potential changes to their travel plans. It can also
be useful to engage customers in the future plans for the transit system. On-board advertising
can also take the form of customer feedback surveys and suggestion boxes. Similarly, if
service planning activities are going on, on-board advertising can be used to involve
customers with development of the plans.
4.1.7 Training and Educating Employees
Employees not only do a ‘job’ in the transit system, many are in direct contact with existing
or potential customers are therefore potential ‘ambassadors’ for the transit system. If
employees are actively engaged in an inclusive employer/employee work environment they
can share the ambition and enthusiasm for the success of the system. Active involvement of
employees with the system role out and expansion can provide both active feedback as well
as enthusiastic involvement and help develop employees as good ambassadors.
Additionally, vehicle operators (and inspectors if used) also know some aspects of the system
operations better than the operation planners (for example routes that may have too much/too
little run time, customer complaints, service enhancements, etc.). If employees are involved
with development of the transit system, they can provide input not easily obtained from other
sources.
Involving employees through in-house seminars, workshops, information sessions, etc. can
provide the necessary boost to lift the employee from just doing a ‘job’ to be part of the
marketing of the merits of a system.
43
http://www.nctr.usf.edu/projects/Year5/576-14.html
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4.1.8 Information Media (maps, timetables)
Multi-Modal access guides can include maps, signs, guidebooks, websites or electronic
devices that provide information on the travel options available to reach a certain destination,
including by transit.
They generally include:44
A map of the area, showing the destination, major roads, nearby landmarks, the closest
rail station or bus stop and recommended cycling and walking routes.
Information on transit frequency, fares, first and last runs, transit schedules if possible,
and phone numbers and web addresses for transit service providers and taxi companies.
Information on how long it takes to walk to/from a transit station.
Access arrangements for people with disabilities.
Availability of bicycle parking facilities and automobile parking availability and price.
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) in New South Wales relocated their offices to an
area outside of the city’s central area, and immediately implemented a mobility management
information program to help staff make travel arrangements to the new location. A Traveller
Information Kit was provided to staff which provided specific information on public
transport, walking and cycling options to the site. Staff surveys showed a 16.7% shift from
the auto to other non-auto modes for the relocated staff – which many attributed to the
provision of the traveller information kit.45
4.1.9 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Whichever form the final plan to boost transit ridership in Durham Region takes, marketing
of the plan and the services will be an integral part of the ongoing roll-out of service.
The start of any marketing campaign has to begin with a detailed assessment of its transit
customers to gain insight to what services are best suited for each market segment within the
urban core areas, the suburban areas and the rural communities (as outlined in Section 2.8) as
well as identifying potential new customer markets currently not being captured.
Once the market for transit system is identified, a marketing strategy can be developed which
attempts to talk directly to each of the socio-demographic and market segments identified.
The marketing strategy may involve any combination of the marketing types outlined above.
The main focus of the initial marketing will be in generating excitement in the community
about the improvements being planned.
44
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm113.htm
45
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm113.htm
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5. LAND USE
Land uses and development patterns are directly correlated to the way people travel. Auto-
oriented development will encourage auto travel, while transit-oriented development will
encourage transit use. Over the latter half of the twentieth century, the majority of urban
development in Durham has been auto-oriented. These development patterns have limited
potential transit growth in the Region. Increasing and encouraging transit use is not strictly a
matter of providing more service; it is a matter of changing the way urban areas are built. To
encourage and increase transit ridership in Durham, land use policies and development
patterns that are transit-supportive must be implemented.
These include:
Placement of high employment areas in a few major nodes rather than being scattered
Density increases at major development nodes along transit corridors
Zoning changes to permit high-density development along transit corridors
Mixed-use development and applications
Transit-oriented development
5.1.1 Regional Land Use Planning
Regional planning is a high level planning activity and potentially has the largest impact on
transit ridership. One of the main factors that influence transit ridership is the development of
major employment nodes which allows a system to focus high frequency service on a single
area originating from numerous different directions. The most frequent transit services in the
GTHA are focused on a number of high density nodes such as downtown Toronto,
Mississauga City Centre, downtown Hamilton, etc. It is the high concentration of
employment that provides the main opportunity to provide high-capacity high frequency
transit service. Durham Region does not have this focus at this time, the main service nodes
are the GO Stations. Many municipalities in the GTHA have found it difficult to develop (or
maintain) significant nodes in their community as developers tend to focus on short term
economic returns rather than longer term regional goals, and high density employment nodes
have proved the most difficult to achieve in recent times.
Waterloo, Canada 100 km from Toronto has unified the planning for transit and land use at
the regional level. The Waterloo region is expected to grow in population from 520,000
today to 729,000 people by 2031 with approximately 40% of all population and employment
growth occurring along primary transit corridors in the Region. The Region’s goal is to
increase the transit mode share for all trips from 5% in 1996 to 7% in 2016, which would
equate to more than doubling transit ridership from 9 million trips in 1996 to 19 million trips
in 2016.
The southwestern Pennsylvania Commission in the Pittsburgh metro area took a lead role in
creating a long-range transit vision (not bound by fiscal constraints) and have seen that vision
reflected in regional transportation plans. They have also publications to help explain Transit
Oriented Development (TOD).
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New Jersey has taken a lead role in the United States in transit oriented development through
its Transit Village Initiative. The Transit Village is defined as the half mile area around a
transit facility. This initiative includes an evaluation of the economic development impacts of
the light rail system, examination of the difficulties encountered while developing in transit
accessible locations and revitalize and grow selected communities with transit as an anchor.
5.1.2 Transit Oriented Development
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) can be characterized by the concentration of
employment areas, high-density housing, commercial developments and complementary
public uses in mixed-use developments strategically located along points of an area transit
system.46 TOD and “Smart Growth” initiatives can result in land use patterns that are more
suitable for public transit use.
For example, the City of Calgary, AB created a Best Practices Handbook for TOD including
land uses, urban design and implementation strategies around its LRT stations and high-
volume bus stops.
Calgary’s plan for transit-oriented land uses include strategically planned station areas that
help promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of a City by:
Highlighting transportation alternatives and increasing transit ridership
Taking advantage of non-peak transit capacity
Decreasing auto dependency and exhaust emissions
Using serviced land efficiently to help create a more compact urban form
Making better connections between jobs and housing
Revitalizing commercial corridors and older communities
Providing market housing in a variety of forms and price ranges
Creating opportunities for affordable housing
Providing increased neighbourhood and travel options for those not owning cars
Marking identifiable and walkable neighbourhoods
Creating more street activity and a safer station environment
Acting as a catalyst for private investment and development
Increasing assessment values of vacant and underused land47
Successful TOD’s focus on building the “highest and best use” for a site, whether it be
residential, office, retail, or a mixture of all three types. These include:48
Site Analysis, which is typically the first step in determining a use for a parcel of land
which includes the following two types of qualities that all TOD sites must maintain:
• Physical Qualities – such as the presence of existing structures, rugged terrain, or
substantial utility easements which can be challenging for the (re)development of an
existing site;
46
New Approaches to Suburban Land-Use Planning That Support Transit Use: Experience and Model Policy
Wording – Page 3
47
http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/tod/tod_handbook.pdf
48
http://www.transportchicago.org/images/TransitSupportLandUse-Gray.pdf
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• Locational Qualities - including neighbouring land uses and the compatibility of the
TOD site with adjacent land uses; and
• Traffic Qualities – such as determining whether enough people will pass through the
site to generate an adequate amount of attention. The timing and intensity of
pedestrian traffic will heavily influence the type of retailers that might be attracted to
occupy a given project.
