Breaking the Cycle of Automobile Dependency

201 City Centre Dr., Suite 800 - Mississauga, Ontario - L5B 2T4 - (905) 896 5941 Breaking the Cycle of Automobile Dependency An Analysis of Downtown Mississauga SustainMobility is a non-profit social enterprise committed to fostering sustainable transportation solutions. We work with all levels of government, employers and employees to implement programs that reduce carbon emissions & travel costs, and ease traffic congestion. Executive Summary Mississauga’s Downtown is a growing mixed-use neighbourhood. Commercial, residential, retail, dining and entertainment as well as a post-secondary institute are all located within walking distance. The area is an important employment node, attracting more than 380 employers and more than 10,000 employees. The City of Mississauga has a long-term strategic plan (Downtown 21) featuring rapid transit improvements (TransitWay and Hurontario-Main Street LRT) that will drastically change the built environment in the area. Another primary goal of the plan is to improve the walkability of the City Centre. The City of Mississauga recently introduced paid parking at all municipal lots within the Downtown. Although this is significant, an abundance of free parking is still available throughout most of the day at the Square One Shopping Centre. Phase I of the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus is now open and Phase II is scheduled to open in 2015. Once completed, the campus will bring 8,000 students to Downtown Mississauga on a daily basis. The completion of Phase II will increase traffic congestion and parking demands in the area. Much of the increased travel demand could be mitigated with a combination of improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and the implementation of a U-Pass for Sheridan College Students. Executive Summary While the long-term plans for the Downtown are promising, the area would benefit from a short-term plan that supports sustainable travel options today: A Commuter Shed Analysis revealed that 52% of commuter trips into the Downtown originate from within the City of Mississauga. Other important points of origin include: Brampton – 11% of trips Oakville – 7% of trips Toronto (Downtown) – 5% of trips Milton – 4% of trips Burlington – 4% of trips Etobicoke – 3% of trips Although almost half (44%) of the people who work in the Downtown live within 10 km of their office; 71% drive to work alone each day. 27% of employees and students (3,200) who travel into the area could easily walk or cycle to work or school each day because they live within 5 km. Over 6,000 employees and students who travel into the area commute from less than 10 km. Many of these commuters can likely reach the Downtown on a single bus. Executive Summary Cycling Downtown Mississauga can be accessed by bicycle using three main routes: Burnhamthorpe Trail, Rathburn Trail, and the Confederation Parkway cycling lanes. However, cycling infrastructure within the area could be improved. Major destinations such as Square One, City Hall, Celebration Square, Living Arts Centre and Sheridan College are not directly connected to all of the main cycling routes. Some adjacent residential areas are not connected or poorly connected to the area via cycling routes. Where on-street cycling infrastructure exists, most cyclists still prefer the safety of the sidewalks. City Centre Drive has signage indicating shared lanes for motorists and cyclists; most cyclists choose the sidewalks (based upon primary observations). There are many areas of the Downtown that do not have bike racks. Access to Square One by bike is difficult (especially on the North Side). Executive Summary Walking Using WalkScore.com, Downtown Mississauga has been classified as being ‘very walkable’ or a ‘walker’s paradise’, depending on the specific location within the area. However, this online tool only takes proximity to amenities into consideration; it does not factor in connectivity and infrastructure. 10% of employees and students live within 2km of the Downtown. This contingent (1,200 commuters) are ideal candidates for walking and cycling. A Connectivity Study of the surrounding residential neighborhoods revealed that some have poor pedestrian connections (sidewalks) from their neighborhoods to the Downtown or do not have any at all. The Square One Shopping Centre and its subsequent parking lots increase the walking distance between various points of interest within the Downtown. As a result, pedestrians continuously use the parking lots at the shopping mall as pedestrian pathways, cutting their travel time by crossing the lots diagonally. This creates an unsafe environment where pedestrians are routinely in conflict with cars. Sheridan College is ideally located within less than a 5 minute walk of the transit terminal, however