Transit Priority Corridors – Robie Street / Young Street
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P.O. Box 1749 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3A5 Canada Item No. 15.5.3 Halifax Regional Council July 16, 2019 TO: Mayor Savage and Members of Halifax Regional Council Original Signed SUBMITTED BY: _____________ Councillor Nicoll, Chair of the Transportation Standing Committee DATE: June 25, 2019 SUBJECT: Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street ORIGIN June 20, 2019 meeting of the Transportation Standing Committee, Item No. 15.3. LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY Administrative Order 1, Respecting the Procedures of the Council, Schedule 7, Transportation Standing Committee Terms of Reference, section 4 (b) which states: “The Transportation Standing Committee shall oversee and review of the Municipality’s Regional Transportation Plans and initiatives, as follows: overseeing and reviewing the Regional Transportation policies, bylaws and functional plans”. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that Halifax Regional Council authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to: 1. Proceed with detailed design of time-restricted (Weekdays 6AM – 6PM) curbside bus lanes on Robie Street between Young Street and Quinpool Road (Phase 1 configuration as described in the Discussion section of the May 15, 2019 staff report); 2. Proceed with detailed design of a westbound curbside bus lane on Young Street between Kempt Road and Windsor Street (Phase 1 configuration as described in the Discussion section of the May 15, 2019 staff report); 3. Initiate efforts to further investigate the right-of-way requirements necessary to accommodate continuous curbside bus lanes in both directions (Phase 2 configuration as described in the Discussion section of the May 15, 2019 staff report) for the following roadway segments: i. Robie Street (between Almon Street and Cunard Street), and ii. Young Street (between Robie Street and Windsor Street); and 4. Initiate efforts to further investigate the right-of-way requirements necessary for future potential construction of centre median transit lanes on Robie Street. BACKGROUND A staff report dated May 15, 2019 was before the Transportation Standing Committee for consideration at its June 20, 2019 meeting. For further information, please refer to the staff report dated May 15, 2019. Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street Council Report - 2 - July 16, 2019 DISCUSSION Staff provided a presentation on Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street and responded to questions. The Transportation Standing Committee approved a motion to forward the recommendation to Halifax Regional Council outlined in this report. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS As outlined in the attached staff report dated May 15, 2019. RISK CONSIDERATION As outlined in the attached staff report dated May 15, 2019. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The Transportation Standing Committee meetings are open to public attendance, a live webcast is provided of the meeting, and members of the public are invited to address the Committee for up to five minutes at the end of each meeting during the Public Participation portion of the meeting. The agenda, reports, video, and minutes of the Transportation Standing Committee are posted on Haifax.ca ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS As outlined in the attached staff report dated May 15, 2019. ALTERNATIVES As outlined in the attached staff report dated May 15, 2019. ATTACHMENTS 1. Staff report dated May 15, 2019 2. Staff presentation dated June 20, 2019 A copy of this report can be obtained online at halifax.ca or by contacting the Office of the Municipal Clerk at 902.490.4210. Report Prepared by: Judith Ng’ethe, Legislative Assistant, 902.490.6517 Attachment 1 P.O. Box 1749 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3A5 Canada Item No. 15.3 Transportation Standing Committee June 20, 2019 TO: Chair and Members of Transportation Standing Committee Original Signed SUBMITTED BY: Kelly Denty, Director Planning & Development Original Signed Dave Reage, Director Halifax Transit Original Signed Denise Schofield, Acting Chief Administrative Officer DATE: May 15, 2019 SUBJECT: Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street ORIGIN The Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), approved at the December 5th, 2017 meeting of Regional Council, identified Robie Street and Young Street as proposed transit priority corridors, and actioned the prioritization of their delivery. In conjunction with approval of the IMP, Staff were directed to prepare a supplementary report “amending the IMP to set the target date for implementation of the Young/Robie Transit Priority Corridors to fiscal 2020/21”. LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, subsection 318(2): “In so far as is consistent with their use by the public, the Council has full control over the streets in the Municipality.” Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, subsection 322(1): “The Council may design, lay out, open, expand, construct, maintain, improve, alter, repair, light, water, clean, and clear streets in the Municipality.” Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act, subsection 90 (5) which states that “The traffic authority may (c) exclude from traffic on specified streets or specified portions of streets vehicles other than public transit vehicles or vehicles specified by the traffic authority”. Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street Standing Committee Report - 2 - June 20, 2019 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Transportation Standing Committee recommend that Halifax Regional Council authorize the CAO to: 1. Proceed with detailed design of time-restricted (Weekdays 6AM – 6PM) curbside bus lanes on Robie Street between Young Street and Quinpool Road (Phase 1 configuration as described in the Discussion section of this report). 2. Proceed with detailed design of a westbound curbside bus lane on Young Street between Kempt Road and Windsor Street (Phase 1 configuration as described in the Discussion section of this report). 3. Initiate efforts to further investigate the right-of-way requirements necessary to accommodate continuous curbside bus lanes in both directions (Phase 2 configuration as described in the Discussion of this report) for the following roadway segments: i. Robie Street (between Almon Street and Cunard Street), and ii. Young Street (between Robie Street and Windsor Street). 4. Initiate efforts to further investigate the right-of-way requirements necessary for future potential construction of centre median transit lanes on Robie Street. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), adopted by Regional Council in December 2017, identifies Robie Street and Young Street as proposed transit priority corridors based on their importance for existing and planned transit operations, as well as their potential for providing priority to transit over general traffic. The physical characteristics of the corridors, as well as how people use them, have a major influence on the type of transit priority measures that can be implemented. The IMP did not go so far as to identify the type of transit priority that would be appropriate, recognizing that there are many factors that need to be considered in determining a preferred approach. A functional design study completed by a consultant (WSP Canada Inc.) in 2018 investigated multiple design options for transit priority upgrades on Robie Street and Young Street. The design options were evaluated based on various factors that considered the potential to improve transit operation, multimodal impacts (walking, bicycling, traffic), curbside impacts (parking, loading), implementation cost, and the feedback received from stakeholders and the public. The consultant’s study recommended curbside bus lanes in both directions on both Robie Street and Young Street as the preferred configuration for implementation. Functional designs completed for preferred corridor concepts identify key impacts including the need for property acquisition and right-of-way (ROW) widening. Based on the findings of the consultant’s study and additional review by staff, this report recommends a phased approach to implementing the consultant’s recommended transit priority upgrades to Robie Street and Young Street. Phase 1 includes implementation of curbside bus lanes on Robie Street (Quinpool Road to Young Street) and Young Street (Robie Street to Windsor Street) only in locations where there is existing street space that can be reallocated to serve transit. Phase 2 extends the curbside bus lanes to the remaining segments after additional investigation and necessary property acquisition is completed. The phased implementation approach is recommended in order to provide near-term transit priority benefits that can be achieved without significant cost or delay, while progress is maintained on the tasks necessary (i.e. detailed design, ROW requirements, property acquisition) to implement the full extent of the recommended transit priority upgrades. It is noted that proposed Phase 1 upgrades are recommended in their own right – though transit priority benefits of full buildout of Phase 2 represent the preferred vision for the corridor, Phase 1 upgrades provide transit priority benefits that are worthwhile even if Phase 2 is not eventually pursued. Transit Priority Corridors: Robie Street / Young Street Standing Committee Report - 3 - June 20, 2019 Overall, the proposed lane configuration changes, which reduce roadway traffic capacity both mid-block and at intersections, are expected to negatively impact traffic operations on the Robie Street corridor. Traffic analysis based on weekday morning and afternoon peak periods indicates that key metrics including