Demand Analysis – which includes examining trends in demographics, employment, and
other real estate projects to provide important target markets that may be underserved.
This includes examining:
• Demographic Changes - trends in individuals and households that can signal
important changes that are occurring in a given market. A decline in the median age
of a population may indicate a growing need for apartments (as the population
becomes younger), an increase in household size may indicate demand for larger
residential products, and increases in household purchasing power may indicate
growing demand for retail space. At this juncture, it is important to understand who
uses what kind of real estate. This will be discussed in the following section in more
detail, but for now it suffices to say that demographic trends are a powerful indicator
of current real estate demand.
• Employment Change - the arrival of a new employer in the market area or sustained
growth in a local industry may provide an opportunity for new housing (for new
employees), retail (which provides goods to new residents), and office space (as
businesses expand). If such expansion is occurring, it is critical to ask questions like
“What kind of people are moving to the area?” and “How much money do they
make?” The answers will indicate which types of real estate products to create for
these new residents, and some of these real estate products will be better suited for
TOD than others.
Change in Construction Level Activity: One way to determine the level of construction
activity is to evaluate the number of building permits being issued. Construction activity
is an indicator of the current and historical demand for real estate. Gauged against
historical values and forecasted economic conditions, one can determine the general
amount of demand being met as well as the potential to capture the demand from an
underserved portion of the market. It is very important, however, to consider the lag time
that occurs between market equilibrium (when supply fully serves demand) and the
subsequent period of overbuilding. Ideally, any real estate development, including a
TOD, will be conceived and completed during a period of growth in a market area.
However, unexpected circumstances, such as construction delays due to weather or legal
disputes can delay the completion of a project, allowing a competitor to finish his
construction first, and thereby obtain a better foothold in selling or leasing units. It is
necessary to determine the number, scale, and schedule of competing projects in the local
area in order to determine the risk of arriving to market too late to capitalize on a period
of growth.49
49
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm45.htm
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Transit-Oriented development has been encouraged and implemented around many regional
rapid transit stations in the San Francisco / Bay Area in California, USA. The Pleasant Hill
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, located in the suburb of Contra Costa, 48 km east of
San Francisco is a prime example of successful transit-focused development in a suburban
context.
Pleasant Hill encouraged the culmination of properties to create a unified development area,
based on a Specific Plan that provided the policies and design guidelines required to the
attract development of 140,000 m2 of office space and 1,600 apartment unites within a 500
metre radius of the BART station. The number of quarterly weekday average exits at the
Pleasant Hill station increased from roughly 5,900 between October and December 2006 to
roughly 6,500between July and September 2008.50
Source: www.bart.gov/docs/station_exits_quarterly.pdf
Exhibit 5-1: TOD around Pleasant Hill BART station
The Fruitvale Transit Village located in the City of Oakland, California, US is a prime
example of focusing transit-oriented development around existing transit stations. The
Fruitvale Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station was initially an auto-oriented transit station
with surrounded by a vast on-grade commuter parking lot. To revitalize the area, a
redevelopment plan replaced the parking lot with a 10-acre area of mixed-use development
including over 30,000 ft2 of retail/restaurant space, 60,000 ft2 of offices, a 40,000 ft health
clinic, 12,000 ft2 community resource centre, a 5,000 ft2 library and 47 residential live/work
units. To increase transit ridership at the station, new development was constructed and bus
and pedestrian access was improved.
50
Quarterly Average Weekday Exits by Station – Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Report,
www.bart.gov/docs/station_exits_quarterly.pdf web accessed January 13, 2009
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Source: http://www.masstransitmag.com/print/Mass-Transit/Innovative-Station-Design--Practical-Makes-Perfect/1$45
Exhibit 5-2: Fruitvale Transit Village, Oakland CA - USA
Source: http://www.compassblueprint.org/node/49
Exhibit 5-3: Transit-Oriented Development around a Rail Station
Community support is an important role in understanding the importance of a TOD strategy.
Information and educational programs should be promoted and a thorough and transparent
planning process involving neighbourhoods, land owners, elected officials and the
development industry should be used to better-align ideas to create the necessary support and
execution of a TOD strategy.
As a footnote to this focus on TOD, it is worth noting that not all development has to be
transit oriented. There will always be a market for low density development and there will
also be locations that are not easily served by high-frequency transit. It is these areas that can
still provide a location for the lower density, higher-priced, auto style development.
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5.1.3 Matching Land Use Density with Transit Intensity
Just as different economic and demographic conditions are more compatible with certain real
estate products, so, too are some real estate products more compatible with certain types of
transit. High rise office space often works well when located at a major transit hub, while
apartments often work well near suburban commuter rail stations. Furthermore, the resulting
density of a TOD should be matched to the intensity of e
xisting transit; generally, as transit intensity increases, so should density. To cite the example
mentioned previously, a retailer who needs a steady stream of customers throughout the day
will not thrive near a commuter rail stop which only initiates substantial usage for 4-6 hours a
day. Any future plans by transit authorities to increase or decrease service should also be
taken into consideration, since such changes may have an adverse effect on the project by
altering traffic flows around the site.51
The Transit and Land Use Planning report completed by BC (British Columbia) Transit in
1992 (confirm) recommends residential land use densities (dwellings / hectare) listed in
Table 5-1, for different transit service levels.
Table 5-1: Transit Service Related to Density52
Service Description Density (dwellings
per Hectare)
Local bus, daytime hourly service 9.88
Local bus, extended hours and 60 minute
17.29
service, or 30 minute daytime service
Frequent bus service, some express 22.23
Very frequent service (every 5 to 10 minutes) 37.05
Research conducted by Pushkarev and Zupan (1977) summarized in Table 5-2 illustrates the
recommended residential densities required for various transit services.
These are “average” guidelines and could vary depending based on other factors. For
example, if transit service quality is already high along due to other factors like marketing
programs, comfortable vehicles and waiting areas, or there are a high amount of transit-
dependent customers in a corridor (such as students, or persons who do not own
automobiles), then lower density requirements may be suitable.
51
Source: http://www.transportchicago.org/images/TransitSupportLandUse-Gray.pdf
52
BC Transit – Transit and Land Use Planning – Residential Density and Transit Service – pg. 10
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Table 5-2: Transit Density Requirements 53
Mode Transit Service Type Minimum Density Area and Location
(Dwelling Units / Acre)
Dial-a-Bus Demand response serving 3.5 to 6 Community-wide
general public (not just people
with disabilities).
