Overview Report York Region Transportation Master Plan June 2002
Regional Chair an CEO Bill Fisch Tim Jones Town of Aurora James Young Town of East Gwillimbury Jeffrey Holec Town of Georgina Danny Wheeler Town of Georgina Margar Black Township of King Tom Taylor Town of Newmark Diane Humeniuk Town of Newmark William F. Bell Town of Richmon Hill Brena Hogg Town of Richmon Hill A Message from Regional Council Traffic congestion is a growing problem in York Region. Every ay we hear it from others, we see it ourselves an research conucte by our staff confirms it. We also know that York Region is growing by more than 80,000 resients in the last two years alone an we will continue to attract new resients an new jobs in the ecaes ahea. Clearly, we can no longer rely so heavily on private automobiles for aily trips throughout, into an from York Region. To ensure a prosperous an viable future, we nee to bter integrate transportation improvements with housing, employment an public facilities such as schools an hospitals. Our Vision 2026 strategic plan was approve in 2002. It articulates a multi-pronge regional growth management strategy that will irect an time new evelopment. The Transportation Master Plan is a core element of Vision 2026 an it will guie our transit an roa expansion in the immeiate an long-term future. After extensive consultation with neighbouring communities, citizens an other stakeholers, we now have a comprehensive plan that unifies our planning for provincial expressways, major regional roas, York Region Transit services, commuter rail an GO Transit, plus cycling an walking routes. Togher, we can ensure a healthy an sustainable future for the Region of York. Donal Cousens Town of Markham Frank carpitti Town of Markham Goron Lanon Town of Markham Tony Wong Town of Markham Davi Barrow Town of Richmon Hill Michael Di Biase City of Vaughan Joyce Frustaglio City of Vaughan Gino Rosati City of Vaughan Wayne Emmerson Town of Whitchurch-touffville Bill O Donnell Town of Newmark
Why We Nee a Transportation Master Plan...for Now an for the Next 30 Years Y ork Region is the fastest growing part of the Greater Toronto Area an one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canaa. Our population has increase fourfol in the past 30 years an is expecte to ouble in the next 30 years. Currently we are growing at the rate of 40,000 new resients per year. We are creating new jobs at an even faster pace an toay count more than 380,000 people working in the region. That number is expecte to more than ouble by 2031, with much of the new growth occurring in the next 10 years. This means that York Region is a popular community in which to live, work an raise a family, an that our economic prospects are soun. It also means that we will continue to attract new resients an businesses well into the 21st century. An y, accommoating our past growth an our future growth is not without challenges. Inee, some trens are alreay apparent that warrant our attention if we wish to ensure a high quality of life for future generations. Yonge t an many of our major roas an highway corriors are heavily congeste uring the morning an evening rush hours. This is primarily ue to the heavy reliance our resients place on private automobile use. Toay, only 8 per cent of all rush hour trips are mae by public transit in York Region. 1
During the morning rush hours, about 47 per cent of York resients heaing to work are estine for Toronto, creating traffic jams on roas an highways, especially in the southern communities. For all morning work trips by York resients, 79 per cent are by car. As a result of congestion, the public has raise concerns about the region s pace of growth, our relatively low use of public transit, the limite options for peestrians an cyclists, eriorating air quality, an the relationship bween where people live an work. The region has become increasingly urbanize, with more iverse job opportunities, a greater range of housing types, higher resiential an commercial