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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Alan Brown, Director of
Engineering |
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PREPARED BY: |
Arup
Mukherjee, Manager of Transportation |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2003-Sep-29 |
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SUBJECT: |
Yonge Street Rapid Transit EA |
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RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Council endorse the draft EA for the Yonge
Street Rapid Transit Project subject to the following conditions:
i)
The Region and YRTP continue to work with Town
staff to finalize the Thornhill Yonge Street Study and an implementation
strategy;
ii)
The Region and YRTP continue to work with Town
staff and the Langstaff Ratepayers Association to finalize the plans for the
Operations and Maintenance facility and ensure compatibility with the Langstaff
landuse study;
iii)
The Region and YRTP monitor traffic volumes on
local roads and work with Town staff to develop appropriate mitigating measures
including but not limited to traffic calming and traffic operational changes
iv)
That the Town, City of Vaughan, the Region and
YRTP hold further discussions regarding the implementation and financing of
burying Hydro lines within the Thornhill Yonge Street Study Area.
AND THAT a copy of Council’s decision be sent
to the Region of York
PURPOSE:
This
report provides an overview of the Yonge Street Rapid Transit EA and seeks
Council’s endorsement of the draft EA report.
A draft executive summary of the EA study is attached for more detailed
reference.
BACKGROUND:
In
June of 2003, the Region of York entered into a public private partnership to
deliver a rapid transit network in York Region. The rapid transit network consists of four corridors including
Yonge Street, Highway 7, Markham N-S Link and the Vaughan Link. Yonge Street Link is one of the most
advanced of the four rapid transit corridors since the Region had already
initiated the EA study prior to the retention of the YRTP Consortium. The EA study is being undertaken in
accordance with the requirements of an Individual EA as outlined by the
Ministry of Environment. A Needs and
Justification Report and Terms of Reference was completed in July, 2002. Subsequent to the approval of the Terms of Reference
by the MOE, the YRTP Consortium has now completed the EA study and intend on
filing such document with the Ministry of Environment in October, 2003.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
In
the planning period leading up to 2021 the Region is forecast to grow to 1.2M
residents and 655,000 jobs. A
significant portion of that growth is expected to occur in the Yonge Street
corridor. Given the proximity and
direct connections to the City of Toronto, it is expected that there will
continue to be a strong trend of commuter growth across the Steeles Avenue
boundary. In order to accommodate this
commuter growth, the Region’s Transportation Master Plan envisions 33% of this
increased travel to be accommodated on transit. Even assuming the currently planned road and transit (YRT and GO)
infrastructure, there will still be a significant shortfall in capacity to
accommodate travel demand in this corridor.
The EA study identifies a shortfall equivalent to 5 freeway lanes of
traffic in the peak hour in the peak direction. It is in response to this shortfall that a need for higher order
transit service has been identified.
The
selection of Bus Rapid Transit technology for this corridor was based on a
detailed evaluation with regards to impacts in this specific corridor along
with a consideration of the overall rapid transit network analysis. One of the primary factors in selecting BRT
was the immediate compatibility with TTC operations south of Steeles Avenue and
the use of the Finch Station. Another
key factor is that the projected ridership until 2011 does not justify the
additional costs of implementing Light Rail Transit from the start. It is noted however, that beyond 2011, there
could be significant shifts in ridership potential. At that point, further evaluation will be needed on whether to
consider an LRT system or a subway extension from Finch Avenue to Langstaff
area is warranted. The BRT stations,
grades and running ways will be designed to accommodate LRT should this conversion
be justified by 2011.
There
were three options for the design of the busway within Markham’s portion of
Yonge Street. This included curbside
busway (similar to HOV lanes), the busway entirely on one side of the road or a
centre median busway. Based on an
assessment of these options, it was concluded that the centre median option
provides the best balance of maintaining road operations and providing reliable
and efficient transit operations.
One
of the primary impacts of a centre median busway is the implication to accesses
to commercial properties along Yonge Street.
In response to this, a traffic management plan was developed that
incorporated formal u-turn signals at key intersections to allow reasonable
access to properties. A detailed
traffic study was undertaken which recorded volumes at all major driveways and
access points. These volumes were then
diverted to adjacent intersections to examine the impact they may have on
intersection operations. The traffic
study shows that the diversion of traffic can be accommodated at the
intersections. One of the locations
that posed a problem was the Extreme Fitness driveway north of Kirk Drive. Staff is currently working with YRTP
representatives to seek a better solution given the volume of traffic at this
entrance.