“Minimum” ½ mile route spacing, 20 buses 4 Neighbourhood
local bus per day
“Intermediate” ½ mile route spacing, 40 buses 7 Neighbourhood
local bus per day
“Frequent” local ½ mile route spacing, 120 15 Neighbourhood
bus buses per day
Express Bus – Five buses during two hour 15 Average density over 20-
Foot access period square mile area within 10
to 15 miles of a large
downtown
Express Bus – Five to ten buses during two- 15 Average density over 20
Auto access hour peak period square mile tributary area,
within 10 to 15 miles of a
large downtown
Light Rail Five minute headways or 12 Within waling distance of
better during peak hour. transit line, serving large
downtown
Rapid Transit Five minute headways or 12 Within walking distance of
better during peak hour transit stations serving large
downtown
Commuter Rail Twenty trains a day 1 to 2 Serving very large
downtown
5.1.4 Urban Design / Site Design
Building upon the examples of transit-oriented development described in Section 5.1.2, urban
design can play a role in encouraging transit use. In the past, urban design has been centred
on auto-access and other non-auto modes of access have been an after thought, this approach
has been changing in recent years.
In order to encourage and increase transit ridership, urban design features should include
convenient pedestrian access to transit facilities, with transit operations incorporated into
urban design elements.
5.1.4.1 Transit Malls / Pedestrian Malls
Transit malls and pedestrian malls are typically located in a major activity corridor or centre.
Transit vehicles are the exclusive or dominant form of transportation in association with
pedestrian travel and possibly cycling within the mall. Malls are usually at a scale of a few
53
Boris S. Pushkarev and Jeffrey M. Zupan (1977), Public Transportation and Land Use Policy, Indiana
University Press (Bloomington).
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city blocks or less and comprise of a mix of commercial and retail uses and services. Some
may also include employment land uses. Examples of transit / pedestrian malls are provided
below.
Vancouver’s (BC – Canada) “Granville Street” transit mall illustrated in Exhibit 5-4, located
in downtown Vancouver is not accessible by private automobile. Numerous local and
regional transit routes converge in within the transit mall providing direct access to adjacent
commercial, employment and residential properties. The area is also served by a heavy rail
rapid transit station.
Source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/449758272_b07b0ed7c6_o.jpg
Exhibit 5-4: Granville Street Transit Mall, Vancouver, BC - Canada
The K-Street Transit mall in downtown Sacramento, illustrated in Exhibit 5-5, is accessible
by light rail and pedestrians and is directly adjacent to numerous commercial and
employment areas including a major downtown shopping mall. The transit mall in downtown
Charlotte, NC is served by a light rail line that is directly adjacent to numerous restaurants
and cafes in the central business district as illustrated in Exhibit 5-6.
Source: Sherwin Gumbs
Exhibit 5-5: K Street Transit Mall – Sacramento, CA – USA
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Source:
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/index.php?level=picture&id=3011&phpMyAdmin=1aec47c9bc20t6c137b3
Exhibit 5-6: Transit Mall in Charlotte, NC - USA
Many of Bogata’s (Columbia, South America) “Transmilenio” BRT lines converge in a
transit mall in the city centre as illustrated in Exhibit 5-7. The transit mall is adjacent to
major employment, commercial and recreational facilities located in Bogata’s central
business district.
Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=570231&page=7
Exhibit 5-7: Transit Mall in Downtown Bogota – Colombia
5.1.4.2 Site Design
Many suburban developments such as office and commercial buildings are usually separated
from the street by large parking areas that make pedestrian access difficult and discourage
transit use. In addition, it is difficult and time consuming for transit vehicles to drive into
every commercial, office or residential development on a particular route to stop at
convenient locations for transit customers.
To encourage transit use, entrances to commercial, office or residential developments should
be oriented towards the street, rather than towards the parking lot, with direct access to
sidewalks and transit stops.
This is sometimes referred to as “clustered” development as illustrated in Exhibit 5-8.
Isolated development is not transit supportive as it makes pedestrian access from nearby
developments to transit facilities on roadways difficult.
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Source: Transit-Oriented Development: Best Practices Handbook – City of Calgary, January 2004
Exhibit 5-8: Example of Isolated and Clustered Development
Parking should be located at the rear of the building if possible. Otherwise, an additional
continuous sidewalk should be provided between the building and sidewalk, through the
parking lot.
Various transit supportive parking policies detailed in Section 5.1.5 should also be
incorporated into the site design process to limit the amount of parking provided at a
development to ensure that the parking provided closely matches the actual parking demand
since providing an overabundance of parking can inflate parking demands.
Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2510143652_61f8884763.jpg
Exhibit 5-9: Pedestrian access between building and the street.
5.1.4.3 Transit Corridors
Transit corridors are stretches of roadways, typically arterial roads, where continuous TOD is
planned for or provided and some form of transit priority is given provided throughout the
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corridor. Many municipalities in the GTA including Toronto, York Region, Brampton and
Mississauga have designated many of their arterial roads as transit corridors.
Transit corridors typically include high-density development along their lengths (particularly
at the main transit transfer stops) and some form of higher-order transit operating through the
corridor, either in the form of buses, light rail or heavy rail. Surface transit operations would
provide high-frequency, daily operations with transit-priority measures such as queue-jump
lanes, transit signal priority, HOV or transit lanes. Grade-separated transit facilities serving
such a transit corridor could include elevated or underground sections at stations.
Transit corridors can be classified as primary and secondary corridors, where primary
corridors include high-frequency transit service between major development nodes and along
high-density corridors. Secondary corridors serve the same function as primary corridors
with lower transit frequencies and development density.
Source: http://www.cargurus.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/houston-light-rail.jpg
Exhibit 5-10: Primary transit corridor – e.g. served by light rail.
Source: Richard Drdul - Bus Rapid Transit – Planning Guide 2007
Exhibit 5-11: Secondary transit corridor served by bus.
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5.1.5 Parking Practices
Parking can have significant impacts on travel behaviour and transit ridership, especially
when encouraging owners of private vehicles to use transit, especially for work trips.
There are numerous parking policies and practices that employers or municipalities can
introduce for various developments and areas that can be used to encourage transit use,
increase ridership, and minimize an overabundance of parking.
Transit-supportive parking policies described in the following subsections include:
Parking Supply Management Strategies
Parking Pricing Policies and Strategies
5.1.5.1 Parking Supply Management Policies and Strategies
Transit-supportive parking supply management strategies include the following:
Introducing parking requirements for new developments such as:
• Reduction in Minimum Requirements
• Establishing Maximum Parking Requirements
• Negotiated Flexible Parking Requirements including:
− Providing in-lieu payments for reduced requirements
− Support for ridesharing and / or transit for reduced requirements
− Shared use of common parking facilities as factors in determining parking
requirements
Reducing minimum parking supply requirements as well as establishing maximum parking
supply requirements will ensure that an over-supply of parking is not provided at new
developments. An over-supply of parking can result in a substantial increase in the number of
trips using both long-term and short-term parking and can also cause street circulation
problems and additional traffic congestion, deterring transit use. By reducing minimum and
establishing maximum parking requirements for new developments in close proximity to
transit services, an increased incentive to use transit can be provided.
Flexible parking requirements are policies where developers are offered reduced on-site
parking requirements in return for an agreement to adopt other traffic-mitigation measures,
usually aimed at influencing the demand for non-SOV (Single Occupant Vehicle) modes.
Measures include subsidizing transit and providing preferential parking for carpools. Flexible
parking requirements are meant to benefit both the community and developers. Communities
benefit from improved traffic flows, decreased pollution and more efficiently used parking
spaces. Developers benefit by spending less money on the construction and maintenance or
parking facilities.