ensities, an intense evelopment along the Yonge t corrior an the east - west highway corriors. Our population is aging an becoming more iverse, birth rates are falling as the Baby Boomers age, an new immigrants make up a growing percentage of our population. These emographic changes have implications for various regional services, from schools to public transportation. There is consierable uncertainty over where the money will come from to pay for maintenance an expansion of our transit an roa systems. Necessary improvements to the public transit nwork will require investment by the feeral an provincial governments because the costs are well 2
beyon the capacity of property tax revenue an evelopment charges. York Region is aressing these issues on several fronts, incluing establishing private sector partnerships, eveloping appropriate new Official Plan policies, aopting growth management strategies, an encouraging greater public transit use. All of these steps are esigne to ensure that our natural environment is sustaine for future generations, that our economy continues to thrive, an that all of our communities remain healthy. The Transportation Master Plan (TMP), base on a transportation vision that foresees an integrate roa an public transit nwork that will support our growth to 2031, complements all other regional an provincial planning initiatives. It recognizes that transportation has an impact on housing, job creation, human services an the shape of our municipalities. The TMP inclues a Five-Year Action Plan an subsequent 10-year an 20-year staging plans. These will ensure that the master plan elements are implemente in the most timely an cost-effective manner an that progress is monitore over the coming years. While the York Region Official Plan is alreay very supportive of measures to increase public transit use an encourage growth in regional centres an along key transportation corriors, some policies will nee to be strengthene. 3 Our goal is to ouble the percentage of total trips mae by transit in York Region. New policies will be necessary to encourage fewer rush-hour an overall trips, iscourage auto use, an promote cycling an walking. Major investments in public transit will be neee an the type of rapi transit service must be selecte. Future Transit Improvements It is obvious that the future travel nees of York Region resients an workers cannot be m by improving the roa system alone. Our goal is to more than ouble the share of trips taken by public transit in the morning rush hours. We also expect that one-thir of all rush hour trips to Toronto will be taken by transit. The basic goal of our transit planning is to create a nwork that will serve all segments of the York Region population. The transit nwork will be
base on four regional centres an the Yonge t an Highway 7 corriors that connect them, plus two aitional corriors (Vaughan Corporate Centre to the paina subway via York University, an Markham Centre to the new heppar subway). {ee map opposite.} Ten categories of improvements will be unertaken: 1. Develop rapi transit services in urban York Region. The most appropriate technology to accomplish this may inclue bus rapi transit (BRT), light rail transit (LRT), an subways. 2. Expan GO Transit commuter rail service on the three routes that alreay serve Newmark, Richmon Hill an touffville plus two new rail routes to Woobrige/ Kleinburg an east Markham. 3. Open as many as 15 aitional GO Transit rail stations in York to serve eveloping areas, plus significant expansion to GO Transit parking lots. 4. Provie key gateways to the transit nwork at up to 10 terminals with large commuter parking lots an supporting services to encourage motorists to switch to transit. 5. Establish a gri of supporting bus services to fee the rapi transit nwork. The next generation of transit service for our key corriors may be Bus Rapi Transit (BRT), illustrate at top, or Light Rail Transit (LRT), shown above. 6. Provie traffic signal priority an reserve lanes for transit, especially in southern municipalities. Efforts will be necessary to ensure the spee an reliability of transit services. 7. Create a system of commuter parking lots to support car pooling an to facilitate access to the public transit an high-occupancy vehicle nworks to reuce traffic congestion. 8. Provie rural bus routes that connect outlying communities with 4