students do not feel safe travelling to the terminal at night. Improved streetscaping and lighting would dramatically improve the pedestrian access from Sheridan College to the transit terminal. Executive Summary Transit 10% of commuters (travelling to the Downtown) predominantly use public transit When asked why they use public transit, approximately half of these users do so because they do not have a choice (no license or no car), but almost a third (28%) believe transit is cheaper than operating a car. This suggests that transit is capturing some “Choice” riders in the City Centre. The long-term transit plans for the area (Transitway and Hurontatio LRT) will significantly enhance transit access to the Downtown in the long-term. In the short-term there are several ways to improve the transit experience in the Downtown: Improved amenities - shelters (currently only 50% of stops have shelters), real time information, etc. Although most already are, every single stop should be adjacent to a safe pedestrian crossing Bike lockers should be installed at the transit terminal Improved streetscaping and lighting would encourage pedestrian traffic to the terminal from Sheridan College Closing the first/last mile between the transit terminal and various workplaces within the City Centre Transit terminal should have service from key origin locations (including Brampton, Milton, Oakville) Car-sharing, Car2Go and employer sponsored transit programs should be encouraged and supported Data Sources Primary Sources SustainMobility conducted Commuter Postal Code Data extensive analyses aimed at gaining a better understanding of On-site Observations commuting patterns in Smart Commute Survey Data Mississauga’s Downtown. Secondary Sources While existing data was collected City of Mississauga and analyzed, we utilized our Economic Development Statistics own data that has been collected in recent years to further our Google Maps understanding. Data from these Statistics Canada (2011) sources informed this report. www.WalkScore.com Primary Analysis Conducted Our approach to this report essentially involves two primary methods: Data Analysis In combining survey data with our innovative commuter shed analysis, we gained a high level of knowledge regarding commuting patterns On-Site Obvservations Qualitative and quantitative observations were made by walking around each street in Downtown Mississauga Two specific analyses were prepared to inform this report: Commuter Shed Analysis Plot of employee home postal codes Origin density analysis and mapping Neighbourhood Connectivity Study Analysis and ratings for pedestrian and cycling connectivity from five residential neighbourhoods to the Downtown City of Mississauga Downtown Mississauga Parking Mississauga’s Downtown is one of the few locations within Mississauga where the majority of parking is paid. Parking The presence of the Square One Shopping Centre complicates the parking situation. The mall parking lot is designed for short-term stay during business hours; a ban on overnight parking is enforced. The result is that while some abuse the availability of free parking during business hours, the parking lot remains largely empty during business hours. Sheridan College The newest campus of Sheridan Hazel McCallion Campus College opened its doors in Downtown Mississauga in September 2011. The campus was built to accommodate 3000 students while a planned second phase will bring on an additional 5000 students in 2015. At the completion of this project, Downtown Mississauga will have a significant student presence. Smart Commute Mississauga conducted a survey on the commuting patterns at the College in October 2012 and some of that data is included in this report. Commuting Patterns: City of Mississauga and Downtown Mississauga Mode Share Within the Downtown, the majority of commuters (71%) drive alone Across employment areas throughout Mississauga, 74% of commuters primarily drive alone to work each day Half of Sheridan College students use transit, while a significant number walk (8%) or get dropped off (6%) 9% of commuters carpool to work 10% of commuters employed in the area use public transit Commute Satisfaction The majority of commuters (82%) are generally satisfied with their daily commute 41% are Very Satisfied 41% are Somewhat Satisfied Commute satisfaction is slightly lower with Sheridan College students at 77% Primary Commute Mode 80% 74% 71% 70% 60% 50% 50% 40% City of Mississauga Downtown Workplaces 30% 28% Sheridan College 20% 10% 9% 9% 9% 10% 8% 6% 6% 4% 3% 4% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% Drive alone Carpool Public transit Bicycle Walk Telework Get dropped off Other Commute Satisfaction 45% 43% 41% 40% 41% 40% 39% 35% 34% 30% 25% 20% City of Mississauga Downtown Workplaces

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