Supporting ridesharing and transit for reduced parking requirements includes providing
transit passes, transit information, shuttles from transit stations to work places and providing
reserved parking spaces for ridesharing and non-commuter parking. However, research has
shown that this is only useful when other conditions exist, such as limited parking supplies
and high parking costs – typically found in downtown areas.
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Shared parking is a supply management strategy that encourages more compact, mixed-use
development and allows for the same set of parking spaces to be shared between different
land uses. This in turn can reduce a buildings parking supply and encourage transit use.
Municipal parking supply management strategies include:
Parking Caps to limit the number of allowable parking spaces within specified areas
Restrictions on Access to Parking by Commuters through:
• Area parking permit programs
• Time of day restrictions
• Metered parking
• Eliminating curb lane parking
Trip Reduction Demand Management Ordinances Restricting SOV Parking Supply
Increased Enforcement
These strategies can help limit an oversupply of parking and encourage alternative non-auto
travel modes.
5.1.5.2 Parking Pricing Policies and Strategies
Increases in parking costs can make transit more attractive to drivers if perceived as a cost
and time saving measure. Of course, transit service must also be convenient and reliable.
A travel study conducted by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority in 1995
showed that when parking costs exceeded transit fares by 20% to 30% that commuters tended
to take transit instead of driving alone to work.54 Of those who did drive to work, 47% had
either free parking available to them or employer-paid parking.55
Transit-supportive parking pricing policies and strategies applicable to lots under public
control include:
Introducing or increasing parking rates for on and off-street parking to deter auto use
Introducing parking rates that encourage short-term use and discourage long-term use
Reduced rates for preferred vehicles such as ridesharing, vanpooling and energy-efficient
vehicles
Additional economic disincentives and taxes can also be introduced to modify parking
demand, including:
Parking Revenue Taxes
Parking Space Taxes
Parking Surcharges (ad valorem, based on hours parked, fixed amount):
• Peak-period surcharges
• All-day surcharges
Parking pricing strategies do not have to be “blanket prices” that cover an entire geographical
area. Rather, they can be applied to specific areas such as high density zones, areas
experiencing parking difficulties and areas with high levels of transit access. Adjustments to
parking prices are most suitable for encouraging transit use in areas where high levels of
transit access are present, and there is a low availability of adjacent parking opportunities.
54
Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in the 1990’s – pg. 17
55
Ibid
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These conditions provide the greatest incentive for drivers to consider switching to non-auto
modes.
5.1.6 Joint Development of Transit Nodes
Working in concert with developers municipalities can develop nodes that are integrated with
transit stations. Transit oriented development described above is the focus of joint
development plans. Developers get to benefit from higher densities while the transit system
will benefit from higher ridership.
5.1.7 Road Design
Re-allocating road space rights-of-way to specific transportation activities, and/or managing
roadways can help to encourage a more efficient and equitable transportation system. To
encourage transit ridership, transit-priority measures should be installed along major transit
corridors. Improvements to the pedestrian realm along roads are also essential as pedestrians
will need convenient and comfortable access to transit services. Road design features that can
have a positive impact on transit ridership are described in the following sub-sections.
5.1.7.1 Access Management
Access Management can be defined as “providing access to land development while
simultaneously preserving the flow of traffic on the surrounding road system in terms of
safety, capacity and speed”.56
Access management features include:
Limiting the number of driveways per lot
Locating driveways away from intersections
Connecting parking lots and consolidating driveways so that vehicles can travel between
parcels without re-entering an arterial road
Provide residential access through neighbourhood streets, as residential driveways should
not connect directly to arterial roads
These features can limit motor-vehicle between the roadway and adjacent developments and
encourage transit ridership as they improve pedestrian connections between the roadway and
developments lining the roadway.
5.1.7.2 Pedestrian / Streetscape Improvements
Since all transit customers begin and end their transit trips as pedestrians, streetscaping
features should be in place to ensure that pedestrians have a comfortable environment to wait
in, and they can conveniently access transit services.
Pedestrian-friendly features and improvements that can impact transit ridership include:
Creating “pedways”, which are enclosed urban walkways that connect buildings to
transportation terminals
56
Access Management, Retrieved February 26, 2009 from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website at
www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm1.htm
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Ensure that sidewalks are provided to all transit stops in urban areas
Provide walkways in reverse-lot subdivisions to provide access to major bus routes
5.1.7.3 Vehicle Use Restrictions
Vehicle use restrictions limit automobile travel in a certain area either permanently or at a
particular time. They are typically applied in locations that are well served by public
transportation and efforts are made to minimize auto access and encourage transit use.
Examples of such restrictions include:
Dividing areas of cities into traffic cells that have direct walking, cycling and transit
connections but require a longer trip by automobile
Road pricing strategies where motorists pay to drive in a certain area
Re-allocating portions of road rights-of-way to walking, cycling, HOV and/or transit –
giving them priority over other motor-vehicles
Research indicates that these type of restriction have been most beneficial at increasing
public transit use, along with walking, cycling.57
5.1.8 Security
A perceived lack of personal security can deter many travelers from using public
transportation. The use of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design or “CPTED”
features in the land use and site design process can significantly impact transit ridership.
CPTED features include building design strategies that maximize an individuals’ personal
safety.
When related to transit ridership, the following land use features should be considered
whenever possible.
Design for natural surveillance – including adequate sightlines, lighting, providing
windows and minimizing hiding spaces. This allows for an area or activity to be viewed
by residents, bypassers and keeps “eyes on the street”
Relocating gathering areas to locations with good natural surveillance and access control
which enables these areas to become more active and likely to support activity and
encourage public participation. For example, transit stops should be located in areas
where they are visible to businesses and residents
The use of walls and other objects must be considered carefully so that they do not create
hiding spots or areas with poor visibility and sight lines
Providing a clear border definition of controlled space – so that the user can recognize
space as public or private. This helps identify illegitimate uses
Research indicates that the implementation of these features received a high rating for
increasing public transit use.58 These features are most applicable in large urban areas, high
57
Vehicle Restrictions, Retrieved February 26, 2009 from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website at
www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm33.htm
58
Vehicle Restrictions, Retrieved February 26, 2009 from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website at
www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm33.htm
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or medium-density urban / suburban developments, commercial areas and residential areas as
in the Region.
Other initiatives many transit agencies are undertaking to improve security and can be
applied to the Region include:
Request-stop programs that allow transit customers to get off anywhere along a bus route
including between bus stops after daylight hours, provided the bus can safely manoeuvre
to the requested stop location
The installation of on-board security cameras in transit vehicles
Making transit staff and / or security teams more visible on transit properties
Increasing the frequency of security patrols including patrolling transit terminals and
parking lots
Keeping transit areas clean
Reducing obvious hiding places.
5.1.9 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Positive changes in land use development practices can have the potentially largest impact on
the long term success of increasing transit ridership in the region. It is also the factor that is
arguably the most difficult to influence, particularly in the area of Regional Planning.