Many
local residential road connections will also be restricted to
right-in/right-out movements as a result of the median busway. In some cases, especially near Steeles
Avenue, this is desirable as residents in the Grandview area have had concerns
about cut-through traffic. In other
cases, the net volume of diverted traffic is not considered significant. However, staff have requested YRTP to
monitor local traffic volumes on specific routes (i.e. Henderson Avenue, south
of Doncaster Avenue) and if the results show significant impacts, funds should
be allocated for the provision of traffic calming measures and operational
improvements as needed.
In
January 2003, Markham and the City of Vaughan initiated the Thornhill Yonge
Street Study. This was in response to a desire to enhance the pedestrian and
built form in the heart of the commercial area in Thornhill near John
Street. The study provided a unique
opportunity to combine a detailed streetscape study along with the rapid
transit study. A significant amount of
collaboration was required to ensure that the overall objectives of both
studies were met in the end. Each study
acted as a catalyst for the inclusion of changes to the other study. Changes to lane widths, and the central
median separating the transit way lanes were accepted by the YRTP consortium
and Region of York. In addition the
proposed station location and design was altered from a split station between John
Street and Centre Street to a conventional station at John Street. These major changes provided an improved
focus for the Thornhill study and provided an opportunity for future transit
oriented development opportunities on the corners. Concepts showing the median
busway were shown at the public meetings for the Thornhill study. YRTP also held public meetings and delivered
notices directly to the businesses in the area to inform them about the
proposed median busway design. Overall,
the combination of the two studies provided an opportunity for an enhanced
streetscape and urban design project in this area.
Staff
continue to promote the need for wider sidewalks and burial of the hydro
services to truly promote the ultimate vision for this area. At this time, discussions are ongoing
regarding the costs of these measures and how they can best be allocated. Markham staff have been consistent in
stating a need to accommodate these measures to ensure an enhanced streetscape
that supports and promotes a transit and pedestrian friendly environment. In this regard, it is recommended further
discussions be held with YRTP and Regional staff to identify the overall costs
and develop a financing strategy for consideration by both Town of Markham,
City of Vaughan and Region of York Council.
The
EA study for Yonge Street also included an evaluation of possible sites for a
maintenance facility to support the overall rapid transit and related YRT
operations. YRT currently contracts out
the operations and maintenance functions but has indicated a need to consider a
new facility of their own within 5 years.
Given that the rapid transit project would need an operational facility,
the YRTP examined three options; expand current facility used by YRT, purchase
another existing facility and expand it or build a new integrated
facility. Based on the constraints
regarding number of buses, ability to accommodate LRT vehicles and proximity to
the overall transit network, it was determined that building a new integrated
facility would be the best option. Site
selection for a new facility was based on several factors such as proximity to
overall network, size to accommodate all vehicles, land ownership and ability
to acquire, site topography, adjacent land uses, access, flexibility to expand
and environmental conditions. Based on
these criteria, the Langstaff industrial area was chosen as the preferred site
for a maintenance facility.
Planning
Staff are in the process of initiating a Langstaff landuse study. The Region and YRTP should work closely with
Town staff to ensure the integration of the Operations and Maintenance facility
with the proposed landuse in the area.
In
accordance with the EA Act, three public consultation centres were held. The dates, locations and attendance at the
meeting is noted in the following table:
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DATE |
LOCATION |
ATTENDANCE |
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Nov.
7, 28, 2002 |
Hillcrest
Mall, Centrepoint Mall |
117
signed in plus 150 attended booth |
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Feb.
5, 7, 2003 |
Thornhill
CC, Hillcrest Mall |
113
signed in plus 200 visited booth |
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Jun
6, 9, 2003 |
Hillcrest
Mall, York Hill Elementary School |
101
signed in plus 150 visited |
In
addition to these consultation centres, 5,000 flyers were distributed to
residents and businesses fronting onto Yonge Street plus 12,000 newsletters
were distributed to the surrounding community advising them of the project
findings and public consultation meetings.
A project website was also prepared and advertised in all the
literature. YRTP staff also attended
two of the Thornhill Streetscape public meetings to discuss the transit
project. Meetings have also been held
with Langstaff Ratepayer groups and the Ward Councillor.
The
Quick Start programme currently has a funding commitment from the Region, YRTP
and the Provincial government in the amount $150M. The full BRT proposal on Yonge Street including, buses, stations,
and running ways is estimated at $ 300M. A comprehensive financial strategy
will be developed for the next phase of implementation.
The
EA study is expected to be filed in October to the MOE. There is a formal 30 day public review
period before the Minister will issue an approval. YRTP staff are currently planning on
introducing
the Quick Start programme in late 2004 or early 2005. The construction of full BRT system is planned to start in 2005
subject to funding.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Executive Summary of Yonge
Street Rapid Transit EA
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Alan Brown, C.E.T. Director of Engineering |
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Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services |
P:\Development\Engineering\REPORTS\2003\9\Yonge
Rapid Transit EA.doc