Georgina Islan Lake imcoe Fox Islan a Ro Me mith oa a R LEGEND Doan e i e Ro t Albe The Queensway ne hn's iero ra Ro orf Concessio w Eleventh High ay 7 n Reesor n onto egio f T or C i ty o am R East ne Ninth Li enue Mills Av Elgin 48 5 16th Highway 6 Kilomres ue est ville Aven McCowan nue W a Kenney s Ave t 19th iero Avenue teele esa Waren tree a D ur h Bh e Avenue oa iero n Roa ingto Bloom Woobin e Centr oa or R Leslie t st a 48 Van a Highway Auro Avenue 4 t Jo a 2 n Ro 0 Vivia East Bayview taff R Yonge t Langs t Bathurst ue ie We Drive N 2 t Avenue 7 en rf Ruthe kenz Drive t ay Highw Davis a touff Dufferin Av r Mac l Ro t 50 ton ton Yonge t Bathurst way ng a Leslie t West t Majo oa Isli rt Ro rive lock D g Wellin Keele t a t Bayview gton Jane tre n Roa Testo e Eas Weston Kirby y Drive enue on High Kipling Av 27 Huntingt th Highway ou N er ashvill a ing V Pine Valle line ion own n Lan Roa ughan eroa Ninth Li Moun t ing T Reg on/k ncession Cale l Pee K a Line nsvill eroa King e Ro a t urora Dufferin 11th Co ieroa nsho urham Quee town-a Wellin i 15th Rave oa Centre Gree st Keele t Jane tre Lloy ieroa 16th We Lane Mu ession ession a ay 9 7th Conc 8th Conc 17th 27 iero 18th u Highway ieroa town-a oa rora R ncession ncession 19th 10th Co 12th Co Lloy Weston im c Highw on R York/D n Gree y hiloh no rn Ro Hera unt o e Co var McCowan Holbo 11 Leslie t cession way ue Avenue 2n Con High Aven Roa Boag oos Kenney Glenw Waren Existing GO tations Propose GO tations Gateway to Transit Nwork Commuter / HOV Parking Regional Centres Existing GO Rail ervice Propose GO Rail ervice Propose Rural Bus Routes Existing / Future TTC Rapi Transit Regional Rapi Transit Transit Priority Nwork Freeway Express Bus ervice e Avenue Boule Ol Woobin tea tro Rige Ol este Hom omes 's i Ol H eroa oa 48 way Weir line R High 2031 Transit Nwork Base Park nake Islan River Lake Black 14th Aven tee ue les A venu e Ea st Lake Ontario
Five-Year Action Plan Those elements of the York Region Transportation Master Plan (TMP) slate for immeiate implementation focus on achieving rapi transit service in four main corriors: Yonge t from Highway 7 to Finch subway station; Jane t from Highway 7 to York University an the Downsview subway station; Waren Avenue from Highway 7 to the heppar subway; an Highway 7 from Jane t to Highway 27 an from Yonge t to Kenney. These initiatives will significantly improve transit service in the busiest corriors an support the further evelopment of the four regional centres ientifie in our Official Plan. Regarless of the technologies chosen bus rapi transit (BRT) or light rail transit (LRT) these initiatives must be implemente quickly to achieve the objectives of the TMP. wiening an reconfiguration will be necessary to accommoate eicate transit rights-of-way, transit priority at traffic signals, an intersection improvements. Beyon transit nees, York Region must also wien a number of roas an comple missing links in the roa nwork. The Markham By-pass is for example one of the most significant new roa improvements to be pursue in the next five years. 6