The long term success for increasing transit ridership in the region will be greatly increased if
the following strategies are pursued:
Development of major destination nodes including intensification at existing GO Transit
stations
Concentration of medium sized employment and commercial nodes along major transit
routes and transfer locations
Set residential development density targets for transit corridors in the Region
Identify potential TOD (joint development if possible) sites and areas including:
• All GO Train stations – residential / commercial and employment development
• Pickering central area
• Downtown Ajax
• Highway 2 corridor
• Taunton Road corridor
• Durham Centre
• Oshawa Centre
Development of transit-supportive parking practices for all future developments in
Durham Region
The LTTS will include the preparation of land use policies, principles and guidelines to
support and implement the preferred transit strategy, such as rapid transit on Highway 2.
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6. VEHICLES
Transit vehicles should be of modern design, attractive, comfortable and accessible to attract
passengers and increase ridership. In addition, from a transit operator’s perspective, transit
vehicles should be best-suited to the service they provide. For example high capacity vehicles
should be used for heavy demand routes, and smaller low capacity vehicles for low-demand
routes.
This chapter illustrates various transit vehicle designs in operation today that are potentially
suitable for Durham Region.
6.1.1 Accessible / Low Floor Vehicles
The majority of transit agencies in North America and around the world are standardizing
their fleets with low-floor fully accessible vehicles and slowly phasing out non wheelchair
accessible vehicles.
Many transit operators that use high-floor buses have retrofitted them to include ramps
allowing people using mobility devices to access conventional transit vehicles. In addition,
transit agencies are purchasing partial or full low-floor buses that have few or no steps
between one or more entrances and part of, or the entire passenger cabin. It is expected that
in the next few years, the majority of transit agencies with bus operations will have fully-
accessible bus fleets.
Source: http://www.mdot.state.md.us/Planning/Bus%20Rapid%20Transit/BRT%20Components
Exhibit 6-1: BRT Vehicle, Las Vegas, NV - USA
Many transit agencies throughout the world that operate rail services, whether light or heavy
rail, are also utilizing low floor vehicles, or high-floor vehicles that use access ramps.
Transit agencies with LRT operations are utilizing low-floor vehicles, eliminating the need
for passengers to use steps. LRT vehicles are level with the passenger platform at stops.
Agencies that use high-floor rail vehicles are installing ramps either at transit stops and
stations or on vehicles to provide level boarding and alighting.
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These features allow for “universal access” to conventional transit, allowing well-bodied
persons, people using mobility devices, or passengers with difficulties climbing steps to
easily use conventional transit services. Providing accessibility to passengers with in various
physical conditions is a very important measure for increasing transit ridership.
6.1.2 Electrically Powered Transit Vehicles
Electric-powered transit vehicles produce no emissions, are quieter than diesel-powered
vehicles and can improve the image of public transit by promoting it as an environmentally-
friendly travel mode.
6.1.2.1 Light Rail Vehicles / Streetcars
Light rail vehicles or streetcars are powered by electricity and run on rails. Streetcars are
most applicable for high demand routes with frequent stops. The technical aspects of
streetcars and light rail vehicles are very similar; however, LRV’s tend to have a greater
passenger carrying capacity and may operate in multiple units while LRT lines tend to
feature more transit priority measures than streetcar routes.
Source: http://www.dogcaught.com/rfimg/0605/streetcar-psu.jpg
Exhibit 6-2: Portland Streetcar
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Source: http://www.streetcarmike.com/muni_lightrail/muni_breda1445_routeT_sunnydale_03_apr072007.jpg
Exhibit 6-3: Light Rail Vehicle in San Francisco, CA
6.1.2.2 Trolley Buses
Translink in the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan area operates a fleet articulated, low-floor
trolley buses on highly patronized routes. These trolley buses are also equipped with bicycle
racks as illustrated below.
Source: http://bc.transport2000.ca/images/TL_2007_NFI_E60LF_2533.jpg
Exhibit 6-4: Articulated Trolley Bus, Translink (Vancouver, BC)
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6.1.3 Diesel Multiple Units
Diesel multiple units (DMU’s) are multiple unit trains with propulsion provided through one
or more on-board diesel engines. Because the length of DMU’s can vary, they have been
successfully used around the world for a wide variety of transportation services, including
inter-city routes, regional and commuter rail lines and LRT routes. Examples of DMU
operations are provided below.
OC Transpo in the City of Ottawa operates as fleet of DMU’s on its “O-Train”, am 8 km
light rail line.
Source: http://railfan45.tripod.com/id9.html
Exhibit 6-5: “O-Train” DMU in Ottawa, ON - Canada
New Jersey Transit’s River LRT line, a 55 km inter-regional LRT line, uses a fleet of
articulated light rail vehicles powered by diesel rather than electricity.
Source: www.world.nycsubway.org
Exhibit 6-6: DMU operated by New Jersey Transit
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Source: http://www.ebbc.org/rail/sjx.html
Exhibit 6-7: Inter-Regional Commuter Rail DMU, Munich – Germany
6.1.4 Alternative Fuels
Many transit agencies are turning to alternative fuel sources to reduce dependency on foreign
oil, minimize harmful emissions into the air, and to improve the operating efficiency of their
transit vehicles. Traditionally, many transit vehicles burn diesel which produces greenhouse
gas emissions that are harmful to the environment and reduce air quality, such as CO2 and
NOX. Alternative fuels can help minimize the “carbon footprint” of transit vehicles.
Various alternative fuel types being examined for buses include methanol, ethanol,
compressed natural gas (CNG), fuel cells, hybrid electric and battery powered vehicles.
Various types of “clean air” alternative fuels include:
Methanol, an alcohol-based fuel source produced primarily from natural gas59
Ethanol, an alcohol derived from biomass (corn, sugar cane, grasses, trees and
agricultural waste)60
Bio Diesel, comprised from plant or animal-derived oil products, organic materials61
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), composed of methane that can be stored as a
compressed gas of a cryogenic liquid62
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
6.1.5 Alternative Configurations
The use of new and innovative transit vehicles can be an effective means of attracting
passengers and marketing transit services. Innovative designs can also provide many
operational benefits over standard transit vehicles.
59
Alternative Fuel Transit Buses, Final Results from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Vehicle
Evaluation Program, US DOE, pg.6
60
Alternative Fuel Transit Buses, Final Results from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Vehicle
Evaluation Program, US DOE, pg.6
61
Alternative Fuel Transit Buses, Final Results from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Vehicle
Evaluation Program, US DOE, pg.6
62
Alternative Fuel Transit Buses, Final Results from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Vehicle
Evaluation Program, US DOE, pg.6
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6.1.5.1 Articulated Transit Vehicles
Articulated transit vehicles are single unit transit vehicles that are longer than standard transit
vehicles comprising of two or more passenger compartments that are attached, allowing for
through passenger movement between each compartment. They can be identified by their
“bending” section that resembles an “accordion” connecting the passenger units. Articulated
transit vehicles can be found on heavy rail trains, light rail vehicles and buses.
For heavy rail vehicles, articulated units are an effective means at increasing passenger
carrying capacity without necessarily increasing a trains’ length. By allowing through
passenger movements throughout the entire train, passenger loads can be more evenly
distributed throughout the train and the space available to passengers can be maximized.
