Town of Whitby Report Recommendation Report

Town of Whitby Report Recommendation Report

TOWN OF WHITBY REPORT RECOMMENDATION REPORT REPORT TO: Operations Committee REPORT NO: PW 50-08 DATE OF MEETING: November 10, 2008 FILE NO(S): N/A PREPARED BY: Planning/Public Works Joint Report LOCATION: GTHA REPORT TITLE/SUBJECT: Metrolinx: Draft Regional Transportation Plan; Draft Investment Strategy 1.0 RECOMMENDATION: 1 That Public Works/Planning Report Item PW 50-08 be received for information; 2 That Staff and Region comments contained in Report Item PW 50-08 concerning the Draft Regional Transportation Plan and Draft Investment Strategy released by Metrolinx be endorsed by Council; 3 That a copy of Report Item PW 50-08 be forwarded to Metrolinx, the Region of Durham and the Ministry of Transportation. 2.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In September 2008, Metrolinx released its Draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), entitled, The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Draft Investment Strategy, A Plan for Implementation Action for public and stakeholder review and comments. The Draft RTP provides Metrolinx's vision and implementation strategy for the creation of a Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) transit and public transportation system, while the Draft Investment Strategy outlines the proposed financing of the plan. Public comments are requested by November 14, 2008. Durham Region staff, through Joint Commissioner’s No. 2008-J-39 completed a thorough review of the Metrolinx documents and have provided a number of comments and recommendations for Metrolinx to consider to ensure that the RTP reflects the transportation issues of importance in the Region. Staff concur with the Region's report recommendations, and offer additional comments and a Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: PW 50-08 Page 2 of 13 recommendation from the Town's perspective. It is recommended that Council endorse both the Region’s comments and those of Staff on the Draft RTP. 3.0 ORIGIN: The Draft RTP and Draft Investment Strategy were released by Metrolinx in September 2008, with a submission deadline of November 14, 2008 for public input. On October 21, 2008, the Region of Durham’s Finance & Administration, Planning and Works Committee released comments on the Draft RTP and Draft Investment Strategy based on the recommendations contained in the Region's Joint Commissioner's Report No. 2008-J-39. Accordingly, the purpose of this report is to summarize Metrolinx’s Draft RTP and Draft Investment Strategy and highlight the recommended changes, comments, and priorities put forward by the Region's Joint Commissioner's Report 2008-J-39. Additional Public Works and Planning Staff comments are also provided. 4.0 BACKGROUND: In July 2007, the GTHA municipalities made presentations to Metrolinx (previously the Greater Toronto Transit Authority) outlining their transportation needs. Following this meeting, Metrolinx issued a series of Green Papers that discussed a variety of transportation issues facing the GTHA, including: transit, roads and highways, active transportation, transportation demand management, mobility hubs, and goods movement. In April 2008, Planning and Public Works Joint report No. PL 59-08 was received by the Planning and Development Committee. Staff provided an overview of the RTP process and Green Papers, and provided comments for council endorsement. Based on public and stakeholder consultation on the Green Papers, Metrolinx released two White Papers in May 2008, which identified the vision, goals, objectives, and policy directions of the RTP. Joint Staff report PL 90-08 was received by Planning and Development Committee on June 23, 2008, which provided a summary of the two White Papers and a number of comments for Council endorsement. Council also endorsed the recommendation that Metrolinx provide a 120 day review period of the draft RTP upon its release. While the publication of the draft RTP and Investment Strategy was delayed until September 26, 2008, the public consultation period remains tight at approximately 50 days. It should be noted that Durham Region and area municipal staff took part in a roundtable discussion on these documents, which culminated in the Region’s Joint Commissioner’s report No. 2008-J-39. Due to the broad implications of the draft RTP, Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: PW 50-08 Page 3 of 13 the Region’s report was a collaborative effort involving Regional Staff of the CAO office, Durham Region Transit, the Finance, Planning, Economic Development and Tourism, and Works Departments. Copies of the draft RTP and Investment strategy have been made available to Council under separate cover. These documents are also available for viewing on the Metrolinx website (www.metrolinx.com). 