urban centres an rapi transit services an also allow for other inter-regional transit connections. 9. Provie local transit service in outlying communities such as Keswick an touffville, linking major local estinations to the rapi transit nwork. 10. Provie separate services for those unable to use conventional transit. Our goal is to have universal access to public transit using conventional an special nees transit vehicles. Ultimately, the TTC subway system may be extene into York Region south of Highway 7. Light rail transit (LRT) may be appropriate in certain areas. But in the immeiate future an for the most part, bus rapi transit (BRT) may offer the least costly an most flexible solution. Bus rapi transit is an increasingly popular rapi transit concept where buses travel at high spee, usually on exclusive rights-of-way with infrequent stops, while taking avantage of various supportive techniques such as movement priority at signalize intersections. Along with Markham, Richmon Hill an Vaughan, York Region has begun to partner with the private sector to implement the rapi transit plan. The appropriate technologies will be selecte in consultation with our private partner - York Consortium 2002. Future Improvements Even if ouble the percentage of resients turn to transit, we will still nee to improve the highway an roa nwork to me future travel eman. This is also necessary to improve the movement of goos by truck or van, which is vital to the success of our economy. In our urban areas, we propose to improve our roa gri through improvements to the provincial freeways an four to six-lane arterial roas. In rural areas, we propose to comple strategic roa connections to improve travel. {ee map on next page} Long-term improvements to the roa nwork inclue seven major initiatives: 1. Extensions to the provincial freeway nwork incluing extening Highway 404 northerly an easterly to the York bounary; wiening of parts of Highway 404 an Highway 400; extening Highway 427 northerly; an constructing the Brafor By-pass. 2. A Markham By-pass from Highway 48 north of Major Mackenzie Drive to teeles Avenue, connecting with the extension of Morningsie Avenue in Toronto. 3. A north Markham east-west link from the northern en of the Markham By-pass westerly to Highway 404. 4. Complion of missing links in the major roa nwork incluing Pine Valley Drive bween Langstaff an Rutherfor an Teston 7
Georgina Islan Lake imcoe Fox Islan Rige a Ro tro Me The Queensway York/D urham Line t Ninth Line Centre Vivian t Joh n's i rf ie ington Bhe sa oa Mills s Ave nue E ncession teele T $ ay 7 venue 1 Eleventh Co Highw r East Line enue venue Ninth Line Elgin 48 McCowan Highway Kenney e Avenue enue 16th A T $ venue Waren Av Woobin Leslie tre Bayview Av Yonge tre U ieroa ille R touffv 19th A U n York/Durham e gi o am R Reesor Leslie tre Bloom roa Durh Vano Highway 48 Aurora eroa 14th A nue W enue t s Ave shoe ast Bayview Av Bathurst teele Raven a McCowan rt Roa Centre U t E est rive W oa on Ro enue e Avenue ff Roa Kenney Waren Av Woobin Yonge t ta Langs Mac t Albe T $ Dufferin t nue gton t Major D kenzie a U U 3 Keele tre 7 hway Ave Drive Drive Bathurst U on Leslie tre West Dufferin t oa Jane tre 50 ngt t hiloh R no Heral r a way Isli k var a Boule oa East Davis Weston Ro High 4 Kirby R oa eston R Lane iero e Roa Moun r Wellin rfor Ruthe Hig 2 mith tea R sville Doan enue 427 way n Highxtensio E T $ a Roa ughan y Drive Kipling Av Huntington outh Highway 27 ne a oa oa Pine Valle ownli ille Ro T rora R wn-au roa King V ing T io n Re g on/k cession Cale l Pee King R La Green st ne We Muloc ne o r ai rn Roa 2 Keele tre ie 15th Nashv 0 Jane t a ig es M 11th Con ieroa ay 9 gton Wellin sion sion O ak R venue Queen ssion Roa ay 11 Lloyto 7th Conces 8th Conces eroa 16th rora Highway 27 i 17th wn-au ession ession ieroa 10th Conc 12th Conc Lloyto ieroa Highw Weston Ro i m 2 ome Roa stea omes 2n Conce Highw Green coe C oos A Holbo r Brapfoass By y ount Glenw Boag Note: Improvements are ubject to an Environmental Assessment N Ol H Ol $ T U New or Improve Highway Interchange Regional Centres 18th iero Ol H New Arterial Arterial Improvement New Provincial Provincial Improvement Improvements in upport of Rapi Transit pecial tuy Area (see footnotes) Jog Elimination 19th e Roa Weir's Baselin LEGEND r Highw oa 2031 Improvements Park R nake Islan ay 48 y 40n4 a w h Hig xtensio E River Lake Black ast t est ft C i ty o 6 Kilomres 8 oronto Footnotes: 1. requirements for GTAA Pickering Airports. Lake Ontario 2. haron area north-south roa improvements. 3. East-west mi-york roa improvement nees.