Articulated light rail vehicles (ALRV’s) are the technical name given to a type of streetcar
operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto, Canada. They are streetcars
that are made up of two passenger compartments, attached by a “bendable” section that
allows for free-flowing passenger movements between the two sections.
Other light rail vehicles operated throughout the world also use articulated vehicles although
they may not be specifically referred to as ALRVs. Most single-unit light rail vehicles
comprise of at least one articulated section. However, many light rail vehicles in European
transit systems comprise of multiple articulated sections with vehicle lengths ranging
between 24 m or more.
Articulated buses in Canada and the US comprise to two passenger compartments connected
by one articulated section. They are usually 18 m (60 ft) in length, whereas standards buses
are usually 12 m (40 ft). They are effective because they can carry more passengers than a
standard bus, however the “bending” section allows for articulated buses to safely navigate
the same streets that are used by standard buses. Numerous transit systems across Canada use
articulated buses on high demand routes, including Vancouver, British Columbia; Ottawa,
Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Lane Transit’s “EmX” BRT line in Eugene, OR is operated by a fleet of articulated buses
with doors on both sides which allow for passenger boarding / alighting at island and
curbside stations. Much of its BRT line operates within the median of the arterial roads with
island platforms; however other sections of the route have curbside stops. Similar buses have
also been introduced on a new BRT line in Cleveland, OH – USA.
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Source: www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2008/
Exhibit 6-8: Lane Transit (Eugene, OR – USA) Articulated Buses with Double-Sided
Doors
Internationally, many cities have introduced articulated buses with two or more passenger
sections which have dramatically increased the passenger carrying capacity on buses.
Source: www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=399533
Exhibit 6-9: Double-Articulated bus is Utrecht, NL
Current legislature in Canada and the US however, restricts the use of bus with more than
two passenger compartments.
Articulated light rail vehicles and buses are most effective on high demand routes as they
provide passenger carrying-capacities roughly equivalent to two transit vehicles, without
increasing the operating costs required for a second vehicle.
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Source: www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_lrt_2008-01a.htm
Exhibit 6-10: Light-rail train in Marseille, Le Mans, France
Source: www.alanthomasmoore.com/misc/streetrunning/streetrunning.html
Exhibit 6-11: Articulated Light Rail Vehicle in Paris, France
6.1.5.2 Double Decker Buses
Double decker buses are buses with two levels. They are very popular in many European and
Asian cities. Many transit systems use double decker buses for regular transit services;
however they are also very popular on intercity and tourist bus lines. There is a growing
popularity for double decker buses in Canada with GO Transit recently purchasing a fleet of
double-decker buses for its Highway 407 express (and proposed BRT) service. Double
decker buses also operate in Victoria, BC. The operational benefits provided with double
decker buses are similar to those with articulated buses, including increased passenger carry
capacity within a single vehicle when compared to a standard transit bus. Using double
decker buses to carry more passengers also does not increase the overall bus length, which
allows buses to use street networks with tight-curves and turning radii that an articulated bus
may not be able to navigate.
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Source: www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/archer/2008/08-02/dennis-double-decker-07-25-08.jpg
Source: www.justagwailo.com/tag/victoria-regional-transit-system
Exhibit 6-12: GO Transit and BC Transit in Victoria, BC both operate double-decker
buses in their fleets
Source: www.weblogs.amny.com/news/local/tracker/blog/
Exhibit 6-13: Local Double Decker bus in New York City.
6.1.6 Recommendations for Further Consideration
As this section outlines, a number of vehicles of unique design and capacity are in operation
across the continent and abroad. This may seem like many to choose from, but the decision to
select the right vehicle is much more straightforward than one would think. The first step in
selecting the correct vehicle is determining what the demand for public transit will be in the
future (2031). By knowing the demand on the system, the Region can select the appropriate
transit application (Express Bus, Bus Rapid Transit Light, Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail
Transit, etc.) to efficiently and effectively transport transit customers as there are specific
thresholds for passenger volumes for each application, as discussed in a later section of the
Long Term Transit Strategy. With the application determined via the Long Term Transit
Strategy’s demand forecasting exercise, the vehicle type will be determined. This leaves the
decision of aesthetics or design, which reflects the strategic marketing message the Region
wants to communicate.
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7. INTERMODAL PROVISIONS
Transit customers do not consist exclusively of transit-dependent persons. Many transit
customers also use other modes to access transit services, such as the automobile, cycling, or
using one transit mode to transfer to another – such as a bus to rail transfer. Therefore, major
transit stations and terminals should not just serve as transit facilities; they must also act as
inter-modal facilities, providing connections between various modes of transportation. This
chapter outlines various inter-modal provisions that should be considered by DRT for
existing and future transit services.
7.1 Park and Ride Facilities
Providing park and ride facilities at transit stops and stations is a very effective method of
attracting ridership since not all existing or potential transit customers are within walking
distance of transit services.
Throughout Canada, park and ride facilities are provided by a number of agencies. For
example:
Toronto Transit Commission provides commuter parking lots at many of its suburban
subway stations outside of the downtown core, which are typically heavily utilized.
Parking fees are typically required at all lots during weekdays throughout the day, with
free parking allowed during the afternoon peak, evening hours and on weekends.
OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa have an extensive park and ride strategy where
park and ride lots are provided at transitway stations in the suburban, low-density areas of
the City as well as a number of rural park and ride lots, strategically places along rural
bus routes that provide access to the City. The City of Ottawa strategically places many
of its rural park and ride lots in locations were new development and potential rapid
transit lines are proposed.
Metro Transit in the Regional Municipality of Halifax park and ride lots at various
locations throughout the Region, including major transit and ferry terminals, shopping
centres and community destinations, mainly located outside of the downtown core. There
is typically a fee to use lots that are in central-locations (e.g. urban areas, fringe of
downtown) whereas parking at more suburban and rural lots is free.
GO Transit provides free parking at many of its suburban parking lots and these lots are
usually heavily utilized.
Many of the parking lots along the GO Lakeshore East line in Durham Region are near
capacity today as seen in Table 7-1.
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Table 7-1: GO Lakeshore East Parking Utilization (July 2006 – June 2007)
This shows that thousands of transit customers will drive to transit stations; provided the
transit service provided is efficient, convenient and reliable. As mentioned above, GO Transit
provides free parking at many of its suburban parking lots and these lots are usually heavily
utilized. As seen in Table 7-1 above, parking availability increases along the GO Lakeshore
East line the further one moves from Downtown Toronto. This strategy supports Downtown
Toronto, however it does little to support urbanization for the municipal centres of Pickering,
Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa as large spaces of land near the traditional downtowns are
reserved for parking. One strategy to reclaim this land is to incent commercial development
near GO Stations such as a large scale theatres or big box stores which require parking
traditionally during evenings and weekends.
Additionally, the large parking lots surrounding transit stations make transit access by other
modes such as walking and cycling difficult and inconvenient. All of these factors can deter
potential transit customers. They also show that while providing vehicle access to transit
services is an effective method of attracting customers, an oversupply of parking can also
deter customers. Therefore, the transit-supportive parking strategies listed in Section 5.1.5
should still be considered in the development of parking facilities and efficient local transit
access to higher-order transit lines is still encouraged.
