Moving Forward Goods Movement Report Moving Forward – Goods Movement Report Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1-1 Purpose of the Report ....................................................................................................... 1-2 Related Goods Movement Policy Directions .................................................................... 1-3 2. Goods Movement in the Region of Waterloo ................................................................... 2-1 Defining Goods Movement ............................................................................................... 2-1 Current Waterloo Region Truck Route Management ...................................................... 2-2 Moving Forward 2031 Goods Movement Priorities ........................................................ 2-5 Goods Movement Policies of Local Municipalities .......................................................... 2-6 3. Goods Movement Patterns and Modes ........................................................................... 3-1 Current Commercial Vehicle Flow Patterns within the Region of Waterloo ................... 3-1 Other Goods Movement Modes in the Region of Waterloo ......................................... 3-13 4. Trends Affecting Goods Movement .................................................................................. 4-1 Changes in Consumer Behaviour ..................................................................................... 4-1 The Changing Distribution of Regional Industries ........................................................... 4-1 Road and Highway Projects will Benefit Goods Movement in the Region ..................... 4-2 Connected and Autonomous Commercial Vehicle Goods Movement ........................... 4-2 Aerial Delivery Drones ....................................................................................................... 4-4 Cargo Bicycle Delivery ....................................................................................................... 4-4 Demand Management ...................................................................................................... 4-5 5. Sustainable Goods Movement Practices and Congestion Management – Region of Waterloo ............................................................................................................ 5-1 Greening Goods Movement .............................................................................................. 5-1 A Strategy for Curbside Management .............................................................................. 5-2 Truck Route Planning in Waterloo Region ....................................................................... 5-5 6. Regional Goods Movement Study – Terms of Reference ............................................... 6-1 Study Purpose .................................................................................................................... 6-1 Study Scope ....................................................................................................................... 6-1 Best Practices Review ....................................................................................................... 6-2 Study Timeframe ............................................................................................................... 6-2 i Moving Forward – Goods Movement Report Goods Movement Industry Stakeholder Consultation .................................................... 6-2 Goods Movement Management Requirement ................................................................ 6-2 Highway 401 Connection Update ..................................................................................... 6-3 7. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 7-1 Table of Exhibits Exhibit 2.1: Distribution of Employment in Waterloo Region by Municipality and Industry, 2016 ............................................................................................................................. 2-3 Exhibit 2.2: Current Region of Waterloo Truck Route Network (2018) ................................... 2-4 Exhibit 3.1: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Trips in Waterloo Region ......................................... 3-2 Exhibit 3.2: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Travel Road Network Assignment Plot by Flow Type – Waterloo Region ..................................................................................................... 3-4 Exhibit 3.3: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Travel Road Network Assignment Plot by Flow Type – Southern Ontario .................................................................................................... 3-5 Exhibit 3.4: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Origin-Destination Flow Table ................................. 3-6 Exhibit 3.5: Zone System for Origin-Destination Flow Table .................................................... 3-8 Exhibit 3.6: Commercial Vehicle Activity by Facility Type ......................................................... 3-9 Exhibit 3.7: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Trips by Commodity Type ..................................... 3-10 Exhibit 3.8: Weekly Commercial Vehicle Commodity Value at Trip Origin by Commodity Type ........................................................................................................................................... 3-11 Exhibit 3.9: Waterloo Region and Area Rail Lines and Airport .............................................. 3-15 Exhibit 4.1: Vehicle Platoon Diagram ........................................................................................ 4-3 Exhibit 5.1: Constrained Neighbourhood Connector – Main Street (Region of Waterloo) ..... 5-3 ii © User: Floydian | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hespeler_Bypass.png | CC BY-SA 3.0 1. Introduction Moving Forward is the 2018 Transportation Master Plan (2018 TMP) and policy document for the Region of Waterloo. It outlines plans for providing the road, transit, walking and cycling infrastructure needed to encourage sustainable travel and economic growth and to support the Region as “a community where people matter and ideas grow”1. Moving Forward also provides guidelines for the Region to identify and prioritize transportation needs and a process to evaluate them over the coming 25 years. One of these needs is goods movement. The safe and efficient movement of goods, especially by truck, is very important to Waterloo Region’s economy, given its strategic location in southwestern Ontario, access to the Windsor/Detroit and Niagara gateways to the USA and its business, manufacturing and just- in-time warehousing users. The economic base in Waterloo Region includes a growing 1 Region of Waterloo Vision. 1-1 Moving Forward – Goods Movement Report knowledge and service economy, but also continues to have strong manufacturing, retail trade and agricultural sectors, for which the efficient movement of goods is essential. The main challenge in planning for the movement of goods is to balance the needs of industry with those of communities, neighbourhoods, and core areas. An effective goods movement road network focuses truck traffic on selected Region streets, improves safety and structural longevity of non-designated streets, and minimizes impacts of heavy truck traffic on sensitive land uses. Purpose of the Report This report is a goods movement strategy prepared for the Region of Waterloo as part of the 2018 TMP. The focus of this report is on commercial trucking operations and policies, however connectivity to air and intermodal (rail) facilities is also discussed. The scope of the report focuses on the following topics: A review of current goods movement policies in the Region; A review of related province-wide polices and directions, and a review of Peel Region’s current plan which provides a peer example in terms of strategic goods movement planning; An analysis of current goods movement flows to, from and within the Region, with findings including goods movement by employment sector and commodity type; An overview of movement by rail and air in the Region; A review of trends affecting goods movement including economic trends and new technology such as autonomous connected trucks; A review of strategies for greening goods movement and curbside management within the Region; and A truck route planning framework for the Region. The prior plan, Moving Forward 2031 (2010 RTMP) identified a need for the Region to undertake, outside of the TMP, a separate goods movement study or strategy. This report addresses some of the content requested, but does not include some topics such as a detailed review of the truck network for specific origins and destinations needed to identify gaps or identify Township roads to better serve goods movement. There were also uncertainties as to the scope and scale of the separate Goods Movement Study. Section 6 of this report provides terms of reference for a subsequent study that the Region can tailor further. 1-2 Moving Forward – Goods Movement Report Related Goods Movement Policy Directions Managing goods movement in Waterloo Region is influenced by direction provided by a number of related provincial agency and industry groups, as well as municipal studies. A sample of these are summarized below. Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Freight Supportive Guidelines Ontario’s Freight-Supportive Guidelines