bween Keele t an Dufferin t. 5. Elimination of jogs at major intersections incluing Major Mackenzie Drive at Highway 27; Leslie t at touffville ; 9 th Line at touffville ; an 14 th Avenue at the Durham bounary. 6. Improve roa connections to Peel an Durham Regions. 7. New Highway 400 an Highway 404 interchanges incluing teeles Avenue an Teston on Highway 400; an Elgin Mills an t. John s ieroa on Highway 404. How Much Will It Cost? Full implementation of the TMP proposals will cost bween $5.6 billion an $7.2 billion over 30 years. The lower en of the range is base on BRT while the upper en inclues subways an LRT. In aition to capital costs, it will cost bween $57 million an $90 million per year to maintain an operate regional roas an the transit system by 2031. enior levels of government will be essential partners for the implementation of rapi transit in York Region. A minimum of one-thir subsiy will be require to finance a bus-base rapi transit system or two-thirs for a railbase system. Therefore, the total financial participation from senior levels of government will nee to be in the range of $1.4 billion to $3.3 billion. How Long Will It Take? Because of the scope, magnitue an cost of the transportation proposals, implementation will have to take place in phases over the next three ecaes. In orer to increase the percentage of people using public transit, priority will have to be given to transit spening, beginning immeiately. Therefore, York Region must move forwar aggressively to implement new millions of ollars Capital Cost Aitional Annual Operating Cost 2011 2021 2031 s $ 2,300 $ 22 $ 24 $26 Transit (BRT only) $ 2,400 $ 52 $ 45 $31 Transit (BRT, LRT & ubway) $ 4,100 $ 52 $ 76 $64 GO Rail Expansion $ 890 -- -- -- Total $ 5,590-7,290 $ 74 $ 69-100 $57-90 9
rapi transit services, to significantly increase bus service, to give transit vehicles priority at traffic signals, an to promote GO Transit rail improvements. If we procee in the traitional way (with facilities an services provie solely by the public sector) BRT will be in place in the four major corriors by 2011, with initial services in place as early as 2006. But we will be working with our private partner, York Consortium 2002 to evelop the York Rapi Transit Plan (YRTP) to fast track an inter-regional rapi transit plan for the region. The initial pieces of the rapi transit system will be ientifie an implemente through the Quick tart Project. The Quick tart Project may consist of new vehicles, immeiate improvements such as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes (HOV), bus lanes an queue jump lanes, transit centres, stations an stops, park-an-rie facilities, an priority at traffic signals to spee a transit vehicle through an intersection. Improve transit signage an passenger information will also be implemente. This project will provie momentum for the YRTP an serve as the builing block for further rapi transit evelopment an funing. It is also necessary to procee with a consierable number of roa wienings in the next 30 years to accommoate traffic growth an priority measures to help make transit a bter option for commuters. Rapi transit is neee in the corriors serving major employment centres in York Region an Toronto to significantly reuce traffic congestion. Rural an local bus service will ensure that all York resients have access to public transit. 10
Policies an Programs to upport Transit York Region s Official Plan recognizes the strong relationship bween lan use an transportation. Our policy of encouraging growth in four key centres an efining transportation corriors to serve them is intene to ensure that major evelopment will occur in those locations most accessible by transit as well as roas. However, to achieve our transportation vision for the next 30 years, we will have to introuce or strengthen policies to encourage greater transit use. To cope with increasing levels of congestion, we will have to bolster policies to reuce overall travel by each person an to g full value from our existing infrastructure. A number of specific initiatives an programs will also be unertaken irectly in support of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP). pecific policies an programs in support of public transit will inclue ensuring that public builings an facilities proviing human services are in transit accessible locations; proviing rapi transit an enhance