7.1.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Given that most of the development in Durham Region is rural or low-density suburban,
providing vehicle access to transit routes is a key strategy for increasing transit ridership in
Durham Region. Although providing higher order transit service along major corridors and
supporting these corridors with transit-oriented development will help to increase ridership,
there will still be a number of people who will not live within close proximity to these
corridors and services, especially in the rural areas of the Region. Therefore, providing park
and ride lots along higher-order transit lines will be effective in attracting automobile users to
transit services.
The Region should consider park and ride facilities:
At strategic locations on the periphery of the City and the transit network so that
automobile trips can be intercepted prior to entering the downtowns
Along key transit corridors in concert with mixed land-use development (e.g. Highway 2,
Taunton Road, Rossland Road)
Along rural transit routes in north Durham municipalities (e.g. Brock, Uxbridge, Scugog)
Consider transit-supportive parking practices for park and ride lots
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7.2 Bicycles
Cycling is often a forgotten travel mode, however, providing cycling access to transit stations
and services is another key ridership growth strategy. Many jurisdictions have very
successful integration strategies between cycling and transit.
The VIVA BRT network in York Region provides bicycle parking at all of its BRT stations,
however, BRT buses are currently not equipped with bicycle racks.
Source: www.raisethehammer.org/blog.asp?id=1121
Exhibit 7-1: Bike Rack on Bus – Hamilton Street Railway, Hamilton, ON - Canada
OC Transpo in the City of Ottawa implemented a “Rack and Roll” program by installing
bicycle racks on all buses that operate along major transit routes in the City. Bicycle parking
facilities are also available at many rapid transit stations throughout the City, including
secure and shelter bicycle lockers at some stations. Many of the city’s cycling routes also
connect to rapid transit stations and transit services.
Source: www.busdriverofdurham.blogspot.com/2009/01/go-transit-bicycle-shelter.html
Exhibit 7-2: Secure Bicycle Storage, Ajax GO Station
The Sacramento Regional Transit authority (SACRT, Sacramento, CA – USA) provides
bicycle storage areas on all of its LRT vehicles. The transit network is also well integrated
with cycling facilities. Many of SACRT’s buses are also equipped with bicycle racks.
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Source: www.bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/2007/02/bicycling-on-transit-in-sacramento.html
Exhibit 7-3: Bicycle Storage on LRT vehicle – Sacramento, CA - USA
Cycling route maps produced by various municipalities typically show the locations of
cycling-accessible transit routes and the locations of bicycle parking facilities.
7.2.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
The Region has been granted funds via Metrolinx’s BikeLinx program to install bicycle racks
on DRT buses and secure bicycle parking at DRT stations. GO Transit is also installing
bicycle racks and already has bicycle parking at all GO Stations located in Durham Region.
To further improve the connection between public transit and cycling, the Region should
consider:
Provide bicycle parking at all future higher-order and rapid transit stops;
Provide secure bicycle lockers at all transit terminals;
Equip entire DRT and GO Transit bus fleet with bicycle racks;
Show transit connections on all Regional and municipal cycling maps.
7.3 Intermodal Stations
Intermodal stations are transportation hubs that provide connections between various
transportation modes at a single location. These include local transit services, regional bus
and passenger rail, intercity bus and rail services and other local area transport modes such as
walking, cycling and motor-vehicles. Poor connectivity between different transportation
modes may deter intermodal use, for example, if a regional rail station is too far of a walk
from a shopping centre, travellers will not consider using the regional rail when shopping. In
Durham, all four of GO Transit’s Lakeshore East stations are physically segmented by
Highway 401 from the traditional downtowns of Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa.
Metrolinx’s RTP identifies “Anchor Hubs” a series of mobility hubs which are major
intermodal transit stations where various transportation modes connect. Two Anchor Hubs
have been identified in Durham Region, Downtown Pickering and Downtown Oshawa.
The following criteria, identified in the RTP, have been applied to anchor hubs:
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City centre, one or more transit stations, inter-modal capacity, significant growth
potential, medium jobs/people per hectare, several destinations, civic presence, major
retail
200 – 300+ people and jobs combined per hectare
30 % transit modal split; 25% active transportation
Major public destinations, public space, substantial retail, full bicycle station, car-share
station, daycare, full traveller information systems, full and go-traveller amenities
Best practices for the development of mobility hubs include:
Centering development around a transit station with multiple pedestrian access points
between developed areas and transit stations. This will drastically change current GO
Transit parking practices at Pickering GO Station and Oshawa GO Station
Providing vehicular access to development nodes through periphery roads and/or
tunnelled roadways that do not conflict with surface developments
Installing strict car-parking policies to limit the flow of incoming automobiles and
providing maximum parking restrictions for all developments within the hub
Providing no commuter parking lots within anchor hubs
Ensuring strong cycling and pedestrian connections are available throughout the hub area
The following are examples of anchor hubs.
Emeryville – Amtrak Station: Emeryville - Amtrak Station located in the City of Emerville,
CA in the San Francisco Bay Area is an intermodal rail station serving dozens of regional
and inter-city trains as well as motor-coach bus service to San Francisco, about 30 minutes
away. Local bus service is also provided to the station. Transit-oriented development
surrounds the station, including a mix of medium density commercial and residential
developments, easily accessible by foot. It is now a regional centre for the biotechnology,
software and film industries.63 An illustration of Emeryville Station and the TOD surrounding
the station is provided in Exhibit 7-4.
Source: www.z.about.com/d/sanfrancisco/1/0/r/_/-/-/emeryvilleamtrak.jpg
Exhibit 7-4: Emeryville Station, CA
63
Great American Stations website www.greatamericanstations.com “Emeryville, CA (EMY)”, 2008
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Fort Worth – Intermodal Transportation Center: The Ft. Worth intermodal transportation
center located in the City of Fort Worth, Texas, USA, provides connections between intercity
rail services, commuter rail services, the city’s intercity motor-coach (Greyhound) station,
and local transit services in the area. The station is located in downtown Fort Worth and is
designed to handle all transportation modes serving the downtown area – including walking,
cycling and automobiles. The area has also been designated as an area for future
development in the downtown area.64 The transportation center is illustrated in Exhibit 7-5.
Source: www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/ftw/index.htm
Exhibit 7-5: Forth Worth Intermodal Transportation Center
Atlantic City – Municipal Bus Terminal: Atlantic City’s Municipal Bus Terminal (Atlantic
City, NJ – USA) is an intermodal transit terminal serving as the terminus for numerous local,
regional and intercity buses. Atlantic City’s regional and inter-city rail station is located
across the street. Half of the bus terminal is devoted to major commercial developments and
outlet malls, which is directly adjacent to an eight-block, mixed-use, urban redevelopment
project and “The Walk Atlantic City” a major pedestrian corridor linking the casinos, hotels,
tourist destinations, shopping, gaming and entertainment and other portions of the City. The
transit terminal serves as the “anchor” to the “The Walk” as bus service to and from this area
is crucial to the City’s economy. A substantial portion of Atlantic City’s visitors arrive by
transit and inter-city bus and rail services.65
La Defense – Paris, France: La Defense is a major business district for the City of France
that is centred around the La Defence station, a multi-modal transit station served by multiple
local and regional rapid transit lines, local transit and intercity rail services. Numerous
pedestrian access points are provided between transit stations and adjacent developments
which include employment, commercial and residential developments. Vehicular access is
provided by a series of “through” roads, typically placed underground so that they do not
conflict with surface operations.