5.0 DISCUSSION/OPTIONS: Summary of the Draft RTP: The Draft RTP provides vision, goals, and objectives for the development of a GTHA transportation system. The Draft RTP builds on the work and comments from the public and stakeholders on seven previous Green Papers released between late 2007 and early 2008, and two White Papers released in May 2008 (See Attachment 1, Preface). The Draft RTP envisions that in 25 years the GTHA will have an integrated regional transportation system that supports a high quality of life, environmental protection, and a strong economy; also described as a seamless, efficient, convenient, equitable and user-oriented system. Transit will change to a system that values “moving people and goods, rather than moving vehicles”. The RTP will fulfill part of Phase 1 for the E.A. process and may become a Provincial Plan similar to the Growth Plan and Greenbelt. In order to realize this vision, the Draft RTP has stated 15 strategic directions, which have been summarized into the following themes or categories: Reduce Demands on the transportation system; Increase travel choices; Meet the needs of travellers first; Build communities that make travelling easier; and Commit to continuous improvement. In turn, these themes will be implemented through a series of different actions (approximately 90), of which Metrolinx identifies “8 Big Moves” as priorities for immediate attention: A fast, frequent and expanded regional rapid transit network (identified in Figure 4 Appendix 1, Figure 5 Appendix 2 of the draft RTP); A complete walking and cycling network with bike-sharing programs; An information system for travelers, where and when they need it; A GTHA-wide integrated transit fare system; A system of connected mobility hubs; Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: PW 50-08 Page 4 of 13 Establish a high-order transit connectivity to the Pearson airport district from all directions; A comprehensive strategy for goods movement; and, An investment strategy to provide stable and predictable funding. A number of short term projects, termed “Quick Wins” by Metrolinx, have already begun. These projects take advantage of the 2008 Provincial Budget that commits $750 million for a series of transit initiatives throughout the GTHA. Of these projects, funding for the early phase of the Highway 2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) spine has direct impact on the Region of Durham. The implementation of the RTP is set out in two phases. The first phase, which spans the first 15 years of the 25 year plan, begins in 2009. The draft RTP identifies 15 top priorities for early implementation, of which two specifically relate to Durham Region: Express Rail service along GO Lakeshore line, connecting several of the Growth Plan’s Urban Growth Centres (UGC’s) including Oshawa; and, Rapid transit service along Highway 2. In addition to the top 15 priorities, there are a number of other planned transportation improvements in the first phase that relate to Durham. These include: Extending GO Regional Rail service to Seaton; The completion of the Highway 407 East extension and regional road widening and extensions; $300 million invested in new walking and cycling infrastructure across the GTHA; and, An integrated transit fare card that allows for seamless connections among all transit service providers. While these transit initiatives are specific and of benefit to the Region of Durham, it is agreed that a number of the top priorities will generally enhance the mobility of Whitby residents throughout the Region and GTHA. The second phase, which spans the years 16-25 (2024-2033), includes additional improvements and the consolidation of the previous phase’s developments. Planned infrastructure developments related to Durham include: Durham and Toronto will be connected with a new RT service along the Taunton Road and Steeles Avenue corridor; New east-west BRT service will be added from Pearson Airport district through York Region to Scarborough Town Centre and Pickering via Highways 407 and 401; Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: PW 50-08 Page 5 of 13 Necessary improvements to regional road networks to service new growth will continue in accordance with local Transportation Master Plans; Opportunities for upgrading BRT services to Light Rail Transit (LRT) will be examined; and $200 million (throughout the GTHA) invested in walking and cycling infrastructure for an additional 3,000 km of new facilities. Beyond the 25 year plan (i.e. 2033), of the priority projects listed, two directly relate to Durham: additional RT lines along Highway 407; and, an east-west express rail connecting Oakville, Mississauga, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham and Pickering. Costs and financing are briefly discussed in the Draft RTP. The 25 year plan is estimated to cost $50 billion in total, or $2 billion a year. It is important to note that these figures relate only to the upgrade and expansion of the regional transportation network, and do not include the estimated $1.5 billion for transportation and $230 million for road and highway maintenance per year. Furthermore, costs of local road widening and extensions, and necessary increased local public transit services are not included in this maintenance figure and will have to be budgeted by local municipalities. Initial financing of the RTP at this point is entirely dependent on the Provincial government's MoveOntario 2020 funding commitment.

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