GO Transit services at the earliest possible time to service the four regional centres; implementing a comprehensive transit fare policy; requiring new evelopments to be esigne to support transit; giving transit vehicles priority at intersections with traffic signals; installing bicycle racks on YRT buses an at stations; an establishing Travel Deman Management (TDM) strategies to reuce automobile trips. To further reuce the growth in car travel, we will prepare a transit priority nwork (TPN) in conjunction with the province an Toronto; establish commuter an carpool parking lots; evelop a nwork of bicycle routes; an work with area municipalities to provie well-lit siewalks on both sies of major roas in the urban areas of the region. To improve goos movement, we will encourage the province to expan the freeway system; encourage lower truck tolls on Highway 407; an encourage greater use of rail for moving goos. Aitional policies an programs inclue optimizing traffic signal timing, encouraging elivery companies to make eliveries outsie of rush hours; an establishing systems to improve traffic flow on our sts by responing to incients more quickly, informing rivers of problems ahea, an irecting traffic to less congeste routes. To ensure that the TMP is implemente efficiently, we will monitor population an job growth rates; the consumption of unevelope lan; where an by what means people are travelling; usage of roa an transit facilities an relate matters. This will tell us how policies might be revise or what new programs may be necessary in light of actual experience. 11
A Transportation Vision for York Region Our purpose in proucing a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) for the next 30 years is to create a transportation system that will accommoate growth by oubling transit use; provie more travel choice in orer to bter cope with traffic congestion; an slow the egraation of our environment cause by excessive automobile use. The TMP is base on an unerlying Transportation Vision for York Region that we hope will result in the following 12 conitions to ensure a high quality of life for future generations: 1. Reuce amounts of travel by car for each person 2. Employers proviing flexible work arrangements an other incentives to encourage car pooling or transit use 3. Reuce epenence on private automobiles 4. Universal access to public transit 5. Integrate transit service an fares throughout the GTA 6. Public facilities such as schools an hospitals accessible by transit 7. Efficient an safe movement of goos 8. Making the best use of existing infrastructure 9. Keeping our infrastructure in a state of goo repair 10. trong protection of the environment 11. Aequate sources of transportation funing 12. Effective public consultation Walking Cycling 12 Goos Movement
York Regional Council for the Term 2000-2003 Bill Fisch Regional Chair an CEO 1-877-464-9675 Tim Jones Aurora (905) 727-1375 James Young East Gwillimbury (905)-478-4282 Jeffrey Holec Georgina (905) 476-4301 Danny Wheeler Georgina (905) 476-4301 Margar Black King (905) 833-5321 Donal Cousens Markham (905) 475-4872 Frank carpitti Markham (905) 475-4899 Goron Lanon Markham (905) 475-7750 Tony Wong Markham (905) 475-7757 Bill O Donnell Markham (905) 475-7746 Tom Taylor Newmark (905) 895-5193 Diane Humeniuk Newmark (905) 895-5193 William F. Bell Richmon Hill (905) 771-8800 Brena Hogg Richmon Hill (905) 771-2498 Davi Barrow Richmon Hill (905) 771-2493 Michael Di Biase Vaughan (905) 832-2281 Joyce Frustaglio Vaughan (905) 832-2281 Gino Rosati Vaughan (905) 832-8585 Wayne Emmerson Whitchurch-touffville (905) 640-1900 Transportation an Works Committee Transit Committee William Bell, Chair Goron Lanon, Vice-Chair Michael Di Biase Diane Humeniuk Tim Jones Bill O Donnell Danny Wheeler Regional Chair an CEO Bill Fisch (ex officio) Diane Humeniuk, Chair Davi Barrow, Vice-Chair Joyce Frustaglio Tim Jones Frank carpitti Regional Chair an CEO Bill Fisch (ex officio) Rapi Transit Public-Private Partnership teering Committee Regional Chair an CEO Bill Fisch, Chair Diane Humeniuk, Vice-Chair William F. Bell Don Cousens Michael Di Biase Bill O Donnell (alternate)
Transportation an Works Department The Regional Municipality of York 17250 Yonge t, Box 147 Newmark, ON L3Y 6Z1 Telephone: (905) 830-4444 (905) 764-6345 Toll Free: 1-877-GO4-YORK (1-877-464-9675) Visit our Web site at: www.region.york.on.ca