64
Intermodal Surface Public Transport Hubs: Harnessing Synergy for Success in America’s Urban and Intercity
Travel, Retrieved March 2, 2009 from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website at,
www.vtpi.org/henry_marsh.pdf
65
Intermodal Surface Public Transport Hubs: Harnessing Synergy for Success in America’s Urban and Intercity
Travel, Retrieved March 2, 2009 from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website at,
www.vtpi.org/henry_marsh.pdf
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Source: www.panoramio.com/photo/1463387
Exhibit 7-6: Entrance to La Defense Station
Canary Wharf – London, UK: Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping area located
in East London, UK that is served by two rapid transit lines, a light rail line and local bus
routes. Pedestrian and cycling access is also provided to the station and surrounding area.
The Canary Wharf area is directly served by the “Canary Wharf” transit station, which is one
of the busiest stations outside of central London. As illustrated in Exhibit 7-7, Canary Wharf
station is located adjacent to office buildings, a pedestrian mall and a terminal for ferries to
central London.
Source: www.gallery.nen.gov.uk/image76180-swgfl.html
Exhibit 7-7: Canary Wharf Station
The development of Pickering Anchor Hub and Oshawa Anchor Hub should apply lessons
learned from various examples of inter-modal transportation hubs. These lessons show a
hubs dependence on the integration of multiple transit modes including intercity and regional
lines, urban rapid transit, local transit routes, automobile, pedestrians and cyclists with
surrounding developments.
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The Region can provide convenient auto access however, there are typically restrictions on
car parking and commuter parking for public transit is generally not provided. This will
require a parking strategy that relieves the parking requirements on Pickering Anchor Hub
and Oshawa Anchor Hub.
7.3.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
As the transportation network in Durham Region expands and more transportation services
are implemented, the strategic design of inter-modal stations will be essential to facilitate the
seamless travel between connecting transportation services.
7.4 Inter-modal “Transfer” Facilities
Many transit customers will not be able to complete their entire trip on one vehicle or on one
mode, and transfers between different modes will be required. Numerous or inconvenient
transfers can deter potential transit customers, therefore intermodal transfer facilities should
be designed in a way that facilitates seamless connections between different transportation
modes.
Transfers between surface transit operations such as LRT, BRT or local bus operations and
other surface transportation modes, such as automobiles, cyclists, pedestrians should be
provided at the same level whenever possible. Transit customers having to travel up and
down multiple steps may deter them from using transit. In addition, this avoids the need for
elevators and other costly accessibility features. Cross-platform connections should be
maximized whenever possible.
Where cross-platform transfer opportunities cannot be provided, elevators, escalators and
ramps should be provided at multiple level facilities. Many surface transfer stations are also
being designed in a method that allows for travellers to that connecting transit services are
visible from most areas of the station.
The Clareview LRT station in Edmonton, AB – Canada connects the LRT station to two
local bus terminals, a park n ride facility. The station layout is illustrated in Exhibit 7-8.
Cross-platform transfers are also available between connecting bus routes at each terminal.
The LRT platform is at grade; however access ramps beneath the LRT tracks connect the
platform to the rest of the station. At-grade crossings (across the LRT tracks) are provided at
the north end of the station between the LRT platform and parking lots. Medium density
residential areas and commercial plaza’s are also within walking distance of the station.
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Source: Edmonton Transit System (ETS)
Exhibit 7-8: Clareview LRT Station Layout – Edmonton, AB - Canada
Cross-platform bus-LRT transfers are provided at many intermodal stations along the City of
Portland’s “MAX” LRT lines, such as the Gateway, 99th Avenue Station illustrated in
Exhibit 7-9.
Source: www.mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000084.html
Exhibit 7-9: Schematic of Inter-modal Transfer Facility
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Exhibit 7-10 illustrates a typical stop layout providing convenient transfers between LRT,
buses, pedestrians and automobiles.
Source: Peter Ehrich, www.world.nycsubway.org
Exhibit 7-10: Portland “MAX” Gateway, NE 99th Ave Station
7.4.1 Recommendations for Further Consideration
Site-specific features for the Pickering and Oshawa urban growth centres will be determined
as specific developments are confirmed. However, the best practices detailed in this chapter
should be considered as the public transit network in Durham Region develops.
As part of the LTTS, the following recommendations will be considered for inter-modal
facilities in the Region:
Better connectivity between the Pickering GO Station and Pickering Town Centre /
Central Area
Improving pedestrian and cycling connections to GO stations and transit terminals
throughout the Region
Inter-city rail service provided at the Oshawa GO / VIA station and may be considered at
the Pickering GO station as the Pickering urban growth centre develops
Maximize the use of cross-platform and / or same-level transfers between different
transportation systems and modes at major transit terminals and higher-order transit stops
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8. NEXT STEPS
The recommendations presented in this report are options that will be considered as the
project moves forward, at which further analysis will be required to determine the viability of
implementing these practices in the Region.
Task 5 of the LTTS project involves the development of alternative transportation and transit
strategies to be considered and evaluated further. The alternative strategies will consider, and
will likely include, many of the strategies identified and discussed in this report. Throughout
the project the applicability of these best practices to the Region will be assessed against a
number of evaluation criteria and based on the results of the assessment, the strategies will be
refined.
Assessment criteria will include:
Forecasted transit modal splits and transit ridership
Life-cycle Capital and Operating Cost Estimates
Revenue Estimates
Business and Economic Impacts
Environmental impacts
The Preferred Transportation and Transit Strategy developed in Task 8 will define and detail:
The recommended transit service delivery strategy
Infrastructure requirements (roadway, facilities, vehicles, etc)
Service standards
Traffic and transit technology
Operational elements
TDM strategies
Policies
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9. REFERENCE LIST
360 Texas.com Fort Worth – Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center, Retrieved June
11, 2009 from website http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/ftw/index.htm
About.com: San Francisco, Emeryville Amtrak Station, Retrieved June 8, 2009, from website
http://sanfrancisco.about.com/od/gettingaroun1/ig/Capitol-Corridor/Emeryville-Amtrak-
Station.htm
Access Exchange International Photo Tour, Railroads and Subways, Retrieved February 24,
2009 from website http://www.globalride-sf.org/phtos.html
AMNY Subway Tracker – Transit Rolls Out Double-Decker Buses, Retrieved June 11, 2009
from website http://www.weblogs.amny.com/news/local/tracker/blog/
Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Division of Transportation, Rosslyn
Multimodal Transportation Plan – Draft Final Report, Retrieved June 12, 2009 from website
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/images/file62245.pdf
Baker, R.J., Collura, J., Dale., J.J., Head, L., Hemily, B., Ivanovic, M., Jarzab, J.T., (et. al)
Advanced Traffic Management Systems Committee, and Advanced Public Transportation
Systems Committee of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America – ITS America - An
Overview of Transit Signal Priority Advanced Traffic Management Systems – Final Draft
Washington D.C., 2002
“BC Transit: Transit and Land Use Planning”. 1992
Bi-Tech.net – Forums, post pictures of what your mass transport looks like, Retrieved
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